The country is still fighting the battle against the Coronavirus or COVID-19. For over the past six months, there have been minor to big changes with the way society pushes through or the so-called new normal. Operations of schools, corporate businesses, churches, beauty and wellness facilities, and medium to large-scale business establishments came into a halt as cities and municipalities are under quarantine. This makes way to adjust to the new normal like managing a home-based food establishment.
To earn a living, most Filipinos succumbed to small-scale and online businesses. It is evident that home-based food businesses boomed during the pandemic; a day would not pass without seeing different varieties of food being offered on every social media platform. As a concerned citizen, I cannot help but wonderâ are these foods safe for consumption?
Home-based food establishments require minimal capital; that is why it is easy to start a business. All you need is the ingredients and a little advertising, and you are already good to go. Although keep in mind that during this time of crisis, everyone is still cautious about what to buy from youâwe want our food to be safe. A special tool will help us in having a trusted home-based food establishment, and that is food safety and sanitation.
Clean Like A Pro: Growing Your Business from Home through Food Safety and Sanitation
Last August 14, Diversey Philippines together with best-selling author Chef Reggie Aspiras and FoodSHAP VP for Program Development and Inspection Services Mr. Glenn Hyde Dela Cruz, FSCO, MFSM conducted a live webinar for promoting food safety and sanitation in home-based food establishments.
Webinar Highlights:
1. As food business operators, we need to look at the importance of Food Safety— Ethically, Financially, and Legally
2. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food (almost 1 in 10 people) and 420,000 die every year in the world. Diarrheal diseases are the most common illnesses causing 550 million people to fall ill and 230,000 deaths every year.
3. In any food establishment or food handling facility, we need to consider addressing the so-called universal risk factors for us to prevent such incidents. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (2008), universal risk factors include but are not limited to cross-contamination, food from unsafe sources, inadequate cooking, improper holding temperatures, contaminated equipment, poor personal hygiene, food handlersâ health status, water quality and presence of pests.
4. According to the meta-analysis of foodborne disease outbreak here in the Philippines conducted by the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health, most of the foodborne illness events occurred at home (50%), school (20%), food establishments (15%) and hotel and convention center (15%).
5. Changing Consumer Behavior:
6. Challenges and Issues in Food Safety Implementation:
7. Guide to implementing Food Safety Management System:
8. Five Keys to Safer Food by World Health Organization
- Keep clean
- Separate raw food from cooked food
- Cook thoroughly
- Keep food at safe temperature
- Use safe water and safe raw materials.
9. Three Basic Steps for Food Safety in Delivery
- Receiving of order
- Take care of food during transport
- Safe handing over of food to consumer
Things to Remember for your Home-based Food Establishment
As food business operators, it is our responsibility to produce safe and right food for our consumers. Food Safety is both a right and a responsibility.
Now, we are in the technology era (social media era) that it only takes that one moment to lose the reputation of your food business if your customers have a bad or negative experience.
The safety of our food inside the kitchen is as essential as the safety of our food during delivery, thatâs why enhanced precautions must be implemented.
If you want to watch the webinar, you may check from FoodSHAPâs Youtube Channel below: