Whether you love cooking all your family’s meals or have a small home-restaurant, there are specific measures you must take to guarantee the safety of the food you’re preparing. Even if you don’t own a large business or food company, you can still use many things about the HACCP system.

In this guide, we will tell you five HACCP based tips you can implement at home. These will help you ensure your food is safe to consume because they will prevent potential hazards from happening.

1. Hygiene

Every person handling the food must wash their hands before starting to prepare it. Likewise, if you handle food that might contain bacteria, you need to wash your hands afterward as well, for example, raw vegetables, eggshells, etc.

We recommend you wear aprons or clean clothing, tie your hair back, and take off your jewelry. If you don’t take the necessary measures, dirt or bacteria could spread into the products you’re preparing. Finally, if you think you’re sick (even if it’s just a cold or flu), you shouldn’t handle food.

2. Storing finished products

When you’re storing finished products, you must organize them to guarantee their safety. If you’re storing meat in the fridge, we recommend putting it on the lower shelves.

All stored products must be covered by non-toxic, clean, and fresh food packaging. Doing all these strategies will help you prevent food contamination.

3. Preparation and storage areas

Both of these areas must be clean, tidy, and you must always check their surfaces before preparing the food there. Don’t wait too long before cleaning your areas - they must be regularly checked out.

Likewise, make sure there’s no evidence of pests. They can contaminate ingredients or the food itself. Contact professional help if you need to.

4. Cooking temperature

Every time you prepare your products, you must ensure you’re doing so at the correct temperature for each of them. For example, if you use ingredients that need cold storage like dairy, make sure the refrigerated conditions are suitable for them.

Try to avoid raw products as much as possible unless you can safely demonstrate your ability to prepare them. If you can’t, you will risk contamination by bacteria.

5. Pets and allergens

You must ensure pets must be away from the cooking area because they can carry dangerous bacteria that could contaminate your food. Finally, if you’re using allergens like nuts or some dairy products in your preparation, make sure the final products are separated in different batches. If you don’t do so, you risk cross-contamination, and you might have serious consequences - some people have severe allergies to these products.

Although the HACCP certification system is implemented in food businesses and throughout the whole preparation chain, if you have a home restaurant or even prepare your family’s food, you must prevent hazards from happening. By implementing these small tips, you will avoid contamination by bacteria and many other consequences like consuming allergens, overcooked or undercooked food. Try them at home, and you’ll experience your kitchen’s growth!

Mandreel is the best place where you can get the certification of HACCP in Malaysia by following the proper steps.