Food and Cafeteria Safety Tips For a Healthy School Year

September 15, 2014

September is National Food Safety month! Being that students consume their lunch (and sometimes breakfast) while they’re at school, it’s important to address the topic of food safety to make sure that your cafeterias and other food distributors are acting in ways that do not compromise the health and well being of those who use them. Although some students only rely on their cafeteria to provide them with a place to eat, many others rely on it to prepare them a safe and healthy meal as well. Additionally, it’s important to remember that even those who don’t consume the food are exposed to it, which is why it’s necessary to take proactive measures behind the scenes to make sure that all food products are properly stored and prepared.

See below for a few ways that you can improve on the safety of the food in your schools today:

1. Always make sure that employees wash their hands before preparing or serving any food.
2. Thoroughly wash utensils, plates and any other cafeteria surfaces such as tables and trays before students use them.
3. Wash any pre-packaged foods or items such as fruits and vegetables before preparing meals or putting them out for students to buy.
4. Separate all foods before preparing them to prevent cross-contamination. This is especially important to do in circumstances where peanuts or other high-allergy products are included in the ingredients.
5. If you’re serving hot food, make sure you have a place to keep it warm until students are ready to eat it. Vice versa, if food is meant to stay cold, make sure you have adequate room in freezers or fridges to preserve it before it is consumed.

For more great safety tips, click here.

In addition to providing students with food that is safe to eat, it’s also important to provide them with a safe environment to eat it in! At Nickerson Corporation, we are available to help you transform your current cafeteria into a brand new food court; it’s the latest trend in school remodeling! We’ve partnered with some of the top manufacturers to supply our schools with high quality, low maintenance furniture that brings forth the most innovative food court solutions. Interested in learning more? Visit our cafeteria product page or contact us at (631) 666-0200 today!