Safe Food Handling: Four Simple Steps for Nigerian Restaurants and Hotels

HYGIENE is a big problem in Nigerian restaurants and hotels.
Majority of the operators don't care about food safety and have horrifying dirty cooks and attendants with filthy kitchens and horrible toilets that are hidden from the customers sitting in the restaurant and totally ignorant of the unhygienic habits of the cooks and stewards behind closed doors.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) should pay surprise visits to Nigerian restaurants and hotels and inspect their kitchens and toilets to protect the consumers from food poisoning and other health hazards of unhygienic habits.

The following rules on food safety from the FDA should be used for Nigerian restaurants and hotels.

Safe Food Handling: Four Simple Steps

CLEAN
Washing hands at a sink.Wash hands and surfaces often

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item.

Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, launder them often in the hot cycle.
Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush.
With canned goods, remember to clean lids before opening.

SEPARATE
Cutting meat on a cutting board with vegetables on a separate cutting board.Separate raw meats from other foods

Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags, and refrigerator.
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs unless the plate has been washed in hot, soapy water.
Don’t reuse marinades used on raw foods unless you bring them to a boil first.

COOK
Chicken in a skillet with a meat thermometer.Cook to the right temperature

Color and texture are unreliable indicators of safety. Using a food thermometer is the only way to ensure the safety of meat, poultry, seafood, and egg products for all cooking methods. These foods must be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy any harmful bacteria.
Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Only use recipes in which eggs are cooked or heated thoroughly.
When cooking in a microwave oven, cover food, stir, and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking. Always allow standing time, which completes the cooking, before checking the internal temperature with a food thermometer.
Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating.

CHILL
Lots of food inside a refrigerator.Refrigerate foods promptly

Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 40° F or below and the freezer temperature is 0° F or below.
Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and other perishables within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing. Refrigerate within 1 hour if the temperature outside is above 90° F.
Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the counter top. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
Always marinate food in the refrigerator.
Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.