How to get to grips with the 4cs of food safety.

This article has been written by an Environmental Health Office named Natalie Stanton who used to work as a health inspector for a local authority in the UK. 

The 4Cs of food safety are the big four topics of food safety that as a food establishment serving food you should remember. They will help to ensure good food hygiene which in turn will reduce the chance of food poisoning and food-borne illnesses. In my experience, food businesses that have a good understanding of the 4Cs manage food safety more effectively and in turn achieve a better food hygiene rating. The articles that make up the food safety management system by Pilla, tackle each of the 4c's separately and you can find all of them by scrolling down to the bottom of this page or using the header menu. In this article, my aim is to explain what each of the four categories means and for each I'll share a key thing that an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) may check/ expect to see during your inspection.

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Cleaning

Proper cleaning is essential for good food hygiene. It helps to remove harmful bacteria from food contact surfaces and utensils and prevent them spreading onto food.

Here are some basic tips for cleaning to prevent food poisoning and for more tips, click here for our effective cleaning article.

  • •Cleaning as you go helps to prevent the buildup of dirt and bacteria. Ensure you clean and disinfect food preparation areas and equipment between tasks. Especially after preparing raw food and before preparing cooked food or ready to eat foods.
  • •Use the right materials, sanitisers and other chemicals and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
  • •Use separate cloths for different tasks. This will help to prevent the cross-contamination of bacteria. Wash cloths and sponges in hot water (above 82°C) after each use. Alternatively, use single-use, disposable cloths.
  • •Disinfect surfaces with the correct, food safe, disinfectant or sanitiser. Allow the solution to sit on the surface for the correct amount of contact time, then if required by the manufacturer's instructions, rinse with clean water.-
  • •Clean and disinfect surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat, poultry, or fish first.
  • •Pay attention to cutting boards, countertops, utensils and anything else that food may come into direct contact with.
  • •Wipe up any spills immediately. 
  • •Keep your kitchen clean and tidy and ensure waste is removed from the kitchen regularly.It is good practice to use a cleaning schedule to ensure that surfaces and equipment are cleaned as required and the correct method is followed.
  • •EHO top tip: The EHO will very likely check that your disinfectant/ sanitiser meets either BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697. You can find this information on the product label, if in doubt, check with your supplier.

Cross contamination

Cross-contamination is the transfer of bacteria from a raw food source (i.e. raw meat) to a cooked or ready to eat food. This can happen through contact with hands, utensils, or surfaces when preparing food. To prevent food poisoning you must avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods.

Here are some tips to help prevent cross-contamination and ensure food safety:

  • •Keep raw foods (i.e. raw meat, fish and vegetables) separate from cooked and ready to eat food during preparation. This means using separate work surfaces, chopping boards, utensils, and plates for raw foods and cooked foods.
  • •Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling food, especially raw foods.
  • •Wash fruits, vegetables and salad items thoroughly before use.
  • •When storing foods in the fridge and freezer, make sure raw foods are stored separately from cooked and ready to eat foods. Food items should be stored in sealed containers or suitably wrapped to protect them from contamination.
  • •EHO top tip:Common food safety problems relate to food handling staff not being trained in good hygiene practices such as how to control cross contamination. If the EHO finds serious cross contamination issues, your business will struggle to achieve a food hygiene rating of more than 2 out of 5.

Cooking food

Cooking is essential to kill bacteria and prevent poisoning. To ensure food safety and ensure food is cooked properly it is important to follow the instructions on recipes and food labels. This includes the cooking time and temperature. It is also important to reheat food thoroughly.

Here are some tips for cooking food safely:

  • •Check food is piping hot and properly cooked before serving. This is especially important for foods such as sausages, burgers, pork, rolled joints, poultry and offal. Cook food for the correct amount of time and to the correct temperature. Standard advice from the Food Standards Agency is to cook food until it has reached a core temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes, or equivalent.
  • •Do not cook foods too far in advance. Once cooked, food should be kept covered and piping hot (above 63°C) until it is time to eat. You can keep food below 63°C but only for up to two hours. If it is not used after this time it must either be thrown away or cooled down quickly and refrigerated below 8°C.
  • •When using the microwave, stir foods and drinks and allow them to stand for a couple of minutes to avoid hot or cold spots.
  • •Use a clean food thermometer to check the internal temperature of cooked foods.
  • •Cool down and refrigerate food promptly after cooking.-When reheating food ensure it is reheated until it is steaming hot. You must only reheat food once.
  • •EHO top tip:The EHO may test a food handler by asking what core temperature they cook food to. This is something your staff should be doing every day anyway, so make sure your staff are ready to answer correctly and confidently.

Chilling food

Chilling food at the correct temperature is important to stop harmful bacteria from growing to unsafe levels and ultimately to ensure safe food.

Here are some tips when chilling foods:

  • •Ensure foods that require refrigeration are kept below 8°C (ideally between 1°C and 5°C).
  • •Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation.
  • •Ensure frozen foods are kept frozen and deliveries of frozen food put away immediately.
  • •Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Many people forget about the importance of cooling food safely. A food business needs to make sure cooling processes follow proper food hygiene practices
  • •Do not put hot food directly into the refrigerator or freezer. This can cause the temperature of the refrigerator or freezer to rise, which can allow harmful bacteria to grow.
  • •Divide the food into smaller portions. This will help the food to cool more quickly.
  • •Place the food in a shallow dish or container. This will allow the heat to escape more easily.
  • •Stand the dish or container in a shallow tray of cold water. This will help to speed up the cooling process.-Stir the food occasionally. This will help to distribute the heat more evenly.
  • •Once the food has cooled to room temperature, you can place it in the refrigerator or freezer.-It is important to cool hot food within two hours of cooking (ideally within 90 minutes). This will help to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and the formation of spores.
  • •Don't leave hot food out at room temperature for more than two hours.
  • •EHO top tip:The EHO is likely to check the temperature of food in your fridges. Make sure you are also doing regular temperature checks so that you discover any issues and can take action first.