A Safe Buffet for Memorial DayBy: Zai Estabillo

Blogger / Food Enthusiast

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching!

While many people are going for vacations, a greater number of people will flock to their favorite buffet. These spreads are great options for your establishment to take advantage of the large number of people going out during the holiday.

• However, if food is left out for long periods of time, bacteria that cause food borne illness can lead to headaches for you and your team.

• Practice food safety for your buffet setup with the following tips from NSF International

Wash Your Hands

• Your first line of defense against bacteria is hand washing. Simple and effective, it’s one of the best ways to do away with germs, avoid getting sick, and avoid contaminating others.

Prepare and Cook Food Properly

• Start with a clean kitchen. For safety and hygiene reasons, a clean and sanitized kitchen is a must in the food service industry. Make sure that food storage areas are safe from food hazards like molds.

• It is important to start with fresh and clean ingredients. Wash vegetables to remove dirt and other contaminants. When cooking, cook food to their safe temperatures.

Safe Food Storage

• Refrigerate or freeze perishables in 2 hours from cooking or purchasing. If the heat outside is higher than 90°F, refrigerate within an hour. Don’t leave food to thaw at room temperature, instead use cold running water or the microwave.

• Food is not the only source of bacteria, where the food is stored can cause foodborne illnesses as well. Clean out your refrigerator and do not stuff your freezer full, let the cold air circulate.

Keep It Hot or Cold

• NSF states to “keep hot food in the oven (set at 200º to 250º F) or cold food in the refrigerator until just before serving. If a hot dish needs to be warmed, reheat it to at least 165ºF before serving.”

• Keep hot foods hot on the buffet table. Chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays can be used. For cold foods, keep them cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice.

Avoid Cross Contamination

• Let food handlers wear gloves before handling food during setup. Provide clean utensils and plates and make sure that dishes and serving platters get replaced during refilling.

Two-Hour Rule

• Avoid leaving food at the buffet table for two hours. Dispose of perishable food items that have been sitting for two hours or more. You can try time-stamping dishes to keep track.

Training and Supervision

• As an establishment, you have a responsibility to your consumers to provide them with healthy, tasty and safe food. Stress the importance of food safety practices to your food handlers. Better yet, enroll in food safety manager training to be better equipped to handle food hazards.

Happy Memorial Day!

Have a great and safe buffet ahead. Don’t let foodborne illness ruin the holiday. ..

Reference:• www.fsis.usda.gov

• www.learn2serve.com