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A Food Safety Checklist

Whether in a school cafeteria or in the kitchen of an uptown restaurant, certain standards should be met with regard to the storage and handling of food. Because it is a public-health issue, food preparation is taken very seriously, and a checklist should be set up to keep everything on track.

  1. Personal Hygiene

    • Inspect the appearance of the kitchen staff to make certain everyone has a clean, neat appearance, and that all employees are in uniform or otherwise dressed appropriately. Make sure those with long hair have it properly restrained.

      Look at the hands of the kitchen workers. Make sure the nails are neatly trimmed, clean and free of nail polish. Also observe the workers, to make sure that hands are washed or sanitized on a regular basis.

    Food Preparation

    • Food preparation begins with the working area, and extends into the containers, utensils and other items that come into direct contact with food. All surfaces must be washed, rinsed and sanitized each time they are used.

      The quality of the food itself is a primary concern. Any food that is frozen must be slow-thawed in a refrigerator or cooler, and then cooked thoroughly. The kitchen should also have policies--such as requiring separate knives and cutting boards for poultry and vegetables--that prevent cross-contamination.

    Food Storage

    • Food requires storage at specific temperatures. All storage areas should be equipped with thermostats that are working, accurate and easily readable. Compartmentalized cooling may be required, since some foods will require different storage temperatures than others. It is also important for the freezers, coolers and food-storage areas to remain clean and sanitary at all times.

      Inspect the quality of the food in the storage areas to make sure that it is fresh and suitable for consumption. All food items should be individually wrapped and clearly labeled. It is also important to make sure that the kitchen controls the food inventory in a first-in, first-out manner, so that food is not left to deteriorate in storage.

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