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How do I decide which caterer to use?

At this time of the year I have noticed an increase in people advertising their catering services on the various forms of social media or many others selling their products at one the markets that are so frequent at this time of the year.
I just want to point you in a safe direction when choosing some one to provide food for you, your family or your special occasion.
There is no doubt that in the community there are very many talented people with great cooking skills that feel they can make a bit of extra cash by preparing their produce at home and selling it at markets or advertising on social media and having their food delivered to the prospective customers
What many of these manufacturers don’t realise is that they may not be meeting the current food safety guidelines set out by the local councils or the Food standard Codes, and that the buyers may be buying products that have a potential to cause food poisoning.
Just recently I was looking through Facebook and noticed an advertisement for a 2-metre-long Grazing Board, I looked amazing so colourful, and the environment was beautiful, a beautiful sunny day people milling around enjoying a glass of wine.
When I looked more closely I noticed that in order to get the colour combinations, there were many foods mixed and touching each other that would be considered cross contamination.

Cross Contamination:

Cross Contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria to food from other foods, cutting boards, utensils etc. if they are not handled properly. This is especially true when handling raw meat poultry, and seafood, so keep these juices away from already cooked and ready to eat foods and fresh produce. (ref: fsis.usda.gov)
I wondered who had made this particular board, and if they knew the basics of food safety, which when catering for large numbers is a very important responsibility.

Things to look for when sourcing a caterer for that special occasion.

Is the company or the individual caterer registered with the local government as a food business.
In the past many small businesses operating from home were exempt from the Food Safety Regulations as enforced by the local government bodies but not any longer, if food id being provided for sale, then the Food Standards must be met.
Is the food being prepared in a private home, or a commercial kitchen.
Does the caterer sound as though they understand the risks when selling food, are they only speaking about the look and taste of the food and not speaking about transporting the food in vehicle used for food transport only?
If a 2 metre Grazing board is being prepared, is it being put together on site in temperatures above 5ᵒC and below 60ᵒC, if so the food is being prepared in the danger zone, and It is only safe to keep food in this zone for 2 hours before it is refrigerated, or after 4 hours disposed of.
Are the person or people assembling the board wearing gloves, and changing them frequently to avoid cross contamination? Are they ensuring that all ready to eat food, and fresh produce is kept separate from raw food, e.g. sashimi or sushi.
How long will the board be available for guests to graze on, bearing in mind if the area is in the danger zone, after 2 hours it should be refrigerated or after 4 hours disposed of.
Also, are there tongs available for guests o use, or are they eating from the board with their fingers, another cross-contamination risk.
As I have mentioned in one of my other blogs, every year in Australia there are around 4 million cases of Food Poisoning and of these 32,000 are hospitalised and 80 people die, so food safety is important.
If you are hiring a caterer, you have a responsibility to you guests to make sure they are registered, and have the appropriate insurance, public liability and professional indemnity. Their staff have should have been trained in food safety, and the food they are charging you for has been prepared and served in a manner that ensures it is safe to eat.
If the food looks great, tastes good and smells fresh, that isn’t a good basis to assume the food is safe, food poisoning bacteria are no detectable, the only way you can know that the food is safe is to know how I was stored, prepared and served, and that all these steps were done in line with the food safety standards.
So, when looking for a caterer for your next occasion, shop with food safety in mind.

Bon Apetit

Preparing foods for a special occasion

Everyone loves a celebration and this time of the year we are always looking for that special item or theme that can make our celebrations an event to be talked about.
I will give a few hints and tips on making the best choices for your food and making sure your guests are impressed by your culinary delights but also a very important and often neglected item that the food is well prepared and presented in a manner that is safe to eat.
It is estimated that around 4.1 million Australians get food poisoning each year , 32,000 are hospitalised and more than 80 die.(ref healthy WA)
Let me give you a few solid guidelines to help you make a decision that will lead to a successful event and there are reduced risks of guests getting food poisoning

Shopping

When shopping for the key items for your celebration i.e turkey, pork, chicken, seafood or vegetarian options tofu, legumes or other non-animal proteins, there are some important points to be considered to make sure he food is kept safe .
Always buy you items with your storage situation at home in your mind, do you have enough fridge space for the large turkey for example, if not maybe consider buying smaller joints : bearing in mind the food needs to be stored at a maximum of 5ᵒC prior to cooking.
If you are buying a large turkey or ham because it is on special, before you are going to prepare it, make sure you have checked the use by date and it falls into the time you will prepare and consume the item. You must use a product by the use by date or freeze it prior to that date.

Storage

Raw food needs to be stored below cooked and ready to eat foods in the refrigerator this prevents cross contamination.
What is cross contamination you ask?
Cross contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria to food from other food, cutting boards, utensils etc. This is especially true when handling raw meat, poultry and seafood, so keep these foods and their juices away from ready to eat foods and fresh produce. (ref: business dictionary.com)
Also, another important consideration when buying food for your celebration. Your fridge temperature should be below 5ᵒC if you overload the fridge with too much produce, this prevents the cold air from circulating which in turn could lead to the temperature rising above the required 5ᵒC. When the fridge temperature rises above the 5ᵒC, it moves into an area we call the danger zone which is between 5ᵒC- 60ᵒC when food is stored in his zone food poisoning bacteria can grow to unsafe levels that can make you sick.

Preparation

Next thing to consider is the preparation of the food.
Always wash your hands with warm water and soap making sure you dry your hands thoroughly before handling food.
Make sure your area to be used for preparation is clean and dry.
All chopping boards should be clean ,dry and in good condition not heavily scratched, knives should be clean and dry.
It is a good idea to prepare as much prior to the day of the celebration as you can this could include pre-cooking the vegetables making salads (leave the dressing until the day you serve them) These items can be cooked, cooled and stored in the fridge for up to two days.
The hot food is best prepared on the day, you need to be mindful when handling raw food, make sure you always wash your hands after handling the raw product, also you must make sure that you change chopping boards and utensils after using o prepare a raw product.
When cooking meat, poultry make sure the internal temperature is
Poultry 74ᵒC
Steak – well done 77ᵒC
Steal -medium 71ᵒC
Steak -rare- 63ᵒC
Fish-63ᵒC
I have a food thermometer at home, it just makes cooking easier, but make sure you remove the food from the heat before inserting the thermometer, place the instrument into the thickest part of the meat or chicken to make sure the result is accurate.
When the meat, poultry or fish has reached the desired temperature there is a simple rule to let you know how long the food will be safe
Once the food has been on the table for more than 2 hours, if it has been kept above 60ᵒC you can refrigerate It for use within 2 days.
If it has been left on the table and not kept above 60ᵒC or below 5ᵒC it should be thrown out after 2 hours, don”t divided and give to guests to take home it could cause a food poisoning hazard.
At the end of the day make sure you clean all the surfaces well, pack up all your cutlery and crockery and sit down and relax and enjoy the success of the day.

Bon Appetit!

How to bring food to an Aged Care Facility safely.

Bringing a meal to a family member or friend in an Aged Care Facility shows you care, and brightens up the day of your loved one.
Before you prepare your meal there are a few important things you need to consider. As people age their immune systems get older and they become weaker, this means elderly people are more vulnerable to harmful food borne illnesses. If an older person gets food poisoning the consequences may be far more serious than for a younger healthier person.
To make sure the food you take to your loved ones is safe you need to consider some important food safety practices when buying preparing, transporting, reheating and serving the food.
Also, you need to speak with the staff at the nursing home to make sure the food you prepare can be reheated at the centre, some aged care facilities may not allow food brought from home. Inform the staff what food you are bringing, and let them know if you are leaving food in the persons fridge.
Things to remember when bringing food into an aged care facility.
Older people are considered vulnerable they have a special Food Safety Policy developed for their services that have very tight regulations, this is o reduce the risks associated with food poisoning.
When you are planning to take a meal to your loved one, you need to be aware of some foods that are very high risk for elderly people as they may contain harmful food poisoning bacteria, these foods include
• Cold Meats
• Cold cooked chicken
• Preprepared salads and fruit salads
• Chilled seafoods
• Cheese
• Ice cream
• Any products made with raw eggs, mayonnaise aioli, and some desserts like tiramisu.
Before preparing any foods, make sure you wash your hands with soapy water, and dry thoroughly, make sure all working surfaces and equipment are clean.
When cooking food make sure it is cooked through, using a food thermometer is a good idea, food should be cooked to an internal temperature of 75ᵒC.
If you are chilling the food before taking it to the aged care centre, make sure you cool I as quickly as possible, then refrigerate. Often dividing the food into smaller portions allows for quicker cooling.

Transporting Food

Temperature control is vital when transporting food. Food must be kept outside of the danger zone to reduce the risks of food borne bacteria growing, the danger zone is between 5ᵒC – 60ᵒC, in short food must be cold below 5 or ho above 60.
When transporting food if it is cold, cover and carry in a cooler bag with an ice pack, the insulated bags from the supermarkets are good for this, and you can fill plastic bottles with water and freeze them to use a chiller.
If you are transporting the food hot, again use an insulated container, ensuring the food stays above 60ᵒC, this is much more of a challenge and is no recommended.

Reheating food

When the food arrives the facility, check with the staff to find the regulations regarding reheating food.
Some facilities the staff are very happy to reheat the food, while at others they are not permitted to handle any food from outside their own facility.
Once you have realised what your obligations are you can then decide how to proceed.
If the nursing staff will reheat the food, you may be able to leave the meal for the loved one to have at another time, within 48 hours. If you need to reheat the meal because of the facility policy then find the equipment for reheating and reheat to at least 75ᵒC, this ensures mostly food borne bacteria have been destroyed. Once reheated the food should be consumed within 35-40 mins. If there is any food left over, often elderly people have smaller appetites, the food must be disposed of.
If for some chance you had reheated the food, and your loved one was not around to eat I at that time, you cannot reheat the food again, I must be disposed of.

Here are some key points

• Always wash hands before and during food preparation
• Once food has been cooked, chill it quickly in small packs before taking it to the aged care facility.
• Transport cold food in an insulated bag with a chiller pack.
• Make sure food is reheated to at least 75ᵒC.
• Food not reheated and stored in the fridge at the aged care facility must be labelled with a use by date, and the family members name.

Using all of the above steps means that you loved ones can enjoy home cooked food that is prepared in a loving way and is safe to eat.
Bon Apetit