Food Hygiene Guidelines

The following acts as both advice for kitchens and a checklist for daily inspections by a member of the crew. This is process has been designed to help kitchens stay safe and hygienic.

Personal hygiene

1.    Wash hands before and after handling food, after breaks, after the toilet

2.    Encourage ‘customers’ to wash hands before eating

3.    Do not sneeze or cough near food

4.    Do not smoke or eat in any kitchen areas

5.    Put clothes/jackets/bags in a separate area away from cooking areas

6.    Tie back or cover long hair

7.    Wear clean clothing

8.    Wear an apron, clean catering t-shirt or catering jacket

9.    Cover cuts and sores with a waterproof dressing/plaster

10. Do not work the kitchen if you may have a transmittable disease

11. Food preparation

 Work in progress

ü  Use separate chopping boards for different foods (bread/cakes etc., raw veg and salad, other)

ü  Use clean knives/utensils

ü  Handle raw and cooked food separately using different utensils

ü  Clean as you go

ü  Store utensils and other equipment cleanly and safely

ü  Food temperature and reheating

ü  Hot food kept above 63 degrees C

ü  Cold food kept below 5 degrees C

ü  Ensure all food cooked through before serving, serve piping hot

ü  Do not reheat more than once and reheat thoroughly

Serving food

À  Provide clean utensils for self-serving, different ones for raw and cooked food

À  Covering and storing food

À  Store raw and cooked food separately

À  Separate containers for raw and cooked food

À  Cover and secure all opened food packets

À  Cover prepared food to be served in the near future

À  Store prepared food to be used later in labeled, airtight containers

À  Keep all food off the ground, at least one pallet high

Pest control

w       Protect open food from flying insects

w       Check regularly for pests

w       Surfaces and cleaning

w       Tea towels to be clean and in a fit state to use

w       Wipe clean surfaces on all food preparation areas

w       Keep surfaces, chopping boards and utensils clean

w       Use double sink/bowls for washing and rinsing, using hot water and washing up liquid, for washing all crockery, cutlery and equipment

w       Ensure that adequate cloths/scorers are cleaned or replaced regularly

w       Wash vegetables in separate sink/container

w       Dry everything in the air (or with disposable towels)

Waste

§  Adequate and bins (covered) and bags (tied when full) for all waste

§  Use grey water system properly, where available

Health and Safety

Ø  Keep paths clear

Ø  Store everything safely and securely

Ø  Knives should be carefully stored and carried

Ø  Cooking area floor safe and flat, under cover in wet weather

Ø  Adequate lighting in cooking areas

Ø  Gas cylinder and supply secure and ventilated with a shut off valve

Ø  Notices warning of dangers around gas

Ø  All equipment safely fixed/positioned

Ø  Full First Aid kit easily accessible

Ø  Fire precautions

Ø  Adequate precautions taken to prevent spread of fire

Ø  All kitchen staff aware of site fire procedure and location of nearest fire point

Ø  Fire blanket or extinguisher available

Electrical safety

1.    All appliances, wiring and plugs in safe condition with fuses where appropriate

2.    All appliances protected from weather, physical damage and interference

p/s : We should take this food hygiene seriously. This issue also has been supported by MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Healthy Breakfast Foods for Weight Loss

Eating a morning meal is a healthy habit if you're watching your weight. Research shows that regular breakfast eaters tend to be leaner and dieters are more successful at losing weight—and keeping it off—when they eat breakfast. What's more, people who typically eat breakfast also get more fiber (more on why this is important later), calcium, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, zinc and iron—and less fat and dietary cholesterol. Perhaps it's because they often eat cereal, which is fortified with vitamins and minerals, and fruit, which is naturally nutrient-rich.

But that doesn't mean you have to eat cereal to stay—or get—trim. Instead, mix-up your morning meal and try one—or a few—of these 5 breakfast foods that help you lose weight.

1. Raspberries

A cup of raspberries delivers a whopping 8 grams of fiber (that's more than double what's in a cup of strawberries and about the same amount in a cup of some types of beans). What's so great about all that fiber? Recent research in the Journal of Nutritionsuggests eating more fiber as a way to prevent weight gain or even encourage weight loss. Over the course of the two-year study, the researchers found that boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1,000 calories resulted in about 4 ½ pounds of weight lost.

2. Oatmeal

Oatmeal can help you lose weight in two ways. First, it's packed with fiber and it keeps you feeling fuller longer. Second, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition reported that eating a breakfast made with "slow-release" carbohydrates—such as oatmeal or bran cereal—3 hours before you exercise may help you burn more fat. How? Eating "slow-release" carbohydrates doesn't spike blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates (think: white toast). In turn, insulin levels don't spike as high. Because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower blood sugar levels may help you burn fat.

3. Yogurt

A recent report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and out of Harvard revealed which foods are correlated with weight change, including the top 5 foods that promote weight loss. Yogurt was one of them! Another reason to eat yogurt: the protein in it may give you an extra edge if you're looking to get leaner. When researchers fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet for 11 weeks, the mice that got water spiked with whey protein (a type of protein found naturally in yogurt and other dairy) packed on 42 percent less weight and nearly a third less body fat than the mice who just drank plain water, despite the fact that they ate roughly the same number of calories. The whey eaters also gained 7 percent more lean body mass (e.g., muscle mass). Save calories—and unnecessary sugar—by choosing plain yogurt. If you need a little extra sweetness, try fresh fruit (maybe raspberries?).

4. Peanut Butter

Nuts were also among the top 5 foods that Harvard researchers said promote weight loss. I love to slather a tablespoon or two of peanut butter onto whole-wheat toast (ahem, a "slow-release"carbohydrate), but you could also add nuts to your oatmeal (another "slow-release" carb).

5. Eggs

Eggs deliver protein, which is great for dieters. Compared to carbohydrates and fat, protein keeps you satisfied longer. Plus, in one study, dieters who ate eggs for breakfast felt fuller longer and lost more than twice as much weight as those who got the same amount of calories from a bagel for breakfast.