Whether you are opening your first independent restaurant, or you are in charge of a number of franchise stores there are many important factors to consider before opening your doors. Business owners tend to be so focused on hiring staff and designing menus that food safety is overlooked or left as an afterthought. Unfortunately not putting thought and effort into food safety processes could easily be the downfall of your business. Here are some quick easy tips to make sure your restaurant is meeting Australia’s food safety standards.

1.    Engage All Staff In Proper Food Safety Practices

When it comes to training staff on food safety it is not enough to hand them a heavy pile of rules and ask them to read them over in their own time. If you want your staff to properly perform food safety practices they need to be engaged and truly understand what food safety means to the business and the danger bad food safety poses to customers. After all, proper food safety can save lives. There are plenty of creative strategies to familiarise your staff with safe food practices in ways that won’t feel tedious and overwhelming. Squizify’s CEO and food safety expert Daniel McDouall says “You are only as good as your weakest link so you want every staff member to be across the basics and every staff member to be an advocate in terms of safety.”

2.    Train A Food Safety Supervisor

Across Australia, it is a legal requirement to have a Food Safety Supervisor on the payroll. This is a nationally accredited qualification. According to Daniel, having a good food safety officer is about more than just ticking a box. He says “Having advocates from the business that really care about food safety and are continually checking and following up on general safety and making sure staff are aware of procedures and rules is extremely beneficial for your business.” Nominating a Food Safety Supervisor is also a good way to reward a hardworking staff member by giving them extra responsibility and therefore demonstrating trust.

3.    Keep Up To Date With All The Rules And Regulations

Rules and regulations relating to food safety are constantly changing and evolving. As a business owner, it is imperative that you stay up to date with the rules. This can be overwhelming, confusing and time-consuming. Luckily the Squizify platform is up to date with all the current food safety requirements so just by using this platform you know you are covering your bases.

4.   Invest In Squizify

If you own a business the sells food you are going to spend a lot of money on staff training. This is just how the industry operates. If you are paying for it, it may as well be worth it. Daniel says, “If it’s not the right training, and doesn’t resonate with the staff members they’ll switch off.” When it comes to ensuring your business is following food safety practices, Squizify is a real game changer. This technology takes a lot of the manual labour out of food safety making it easier for you to focus on the fun part of running a food business. Daniel says “Let us do the heavy lifting, we’ll focus on health and safety while you look after the customers and running your business.”

If you want to make sure your food safety practices are always up to scratch make an enquiry about installing Squizify via our website today.

A food safety crisis is every food business’s worst nightmare. This doesn’t just happen small family businesses and cheap takeaway stores, a food safety crisis can happen to national and global businesses as well. If you are a business owner who has found themselves in the mists of a food safety crisis this article can provide some advice on how it can be managed and what you can do to prevent this from happening again in the future.

What Are The Common Food Safety Crisises Businesses Face?

A food safety crisis doesn’t necessarily mean a massive outbreak of foodborne illness where hundreds of people end up in hospital. While this does happen, it is the very worst case scenario. Some more common cases of food safety crisises are caused by undeclared allergens, contaminated foods which can lead to listeria infection or regulation infringements.

How Does A Business Go About Addressing The Issue In a way that will limit the damage?

1. Remove The Danger

No matter what has caused the food safety crisis your first call of duty is to remove the danger. This might be contaminated food, pest infestations, or incompetent staff.

2. Solidify Your Message

Once the danger is removed you need to consider your messaging. It is important to focus on making sure it is clear and consistent. The tone and wording will depend on the specifics of the situation. Be honest, authentic and apologetic when addressing the issue but also be firm about what changes will be made to address the problem going forward. The goal is to be as transparent as possible in order to regain the public trust.

3. Work With The Media To Spread Your Message

Nothing scares customers away like whispers of food safety infringements. If word has got out about a food safety infringement in your business you need to address the issue head on. Saying ‘no comment’ or ignoring the problem will only make things worse. Provide quotes to media outlets and use your internet platforms to explain the situation from your point of view.

4. Communicate With Customers Online

Facebook and Google reviews can be extremely helpful when positive but catastrophic when negative. If you are experiencing backlash online, it is important to stay calm. Do not ignore these comments but respond accordingly. Apologise directly and assure your customers of the improvements you are making. If it is possible, use these channels to demonstrate evidence of food safety compliance.

How Can Businesses Prevent This Problem From Happening Again In The Future?

If your business makes it through a food safety crisis you are one of the lucky ones. Don’t take this second chance for granted. It’s time to take food safety seriously. Squizify is your one-stop shop to taking care of all food safety areas of your business. Let’s be honest, if you had Squizify this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Let us help you with food safety so you can focus on getting the rest of the business back on its feet.