Ever since its arrival, food trucks have happened to be a trendy place for mouth-watering delicious foods, specialty cuisines, and lip-smacking desserts. It invariably grabbed everyone’s attention and grew into one of the most preferred hangout spots for food lovers. However, food and kitchen hygiene at food trucks has always been a matter of health concern.
Unlike restaurants that operate from bricks and mortars, a Food truck’s kitchen space is very confined. That makes it very tough for them to follow specific food regulations. A recent news article published in fox news has highlighted the sanitation issues faced by the food trucks in Los Angeles. It revealed that about 27-30% of food trucks in Los Angeles fell short of standard regulatory protocol and earned grades that are below A.
Sanitation and maintaining hygiene has been a big challenge for every food truck in the city. Widely addressed issues due to unhygienic practices at food trucks are rodent infestations, improper storage temperatures, contaminated equipment, and poor personal hygiene. In the past years, the health department has denied permission to operate food trucks that did not fall in line with the sanitary norms. Food trucks are a lucrative local business, but their challenges make it difficult for them to survive.
Tips to overcome the food truck sanitation problems:
- Clean hands are safe hands: Personal hygiene is a paramount factor in preparing healthy food. Keep your hands sanitized and clean before preparing and serving the food. That refrains germs and bacterias from affecting the dishes. Contaminated food is a health hazard. Offering such food tampers the business’s name and reliability among the people.
- Keep the spaces clean and protected: Cleanliness and proper sanitation have been a paramount concern these days. Sanitizing all the nooks and corners of the truck is significant. Cleanse the utensils. Always try to keep the hand sanitizers, tissues, and other hygiene products onboard. Disinfect the kitchen and all the surfaces.
- Monitor Food Storage & Refrigeration: Always have a good refrigerator and stock the ingredients at safe temperatures. Several food standards show that storing ingredients at 40F or below helps prevent the raw materials from rotting. Monitor the food temperature at regular intervals and calibrate the refrigeration if needed. While serving food, 53-degree Celsius and 6-degree Celcius is the accepted temperature level for providing hot and cold food items.
- Pest Control: Pest control is a necessary safeguard measure in restricting rodent infestation, which contaminates the food items.
Complying with the health department’s regulations is so easy if every food truck follows those simple sanitation measures. Good food with food hygiene is the best thing any food truck could offer to their customers.
