Hygiene aspect of food premises: Ventilation, Waste Disposal

Ventilation

In the industrial kitchen, the temperature can get hot easily because there are no open windows unlike the kitchen in our homes. With the ventilators, it helps to maintain indoor air quality. Since there are no open windows to remove odors and gases, it is important to have ventilators to suck in the impurities in the air given off while cooking. It also prevents molds and dirt from accumulating in the kitchen premises. It is able to inhale grease and fumes present in the air which can give way to contamination. It also helps to balance incoming cool air and extracted hot air effectively to prevent kitchen from becoming hot.

These ventilators are fixed around the kitchen and especially found above the stove/cooking area. It is advised that the ventilators are to be cleaned at least once a month to remove the grease and dirt to continue the regulation of clean air. 

The objectives of an effective kitchen ventilation system are to: 
■ remove cooking fumes at source, e.g at the appliance
■ remove excess hot air and bring in cool, clean air, so the working environment is comfortable. Inadequate ventilation can cause stress, contributing to unsafe systems of work and high staff turnover; 
■ make sure that the air movement in the kitchen does not cause discomfort, e.g from strong droughts
■ provide enough air for complete combustion at fired appliances, and prevent the risk of carbon monoxide accumulating; 
■ be easy to clean, avoiding build-up of fat residues and blocked air inlets, which lead to loss of efficiency and increased risk of fire; 
■ be quiet and vibration free

The ventilation system design needs to take account of the:
■ cooking load
■ amount of cooking equipment used
■ layout and shape of the kitchen 
■ number of staff 
■ need for easy cleaning and maintenance

Ventilator above stove area

Ventilator surrounding kitchen area

Waste Disposal


Just like in our homes, every kitchen has a garbage. We work with food everyday and there are instances whereby we have to dispose food packaging, trimmings or expired food. 

Garbage container must be :

1.Leak proof
2.Water proof
3.Pest proof
4.Easy to clean
5.Durable
6.Frequently cleaned inside and out (especially when leaving kitchen)

The garbage must be removed from food preparation areas as soon as possible. Always separate plastic, glass and paper from each other for easier recycling. If the garbage bag is half full, clear it and replace a new one so that the garbage bag does not tear due to heavy load and spillage of rubbish onto the floor. Failure to clear rubbish will attract pest into the kitchen, also leaving rubbish in the kitchen overnight results in foul smell throughout the kitchen.

Disposal bins outside of kitchen

Disposal bin inside kitchen