There’s nothing people love inside of their homes more than a cosy, clean kitchen environment. Kitchens take a lot of work and upkeep for sanitary eating surfaces, clean eating utensils and most importantly, healthy foods.

When it comes down to what products to use when cleaning your kitchen, confusion follows as to whether natural cleaning products or chemical cleaning products are the safest ways to keep the kitchen spotless.

The Truth About Chemicals

Just because a product is called, ‘Natural’ doesn’t make it a true product consisting only from earth’s soil or even safe, for that matter. Some of the most natural things in life can actually be some of the world’s most toxic chemicals! Think about curare, snake venom and belladonna – totally natural yet totally deadly.

The same philosophy goes for commonly used household products such as pesticides, detergents and cleaning solutions that contain harmful chemicals. They clean great but are also very hazardous for you and your family’s health, not to mention the environment.

Formaldehyde is found as the top ingredient in some of the most popular kitchen cleaning products used to sanitise your kitchen. Remember high school Biology and what liquid the scientific animals used for dissection sat in? That’s right!

When formaldehyde is present in products that contain preservatives, the dangers become even more toxic when it comes in direct contact with human parts of the body. This toxic ingredient commonly used in kitchen cleaners can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, lungs and throat which can also lead to human carcinogen.

Other ingredients found within kitchen cleaning solutions may contain cresol and phenol, which are corrosive in nature and may cause dizziness and diarrhoea in the user, not to mention, liver or kidney damage.

Something extremely important to remember when cleaning with toxic chemicals is to NEVER mix chlorine bleach with ammonia! What happens with this concoction is that the sodium hypochlorite present in the bleach releases chloramine gas may lead to asthmatic symptoms and other breathing related problems.

Because of all these dangerous and potential side effect, many people are swaying over to the more natural cleaning products, however, is the ‘natural’ label on these products actually natural or are they the same, synthetically manufactured materials?

Some people actually believe the natural products used to clean kitchens are safer to humans as well as the environment but the truth is that they could possibly be running the risk of food poisoning by not being able to thoroughly clean leftover bacteria in the kitchen. It then becomes an ongoing debacle – are toxic cleansers that rid of all bacteria safer than natural cleansers that leave traces of deadly bacteria behind?

This risky dilemma results in no completely positive answer either way. The underlying answer remains, at best, within the full knowledge on the cleaning products you use and common sense when using them.

To keep a safely disinfected kitchen in your home without using all of the harsh and hazardous chemicals, the best option is to look for kitchen cleaners that have natural antibacterial properties. The operative word is ANTIBACTERIAL and surprisingly, most people already have many of these all-natural cleaning products already in your kitchen!

How To Replace Harsh Chemical Disinfectants With Natural Ingredients

Many popular chemical cleaning products are popular because they come with labels that state their products kill kitchen bacteria by 99.9% on surfaces such as sinks, faucet handles and kitchen counters. Because there’s no scientific data to always back that up, what some companies forget to add to their labels is that they’re unsure whether or not these disinfectants reduce incidences of infection.

There are, however, many non-chemical disinfectant cleaning products and techniques found inside of your kitchen that can kill and prevent the growth of the bacteria in the kitchen effectively without harmful chemicals that are quite easy to use. While these ingredients alone might not clear off all of the bacteria in a single swipe, when combined with other safe, natural products, they can significantly reduce the disease-causing bacteria in your kitchen.

Take a look at these ordinary household products that can be used as natural disinfectants and tips when using them:

• Ordinary household vinegar – Vinegar is a very effective cleaner that prevents the growth of bacteria. This is an excellent antibacterial kitchen cleanser, especially if you happen to have apple cider vinegar lying in your cupboards. If you don’t have any regular or apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar can also be used.
• Lemon juice – Lemon juice is another fantastic and completely natural cleaning product that fights effective against bacteria. Keeping kitchen surfaces in an acidic environment makes it very difficult for the bacteria to grow.
• Bacteria-free sponge and some muscle – Sponges are great scrubbers that help to disinfect your kitchen by cleaning away the food debris that bacteria thrive on. To keep your sponges disinfected, wet them down and place them in the microwave on high for one minute each.
• Baking soda – Usually found in refrigerators as an odour eliminator, this natural abrasive kitchen cleaner is great for removing baked-on dirt and other soils that are hard to remove. It absorbs odours in porous surfaces such as wood, carpeting or textiles.
• Borax – This common household product is another natural cleaning powder, much like baking soda (but stronger) that acts as a kitchen disinfectant and stain remover. Borax is also used to kill mould and mildew spores while removing their stains making it great for mopping floors.
• Tea tree oil – This natural, essential concentrated oil from the tea tree works as a natural disinfectant, removing mould and mildew while also working to remove build-up from dirty kitchen surfaces. It’s completely nontoxic and perhaps a bit more expensive than other natural cleaning products but well worth the aromatic fragrance that will freshen up areas as you clean them.

While the perfectly safe kitchen cleaning formula hasn’t yet been created, taking these naturally, simple steps will make your kitchen a much cleaner, safer place for cooking and eating!

When setting out to clean the kitchen, many people grab the closest cleaning agent without understanding the difference between disinfectants and sanitisers or knowing which one is used for the mess that needs to be wiped up.

The difference between the two is easiest enough to understand but sometimes tricky to remember. To help distinguish the two, just remember to keep it simple: Disinfectants STOP bacteria and sanitisers SLOW down bacteria.

The scientific reason behind the difference of disinfectants and sanitisers is the dilution. Disinfectants must have higher capability for killing pathogenic bacteria compared to that of a sanitiser.  According to EPA requirements a disinfectant must kill 99.99% or more of specified bacteria whereas sanitisers must kill at least 99.99% of three specified bacteria within a specified time period.

Disinfectants stop the growth of microorganisms (bacteria such as fungi, bacteria and viruses) on non-living surfaces in its place. The most powerful factor of disinfectants is the fact that it can actually kill these microorganisms when used properly and effectively! Because disinfectants are chemical agents that killing bacteria and also slow their return down, it’s best used for cleaning kitchen surfaces that meat, fish, poultry and eggs have been prepared on.

Sanitisers reduce the amount of microorganisms to a safe level but cannot kill them since they don’t contain that killer chemical agent that disinfectant does. This doesn’t mean that sanitisers aren’t effective or a great cleaning agent; instead, it’s better used for regular kitchen surfaces around the kitchen that raw poultry or other food-poisoning bacteria haven’t been exposed to.

In order to get the maximum effect out of sanitisers, it’s extremely important to first scrub down the surface with regular soap and hot water, dish detergents, ammonia-based cleaners and all-purpose cleaners.

Popular Types Of Disinfectants

Alcohol – Alcohol solutions are a base ingredient for many other disinfectants and great for disinfecting skin and decontaminating surfaces.  Alcohol is an excellent pathogen destroyer but it must be left in contact with surfaces for at least 20 minutes to be effective.

Aldehydes – All forms of aldehydes have different ways of working to disinfect surface areas as well as a wide range of germicidal activity that can be highly toxic to humans and animals.  It should only be used as a last resort and in a well ventilated area.

Ammonia – Ammonia is one of the most effective and fast working disinfecting products out there but can be extremely dangerous to the skin and the respiratory tract. This should NEVER be mixed with bleach since it will produce toxic fumes and can cause severe and sometimes fatal injuries.

Chlorhexidine – Because this agent isn’t irritating to skin, it’s a popular kitchen cleaner and is used for general surfaces and also commonly used for cleaning skin wounds.

Chlorine – Also known as bleach, chlorine is harsh but very effective. If used in an environment that is too hot, bleach can create toxic fumes, much like ammonia. In order to bleach kitchen surfaces in the safest and most effective way, make sure the temperature remains at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Popular Types Of Sanitisers

Iodophor – Acidic iodine-based sanitisers have a universal killing effect on all types of microbes but since the amount of active ingredients to achieve the same killing power as a disinfectant is lower in iodophors, the killing time is reduced.

Hypochlorites – At regular levels, hypochorites aren’t poisonous to the human body, yet, contain powerful germicides that can control a wide range of microbes. The downside is that it does contain a short shelf-life and can be corrosive on some metals or give off chlorine gas when mixed with acids.

There are some multi-purpose cleaners now available that work as a sanitiser to slow bacteria down if left on the surface for a short period of time and then a bacteria-killing disinfectant if left on the surface for an extended amount of time. Regardless, always remember to first check your label to distinguish the two and read the directions for proper usage!

Now that you understand the difference between using disinfectants and sanitisers when cleaning a kitchen, grab that bottle of cleaner and scrub away to keep kitchens sparkly and everyone healthy!

On the 4^th November 2011 Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the Government body responsible for Food Safety guidelines and legislation issued warnings against consuming raw apricot kernels. The raw kernels are often used as a cancer treatment or preventative cancer supplement.

The following information has been reproduced with permission of FSANZ:

“Food Standards Australia New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon today warned consumers against eating raw apricot kernels following the discovery of high levels of a naturally occurring toxin in some products available in Australia.

There are different types of apricot kernels, some of which contain high levels of the toxin that can release cyanide into the body when eaten. Adults eating as few as four of these kernels a day could become very ill – children should not eat any.

Testing of a number of raw apricot kernels by state and territory health authorities found they contained high levels of the toxin that can release hydrocyanic acid, a cyanide compound, in the gut. These products are currently being investigated and a recall is occurring. The products have been sold nationally on-line and at some health food stores.

While some raw apricot kernels are promoted as an alternative therapy for cancer treatment, the Cancer Council of Australia has published a position statement that cautions consumers about using alternative therapies, including laetrile (apricot kernels).

If you have recently purchased the recalled raw apricot kernels you are advised not to eat them. Return the product to point of sale for a refund or dispose of it safely out of the reach of children and pets. More information (including individual state health authorities) about this recall is available on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website.

Anyone who has eaten these products and is concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

Apricot Kernels are also sometimes used to assist jams to thicken, however FSANZ has indicated that fresh and dried apricots, apricot juice and jam are not affected.

When people get a bacterial infection, antibiotics are used to kill harmful bacteria that are safe to the human body. For other bacteria found within food or contaminated surfaces and utensils, different methods, such as heat, UV radiation and chemicals are used to effectively control bacteria.

Methods used to kill bacteria and control it from spreading is known as microbial control which consists of three general categories:

• Physical – heat, freeze-drying, ultraviolet radiation and filtration
• Chemical – chemical agents like disinfectants Lysol or Clorox, destroy most vegetative cells
• Chemotherapeutic – antibiotics used to treat patients diagnosed with an infectious disease

The most commonly known bacteria often found in the kitchen is called Salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are found in raw meat, especially raw poultry eggs, unprocessed milk and surprisingly, chocolate! If consumed, these bacteria can cause many not-so-good sicknesses, otherwise known as, food borne illnesses. With over 2,000 different strains of Salmonella, all forms can result in unpleasant to serious symptoms of food poisoning if it’s not prevented beforehand.

Cutting down on the amount of Salmonella poisoning that enters the kitchen or gets spread across the countertops can be easily managed just by following a few simple steps:

• Cook raw meat thoroughly to the proper temperature
• Properly refrigerate and freeze food
• Always thaw food in the refrigerator and never leave sitting out at room temperature
• Separate raw meat and fish to keep them from touching each other or other food when shopping and storing
• Keep cutting boards for raw meat and other food separate and stored in a different location so that you don’t mix up the cutting boards
• Wash hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water as soon as you’re finished touching raw meat to prevent bacteria from spreading

Having a clean kitchen is extremely important, whether it’s in the home or in a fine dining restaurant, it’s inevitable that raw meat will end up on kitchen counters, sinks and storage areas before getting cooked. Because of this, the safest and most effective methods of cleaning are needed to keep these kitchens cooking!

Disinfectants are one of the most popular AND most important chemicals used in kitchens because of the compound it contains that destroys or inhibits the growth of bacteria. When disinfectants are applied to countertops, sinks, trashcans or other areas, its chemical reactions completely wipe out those little microbes.

Sterilisation is obviously the best way to sanitise anything but when talking about ingesting food, disinfectant is less extreme and much less likely to endanger people, pets and plants when applied the right way.

Different disinfectants do work differently than each other with some holding the potential to kill bacteria and others, to simply stunt its growth. That’s why it’s extremely important to know which type of disinfectant you’re buying before bringing it into your kitchen

While there are several types of these disinfectants out on the market, there are two basic types that most people are familiar with: Typical disinfectant and inhibitors. The difference between these two types is that your typical disinfectant stops the growth of bacteria by killing them and your inhibitors only prevent bacteria growth.

Much like taking antibiotics for too long can become ineffective to your immune system, disinfectants can also become less effective after prolonged use. Sometimes, a few bacteria escape the cleaning process and produce new populations resistant to the specific disinfectant.

These little fugitives can then develop altered genetic structure that allows it to survive additional antibiotic treatments which delves into a whole deal of science that only specialised scientists can fully understand!

The bottom line is, know your kitchen disinfectants and even more importantly, know how to use them because this will make ALL of the difference between delicious, healthy food and sickening, food poisoned food!

All of the world’s population are born into this world, surviving on their first beverage of choice: milk (minus, of course, those who are lactose intolerant). As people grow older, their dairy choices expand into different flavours of milk, cheese, ice cream and other related consumable foods and beverages.

Contrary to its innocent appearance, dairy is considered a perishable or high-risk food product. This means that for every item of dairy purchased, there are proper ways to store it and proper ways to handle it with special care.

Because foods bought and stored within food businesses are usually done so in bulk amounts, all high-risk food must be monitored closely and stored properly to prevent perishables from spoiling or worse, causing those dreaded cases of food poisoning.

With such a large amount of different foods, ingredients, cookware and people to always be aware of in an industrial kitchen, the overall thought can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming to employees. By keeping the biggest and most important points in the front of your mind, though, it will help keep track of the smaller but equally important rules of thumb.

Try following these important tips to help in remembering what to do when handling dairy products:

• Keep out of the danger zone: Bacteria that causes food poisoning grows and multiplies the fastest in temperatures that run between 5 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius.
• Never assume the expiration date: All dairy products come with an expiration date printed on the container – ALWAYS check this date before purchasing dairy product and before using them for consumption!
• Keep dairy products away from the freezer: (See the danger zone above) There is a common misconception that the freezer keeps everything fresh. While it works for certain food groups, dairy is definitely not one of them! Freezing dairy products creates an oasis for bacteria allowing it to migrate at the bottom of the food container. For certain dairy products, such as cheese and yogurts that contain good bacteria, freezing will make this type of food lose its flavour.
• Stay away from unpasteurised (raw) dairy products: Sure, it may be richer in taste but pasteurised products destroy the E. coli and other bacteria found in raw dairy products. When serving customers or clients, always stick with pasteurised dairy products!

The bottom line is that dairy products are extremely risky and spoil the faster with greater results than the other food groups. Making sure that all of your food business staff is well informed about providing the proper storage and care when handling or cooking with these ingredients will keep your kitchen much more organised and your food always tasting its best!

New food laws require certain food businesses in the NSW hospitality and retail food service sector to have at least one person trained Food Safety Supervisor (FSS). Businesses have until 1 October 2011 to appoint their trained Food Safety Supervisor and notify the relevant council. Penalties for not having a Food Safety Certificate in NSW include a $330 fine for individuals or a $660 fine for corporations, plus placement on the NSWFA “Name and Shame” website for 12 months.

Click on the image below to access an online Food Safety Supervisor Training course.

Ever wonder whether buying dented cans is a good bargain? Are they safe…?

I recently came across an email that highlighted this and I thought it was worth mentioning it to you.

Is it safe to buy dented cans?

This blog is all about bringing you the most relevant food safety tips and research to help you be more informed and aware of potential food safety risks.

I am sure you’ve wondered whether dented cans are safe… You’re at the supermarket and come across a few dented cans discounted to clear.

Here’s what the scientific research shows: You should AVOID ALL DENTED CANS.

That’s it. Pretty simple.

Health food fanatics will tell you to avoid ALL canned foods, but if you do eat canned food, make sure the can is scratch-free, dent-free and most important – make sure there are no leaks of any sort.

The reason not to buy a dented can is that all cans have a lacquered inside surface. That surface can be damaged when it’s dented. The lacquer may crack and contaminate the food.

But, it’s not only the inside lacquer that can cause a health and food safety risk. If the lacquer peels off or cracks, the food may come into contact with untreated metal, causing tainting.

Either way, you want to avoid the risk. It’s not worth the 20 or 50 cent discount.

When a can is severely dented, as shown in the photo above, the all-important seal can be damaged allowing air and bacteria inside the can.

The biggest challenge when considering buying a dented can is that you don’t know how long that can has been sitting there on the shelf.

Trust me, it’s not worth the risk.

You just have to watch this great re-make of Will Smith’s Rap it “Get Jiggy Wit It” transformed for food safety… Great message with a great beat!

Protect your business and your clients
from getting food poisoning!

Did you know that there are 2,700,000 cases of food poisoning in the food service industry in Australia every year? (5,400,000 when you consider Australian households).

That’s more than the population of Brisbane, Wollongong and Sunshine Coast combined!

Fortunately, the majority of these tragic ‘accidents’ are easily avoidable as long as your employees handling, preparing and transporting food understand how to prevent good food from going bad.

That’s why The Gourmet Guardian has released a special and timely report to help you, your managers, supervisors, chefs, kitchen hands and employees understand how to prevent food poisoning outbreaks before they happen.

Even when there are no ‘casualties’,
food poisoning is STILL deadly… to your business!

While many food poisoning victims recover in a few days, it can cause hospitalisation and trigger chronic diseases like fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.

That’s the good news.

The flip side… In rare instances it can prove fatal to young children, the elderly and sometimes even healthy adults.

That would be tragic for you and your business!

Thankfully, the prevention is better than the cure… and, thanks to The Gourmet Guardian, the ‘cure’ is easy.

You can start implementing it in the next 5 minutes.

Click on the image to download your complimentary copy of the Top 10 Causes Of Food Poisoning report

This special report is published by Gavin Buckett who has vast experience including15 years as a qualified chef, food safety trainer implementing HACCP systems in at least a dozen market sectors as well as six years as a registered food safety auditor, which in 2008 culminated in achieving the highest Level 4 – High Risk Auditor status in the National Food Safety Auditor Scheme.

In this important document, you will discover the top ten causes of food poisoning. This list is not “ranked” in any particular order as we don’t want you to think that one is more or less important than another.

All 10 are equally important. With this special report in hand, all you have to do is go through the 10 points and tick off the boxes to ensure your food operations are not putting your clients, your staff and your business at risk.

This special report will also educate you about the following:

• IMPORTANT! How high risk cooked foods must be cooled to keep them outside the DANGER ZONE!
• How to ensure the food you serve and sell is ‘SAFE’ from salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria and deadly viruses!
• The right temperature food must reach when reheating.
• The ONLY foods that do not require further cooking prior to consumption and the ones that do.
• An easy way to find out if your food suppliers are playing Russian Roulette with your business!
• What you must know abut the Critical Control Point – Psst! Most food businesses get this wrong.
• How to reduce the number of dangerous micro-organisms to an acceptable level.
• What you must know about defrosting – before you get burned (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun)!
• The 3 sources of cross-contamination – You might be surprised to learn NONE of them has anything to do with food!
• How to control the potential hazard in your workplace.

This special report will at the very least give you 10 practical and important points you should implement in your food service business IMMEDIATELY…

Did you know that a restaurant in Sydney
wasn’t aware of one of these points,
killing one man and making another 12 people sick?

That was just from 1 point out of the top 10.

They might have got 9 out of 10 but were “unaware” of 1 of these requirements.

Pretty scary isn’t it. Definite “food for thought” …

Don’t leave food safety to chance!

Download this important report immediately and discuss these points with your staff as soon as possible.

Click here to download your complimentary copy

Let’s face it…

Having food authority inspectors and environmental health officers breathing down your neck is not fun.

They could close your business ‘until further notice’ or for good!

Worse still, you could plead guilty in the industrial court to counts of handling and selling unsafe food. Heavy fines and penalties, or worse, you could kill someone.

Don’t take the risk of food poisoning lightly –
especially when prevention is so easy.

In my previous post, I sent you information on the new audit guidelines for Vulnerable Persons (VP) in NSW.

At the session, John Fallon from the New South Wales Food Authority (NSWFA) explained that there are only 22 approved external third party auditors in NSW.

He provided an enforcement update on all VP audits that have been conducted (by NSWFA employed auditors and external third party auditors).

He indicated that the top TWO problems encountered during audits were:

• Ineffective monitoring records
• Not complying with there food safety program

#1 Non Conformance: “Ineffective” Monitoring records

This included:

• Not having records in place
• Missing records or records not available
• Completed records not identifying issues (i.e. Temperatures recorded outside critical limits)
• No recorded corrective action when problems were identified
• Supervisor signing off on incomplete or incorrect records

It is stated in the VP Guidelines that IT IS a requirement for someone to check all completed records. Even though it is not a requirement for records to be signed, we certainly recommend this practice to our clients.

We have a client who purchased from a newsagent, an “APPROVED” stamp and the person doing the checking stamps the monitoring record and signs above where it was stamped. I think this is a simple and effective means of verifying your records. You still need to make sure that the person who does the “approving” actually checks that the record has been completed correctly.

#2 Non Conformance: “Not complying with their food safety program”

Remember a couple of days ago I told you that your program should:

“Say as you do” and you should “Do as you say”.

Consistent areas where Corrective Action Requests (CARs) were raised included:

• Labeling techniques used
• Content of an internal audit – The internal audit process did not include a review of their food safety program. (Note: The findings of the internal audit should reflect what is found at an external audit)
• Good manufacturing practices
• Allergen management

The NSWFA will continue to monitor ALL Vulnerable Persons facilities (including businesses with Third Party Auditor (TPA) approval) and the Proprietor of the facility is responsible for ensuring that an audit is organised.

All VP audits conducted in NSW are reported electronically to the NSWFA. Every month, the NSWFA runs a report on facilities that are overdue for an audit. The following process is applied:

• If overdue by 3 months they will be sent a “reminder letter”
• If overdue by 6 months they will be sent a “warning letter”
• Failure to comply will result in a $1320 penalty for corporations
  and $660 for individuals.

All scheduled audits must be conducted within the allocated 6 or 12 month period.

Your license cannot be renewed if there are any outstanding audits that have not been conducted.