Hygiene is an absolutely essential part of any commercial catering business. The alternative to providing clean and safe food can be disastrous for the business; reputational damage, and, potentially, lawsuits related to ill health. The simple remedy to this is professional cleaning, and it shows. According to Vice, Large chain restaurants that have either have specialized cleaning staff or use third party services are far cleaner than independent venues with in-house cleaning, with many thousand more bacteria found in samples in the latter style of eatery. What this shows is that it pays to take a professional approach to cleaning a commercial kitchen, and there are compelling reasons for both the safety of yourself and your customers to do so.

Protecting your staff

Kitchen safety starts with your own kitchen staff. An unhygienic environment can cause sickness, reducing productivity and risking contamination with customer’s food. Furthermore, the amateur use of cleaning tools can produce a direct risk to the health of your staff in a number of ways.

In November 2019, papers reported the severe injury of 11 people following improper chemical usage at a restaurant in Massachusetts, including one death. Elsewhere, self-cleaning cycles on ovens have been reported to emit fumes that can cause discomfort, pollution in the kitchen, and the triggering of respiratory conditions such as asthma. While tools like the self cleaning cycle should theoretically make life easier for small restaurants and kitchens, they can create new problems stemming from improper use. Rather than resorting to poorly designed self-clean functions, having well prepared and expert labor will instead help your kitchen to remain safe without causing any harm in the process.

Ensuring customer safety

With the food out of the door, the most important thing in the food industry is the safety of your customers. Bad tasting food is subjective, and can be rectified over time; one bout of illness or food poisoning in a customer can spell huge danger for the health of your business. Furthermore, the types of bacteria that can create a poor health conditions can be hard to detect or easily overlooked. For instance, commercial food and drink machines that rely on ice, such as frozen yogurt and ice cream pumps, can easily become contaminated with the likes of ‘pink slime’ - a harmful buildup of many different variations of bacteria, including cholera.

As with the safe application of chemicals, having experts with an inside knowledge of food preparation machinery and common issues can be vital. Even being aware of the potential for mold growth in your machine is only a starter. Proper maintenance of machines by trained professionals will give you the assurance and security that your products are being prepared in a safe environment and safeguard your customers. Mold prevention and treatment is no simple job and doing it improperly can be disastrous; defer to professionals.

Holistic impacts

Your primary consideration when operating as a commercial kitchen will be how your food is prepared, how it leaves the restaurant, and what steps you can take to protect your customers. Even with a perfect routine, there’s always something more you can do. Increasingly, that includes turning to green cleaning.

Many chemicals used in commercial kitchens are harmful to the environment and their production is linked to toxic waste and pollution. This has a knock-on effect that many commercial kitchen operators will be unaware of – damage to the food chain and supply. Plastics are well-known to cause damage to sea creatures, and the expulsion of toxic waste and vapors into the atmosphere is, according to a study conducted by the UN Environmental agency, creating serious problems in food supply chains that will soon reach the US and related markets. You can do your part to combat this through using green cleaning tools. On a daily basis, deploy secure and natural products such as lemon and soda based surface cleaners, and reusable wipes – though ensure that you clean these thoroughly and re-use frequently. When selecting services to clean your commercial kitchen, ensure that any potential maintenance partners are aware of your preferences; many companies are actively meeting the demand of climate change focused consumerism, and will be able to meet your needs.

Commercial kitchens can success or fail based on the quality of their food, but there’s always room for improvement. Where chances can’t be taken is food safety. With countless stories in the media evidencing that a single slip-up can spell danger for the business, it’s simply poor business sense to not do the job properly – and the best way to do the job properly is professionally. Experts with professional experience will have the nous to get into the fine nooks and crannies of a commercial kitchen and ensure that every last corner is covered, giving business owners the assurance they require.