Hygiene requirements in the catering and food sector
Ensuring food safety is a major responsibility that must be shared by many. After all, flawless food quality depends on the efforts of everyone involved in the food chain. This includes all companies involved in agricultural production, processing, transportation, food production, catering and consumption.
Food producers throughout the supply chain are required to operate effective food safety management systems (risk prevention systems), such as HACCP, good manufacturing practice or good agricultural practice. This must be supported by appropriate programs such as staff training, effective cleaning, ensuring hygiene and ongoing monitoring and sampling programs. Regular audits ensure that these practices are implemented consistently and effectively.
Particular challenges in the catering sector
In Switzerland, there is one catering business for every 250 inhabitants, and 77 percent of all businesses are sole traders. Restaurateurs are facing growing challenges: On the one hand, cost pressure is increasing, guests are demanding ever higher quality as well as proof of origin for food and drink, and the demands in terms of quality standards with regard to cleanliness and hygiene management are also growing. On the other hand, there are too few qualified employees and the high fluctuation in management is leading to structural problems. Marketing requirements are also increasing, the external image needs to be perfect and networks need to be maintained.
Hygiene regulations for catering businesses and the food sector
Anyone who runs a catering business or produces food in Switzerland must comply with numerous hygiene regulations that are enshrined in federal laws and over 30 ordinances. Depending on the category of business, minimum standards must be observed in areas such as organization, personal hygiene, hygiene training for employees, hygiene self-monitoring, infrastructure, production and declaration. Compliance with these regulations is the essential basis for running a business in accordance with the law and meeting the requirements of official inspections.
Hygiene self-inspection: importance and content
As the responsibility for safe food lies primarily with the companies themselves, the concept of operational “hygiene self-inspection” has become particularly important. Hygiene self-monitoring means that a business must independently monitor all hygiene-relevant manipulations with food and all directly or indirectly related activities. Self-monitoring or basic hygiene comprises the following key elements:
The most important elements of self-monitoring
- Personnel hygiene
- Industrial hygiene
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Product hygiene
- Traceability/identity marks
- Transportation and storage
- Temperature controls
- Waste disposal
- Pest prevention and control
- Drinking water testing
The 10 basic rules for ensuring food hygiene
Enforcing hygiene rules in the food sector is not always easy. If the following 10 rules of food hygiene are strictly adhered to by everyone involved, a good basis for food safety is created:
- Wash hands
- Change work clothes diligently
- Maintain the correct temperatures
- Separate ready-to-eat food from food that is not ready to eat
- Do not process or dispense overstocked food
- Do not store food in cleaning agent containers
- Keep the workplace and equipment clean
- Only use clean cleaning utensils
- Fully equip hand washing facilities
- Dispose of waste quickly
The legislation
Art. 23 of the Foodstuffs Act (LMG) states that anyone who manufactures, handles, supplies, imports or exports foodstuffs, additives and utility articles must ensure that the goods comply with the legal requirements and are inspected in accordance with good manufacturing practice.
According to Art. 49 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles (LGV), the responsible person must ensure that the legal requirements for foodstuffs and utility articles are complied with at all stages of production, processing and distribution, in particular with regard to health protection, protection against deception and the hygienic handling of foodstuffs and utility articles.
The following measures are provided for in Art. 51 to 55 of the LGV:
- HACCP concept
- Guideline for good practice
- Traceability
- Recall or withdrawal of products that are hazardous to health
- Documentation of self-monitoring
Food legislation in Switzerland
An overview of Swiss food legislation can be found in the following illustration:
Food safety for all consumers can only be ensured in the long term if everyone involved is aware of their responsibilities and complies with the legal requirements and rules of conduct.
Hygiene managers who want to quickly find their way through the plethora of requirements and who want to act both legally compliant and efficiently can seek advice from Almedica's hygiene experts at any time.