7 Food Safety Tips to Reassure Post-Pandemic Consumers

Consumer behavior experts agree that consumers will continue to be cleanliness-conscious well after the pandemic. To accommodate this new consumer concern, the foodservice industry is being proactive in updating and reinforcing their existing food safety policies and procedures. These food safety practices have been in effect long before the pandemic, however with more consumers focused on health and safety, restaurants are re-evaluating their policies and making their changes more visible.

Visual indicators of these food safety policies help to reassure consumers and encourage them to dine out again.

1. A new kind of hand washing policy.

Employee hand washing has always been a food safety best practice. The extra steps restaurants are taking include:

  • more prominent signage for employee hand washing,
  • hand sanitation stations in common areas,
  • updated staff training regarding hygiene and cleanliness, and
  • making these updates public in social media posts and advertisements.

2. Sanitize all surfaces regularly.

One of the things dine-in customers are most concered with is the sanitization practices of restaurants. To

Pro Tip: Consumers want to see employees regularly cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. These visual indicators of cleanliness help reassure consumers you are taking the appropriate measures to sanitize.reassure customers, restaurants should clean frequently touched surfaces after each customer contact. Many restaurants are also using sanitized labels to keep track of the last clean time.

3. Use food rotation labels.

Food rotation labels help organize food prep and storage as well as minimize waste and ensure the freshest, safest ingredients are used in back-of-house operations. Choose food rotation labels that best fit your specific kitchen needs, including dissolvable or removable labels.

While guests will not see the changes made to your back-of-house operations. Food rotation labels keep your staff organized and ensure no mistakes are made as it relates to proper food prep.

4. Cook food to the proper internal temperature.

Food should always be cooked to the proper internal temperature, as determined by a food-grade thermometer.

Use this USDA safe temperature guide as a reference for safe cooking.

5. Seal food with tamper-evident labels.

Tamper-evident labels safely secure takeout and delivery orders and give customers peace of mind their food has gone untouched. Tamper-evident labels can use be used to seal boxes, bags, beverages, and desserts.

6. Go contact-less with deliveries and ordering systems.

Contact-less deliveries reduce exposure to germs for both customers and delivery drivers. Some restaurants are looking for creative ways to go contactless, including touchless kiosks for ordering and even looking into vending machines as a vehicle for pre-packaged meals.

Pro tip: Enable a contactless delivery option in your online ordering experience.

7. Keep food handler certifications up to date, including drivers!

Ensure staff is properly trained in food handling, allergen awareness, and manager training. Delivery drivers should have up-to-date food certifications as well. Programs such as Always Food Safe offer ANSI-accredited food safety training that’s 100% online and video-based.

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