Diocese of Portsmouth

SSW Food Safety Guidance for Small KitchensV1

The Risks: Include outbreaks of foodborne disease caused by lapses in food
Safety or emerging pathogens have provided vivid reminders that food not only
nourishes and sustains us, but if handled unsafely, can be a major threat to
health.
Food cooked and provided by parishioners or the parish must be consumed on the premises and must not be handed out for use at a later date. / Store knives in a wooden block or in a drawer.Make sure the knives are out of the reach of children. Follow theseknife safety tipsto prevent injury.
Never cook in loose clothes and keep long hair tied back.You don’t want anything accidentally catching fire (not to mention hair ending up in the food!).
Never cook while wearing dangling jewelry.A bracelet can get tangled around pot handles.
Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove.Children can’t grab them, and adults can’t bump into them if they’re out of the way.
Don’t let temperature-sensitive foods sit out in the kitchen.Raw meat, fish, and certain dairy products can spoil quickly, so refrigerate or freeze them right away.
Wipe up spills immediately.Keep the floor dry so that no one slips and falls.
Separate raw meat and poultry from other items whenever you use or store them.This precaution avoids cross-contamination of harmful bacteria from one food to another.
Wash your hands before handling food and after handling meat or poultry.Hands can be a virtual freight train of bacteria.
Prepared sandwiches, without a date displayed, must be consumed or disposed of by 2.00 pm on the day they are received, or by 2.00 pm the next day if received after 5.00 pm.
Frozen food brought in by parishioners must be stored frozen.
Parish staff involved with providing food will be knowledgeable of food hygiene requirements. Parishioners/volunteers who handle food are asked to ensure that they maintain good standards of catering hygiene.
Where food is provided with a ‘use by’ date the food must be consumed or discarded by that date. Food which has passed its use by date must not be passed on to food banks.
Any foodstuffs not used should be disposed of responsibly; ensuring that Rat/Mouse infestation is not encouraged.
Any interaction with local authorities/Environmental Health Officers which results in either verbal or written advice being issued should be made known to the Diocesan Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
Where kitchens are routinely cooking and providing food for parishioners or others, consideration must be given to a formal food safety system, such as ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ which can be downloaded from the food standards agency’s website.
Kitchen utensils such as knives must be stored out of sight when not in use. Where a dishwasher is not available, great care must be taken when washing knives.
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An adequate supply of BLUE plasters must be available for those preparing food.
Kitchens must be kept hygienically clean.

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March 2017