Beyond Surface Shine – The Importance of Commercial Kitchen Deep Cleaning
For any commercial kitchen engaged in food service, routine commercial kitchen deep cleaning is essential for both compliance and customer experience. What’s more is this practice is vital for adhering to Environmental health and fire regulations, as well as your public liability insurance commitments.
Insurance providers now also stipulate that regular kitchen grease removal must be conducted by an accredited specialist company for all plant and ducting within commercial kitchens. Non-compliance could lead to the rejection of your insurance fire claim.
Positive customer feedback, through word-of-mouth recommendations or online reviews, is crucial for a thriving business. Promoting customer well-being, satisfaction and confidence cultivates repeat business, a reality that only happens exclusively within clean and sanitary environments.
Those who disregard essential food hygiene risk not only a damaged reputation, but even expose themselves to the graver consequences of causing illness among customers and the potential of facing business shutdown.
So, let’s delve into the safety regulations that must be adhered to for effective commercial kitchen deep cleaning.
Key food hygiene regulations
Commercial kitchens are subject to UK food hygiene regulations as follows:
- The Food Safety Act (1990) laid the initial groundwork for developing further legislation
- The Food Standards Act (1999) established the Food Standards Agency (FSA), equipping it with the authority to identify violations and impose fines on those failing to comply.
- Regulation (EC) (No. 852/2004) on the hygiene of foodstuffs
- The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations (initially released in 2006, updated in 2013) and equivalent regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
These acts set out the basic hygiene requirements of all aspects of your business, from your premises and facilities to the personal hygiene of your staff. You must be able to demonstrate the measures you undertake to ensure the safety of the food you produce or sell, and maintain a document record of this.
Key food safety management procedures
You must put in place ‘food safety management procedures’ based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point).
In practice, this means that you must have procedures in place to manage food safety ‘hazards’ in your business. You must document these procedures, update them as needed and keep records that can be checked by your local authority.
The four ‘C’s principle
Maintaining proper food hygiene is essential to effectively manage harmful bacteria that can lead to serious illnesses. The four fundamental principles that play a pivotal role in preventing the most common food safety issues are: Chilling, Cooking, Cleaning and Cross-contamination.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is when bacteria are transferred between food, surfaces or equipment. The risk is particularly high when raw food comes into contact with, or drips on to, ready-to-eat food, equipment or surfaces. Cross-contamination stands as one of the leading causes of food poisoning. Cleaning is again one of the key methods of preventing cross contamination, and maintaining food safety.
So, work surfaces, chopping boards and equipment should be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly before food prep and following the preparation of raw food.
Your premises
Regulations state that your premises, including the commercial kitchen facilities, must be kept clean, as well as in good repair and condition.
The layout, design, construction, site and size of your premises must allow for:
- Adequate maintenance, cleaning and/or disinfection.
- Avoidance or minimisation of air-borne contamination (i.e. contamination carried in the air).
- Enough working space for you to carry out all tasks hygienically.
- Protection against the build-up of dirt, contact with toxic materials, shedding of particles into food and forming of condensation or mould on surfaces.
- Good food hygiene practices, including protection against contamination and, in particular, pest control.
- Suitable conditions for handling and storing food, while keeping it at appropriate temperatures. Those temperatures should be monitored and, where necessary, recorded.
Standard Commercial Kitchen Deep Cleaning
Effective cleaning eliminates bacteria from hands, equipment and surfaces.
To avoid harmful bacteria from spreading onto food:
- Ensure all staff wash and dry their hands thoroughly before handling food.
- Clean and disinfect food areas and equipment between different tasks, especially after handling raw food.
- Clear and clean as you go. Clear away used equipment, spilt food etc. as you work and clean work surfaces thoroughly.
- Use cleaning and disinfection products that are suitable for the job, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
For further advice, we’d recommend looking at the Food Standards Agency’s resources.
Professional Commercial Kitchen Deep Cleaning Services
All of this emphasises the value of enlisting professionals for your commercial kitchen deep cleaning needs and conducting routine kitchen grease removal.
Rainbow Restoration offers a comprehensive cleaning service tailored to diverse commercial kitchen environments. Our services include full risk assessments, method statements, complimentary survey and quotations, as well as a full cleaning and maintenance programme which includes deep kitchen cleans and kitchen duct cleaning with certification to industry standards.
There are over 50 Rainbow Restoration branches spread across the UK, never more than 23 miles away from any location in the country. Contact our 24 hour helpline now on 01623 422488 or use our Postcode Look-Up to find your local branch.
Updated: 24/08/23