Food safety in the office kitchen

Did you know there are an estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year? Just think about how many sick days that accounts for!

Office kitchen food safety

It’s just as important to consider food safety in your office kitchen or staff room as it is in your own home. Here are our tips.

• An issue that can arise in the workplace is poor or no hand washing before eating. Make sure you and other staff are aware of the proper technique and ensure hand soap is readily available. You could even put up a sign above the sink reminding staff to wash their hands properly.
• Be mindful of storing your food correctly in the refrigerator, checking use-by dates and throwing out old food. We’ve dedicated an entire post to the fridge and how to stack it here.
• Just like at home, it’s important to keep the office kitchen clean and sanitary. This includes regularly emptying the rubbish bin, cleaning out the fridge and keeping the sink clean. Check out this post for our kitchen cleaning how-tos.
• Tea towels, dishcloths and sponges can become bacteria breeding grounds. Make sure you are regularly washing and replacing these items.
• Make food safety issues known and roles clear. Post food safety guidelines in the office kitchen and designate roles for staff. You might even have a roster for things like cleaning out the fridge or replacing the dishcloths.
• If you are someone who eats at your desk, the basics of food safety still apply. Make sure you wash your hands and keep your desk area clean and sanitary.
• Store any leftovers from a takeaway lunch or an office morning tea in the fridge directly. Throw out if not eaten within a couple of days.