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If your business includes handling and serving food, the safety of that food underpins everything you do. Not only do you have a legal obligation to ensure that you are serving food that has been stored, cooked, and handled correctly, you have an ethical obligation to make sure you’re doing your utmost to protect your customers. But if you’re overseeing multiple areas of the business, and trying to make sure that you’re fully compliant, and maintaining the relevant records to prove it, you might feel a little overwhelmed at times.
It’s a challenge that many in the foodservice industry face, but with the rise of digital food safety systems, things are getting a little easier. These solutions make sure that ensuring compliance and maintaining high standards of hygiene has never been easier.
If you’re looking for a more efficient way to manage your food safety processes, digital food safety could be the answer. As the leading supplier of digital checklists for the hospitality sector, at Trail we have years of experience when it comes to using technology to make your business run more smoothly. In this article, we’ll share our insights, looking at digital food safety, what it is, and what it can do for your business.
A food safety management system comprises all your food safety policies and workflows. It’s about being compliant with food hygiene and food standards, and protecting your business.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) states that food safety management procedures must be put in place “based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).”
HACCP is a system which helps you:
- identify potential food hazards
- control these hazards
- remove or reduce hazards to an acceptable level
You’re required to keep updated records regarding your procedures, and keeping on top of all this documentation is where a digital food safety system can make a huge difference.
Digital food safety involves moving all of your manual processes onto a digital platform, centralising and optimising your processes and reducing human error. By integrating all the various aspects of food safety management, such as monitoring, documentation, and compliance, into a single digital platform, restaurants can ensure they meet regulatory standards efficiently and effectively. This approach not only simplifies the management of food safety but also provides real-time insights and data-driven decision-making to improve overall operations.
You’ll be only too aware why it’s vital to get your food safety practices right. Mistakes, negligence, or a lack of training can all result in potentially devastating consequences for your business.
A recent FSA report following a survey of adults across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland showed that “46% of respondents ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’ looked for the FHRS ratings”. It also highlights that 79% of respondents will at least occasionally check how a business performed in its most recent Food Hygiene Rating Scheme inspection before eating there. That means you risk losing a lot of footfall if you don’t achieve and maintain a high rating.
Additionally, when it comes to the costs of letting food safety standards slip, there are the potential fines and legal costs to consider. Should important safety measures be missed and a customer becomes ill (for example, contracts food poisoning or has an allergic reaction), as a result of eating food prepared by your business, the financial costs could be devastating.
Add to this that if a food safety officer finds a business has very poor hygiene standards and food is potentially unsafe to eat, they have a duty to protect consumers. This could mean “stopping part of the business or closing it down completely until it is safe to reopen it”. This, of course, could have catastrophic consequences if you’re forced to close your doors even for a short time.
A good reputation is difficult to earn and incredibly easy to lose. Particularly if word spreads that you don’t take food hygiene and safety seriously. Negative online reviews, word of mouth, and even posts on social media can all cost you business, so it’s vital to do all you can to maintain the highest standards at all times.
Of course, nobody intentionally sets out to ignore food safety regulations, or serve potentially dangerous food to customers. The reasons that standards slip can include a lack of up to date training, overwhelm and burnout, laziness, or honest mistakes. If you want to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks, you might want to consider implementing a digital food safety system to keep you on track at all times.
When it comes to food safety, an effective digital system can do so much for a business.
A record-keeping tool that supports audits and inspections allows you to log critical data like food temperature checks and cleaning schedules. Look for a solution that is able to work on any device to make it easily accessible at all times. With one centralised digital point of control, all of your paperwork and checks will be at your fingertips, saving you time and stress during audits.
Real time monitoring allows you to keep on top of day-to-day issues as they happen, streamlining your operations from the start. With enhanced traceability, you’ll have access to data-driven insights to help with decision making and increase productivity and efficiency.
Eliminate the need for the demanding paper trail normally associated with food safety. Faster and more efficient, it helps free up staff who have previously spent long periods filling out paperwork and updating records. As a bonus,a digital system can also support your environmental and sustainability responsibilities and policies.
Make sure you never miss a step with digital checklists. This also helps with accountability as everyone can see who is responsible for each area of your food safety processes.
At Trail, we understand that managing food safety in a busy restaurant is no small feat. The traditional methods of keeping up with food safety standards - endless paperwork, manual checklists, and scattered records - can be both time-consuming and prone to errors. That’s why we’ve developed a digital solution designed to simplify and enhance your food safety management, giving you more time to focus on delivering exceptional service to your customers.
Our app is more than just a digital checklist - it's a comprehensive food safety management tool that integrates seamlessly into your daily operations. Here’s how Trail can transform the way you manage food safety:
1. Paperless Processes and Enhanced Efficiency: With Trail, all your food safety checklists, logs, and records are stored digitally, accessible with just a few clicks. This not only reduces clutter but also ensures that all your critical data is organised, up-to-date, and easily retrievable whenever you need it. By digitising these processes, you can streamline your operations, making it easier to maintain compliance with food safety regulations.
2. Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts: One of the standout features of the Trail app is its ability to provide real-time monitoring of your food safety tasks. Whether it's temperature checks, cleaning schedules, or equipment maintenance, Trail keeps track of everything as it happens. If a task is missed or an issue arises, the app sends immediate alerts to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. This proactive approach to monitoring helps prevent potential food safety hazards before they escalate, giving you peace of mind that your kitchen is always operating safely.
3. Automated Task Allocation and Accountability: Trail allows you to assign specific tasks to individual team members, ensuring that everyone knows exactly what they need to do and when. This level of task allocation not only improves accountability but also fosters a culture of responsibility within your team. Each completed task is automatically logged in the system, providing a clear record of who did what and when. This feature is particularly valuable during audits, as it demonstrates a consistent and verifiable food safety routine.
4. Data-Driven Insights for Continuous Improvement: Trail’s app collects and analyses data from your food safety tasks, offering insights that can help you identify areas for improvement. Whether it’s spotting trends in non-compliance, assessing the efficiency of your processes, or pinpointing recurring issues, these insights empower you to make informed decisions.
5. Seamless Compliance with Food Safety Regulations: Our app is designed to help you meet all the requirements set out by health authorities, with features like digital record-keeping and automated reminders for key tasks. By keeping your food safety management aligned with regulatory standards, Trail reduces the risk of non-compliance and the hefty penalties that could come with it.
6. Easy Integration and User-Friendly Interface: Our background in hospitality means we know what you need when it comes to software solutions that everyone can and will use. Trail integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, allowing you to get up and running quickly with minimal disruption to your operations. Whether your staff are tech-savvy or not, they’ll find Trail straightforward and simple to use.
There can be no doubt that the right digital system can help your business make much lighter work of food safety responsibilities. When used right, achieving and maintaining those all-important higher ratings can be easier than ever before.
We know this because we’re told so regularly. Delroy Daniels, Operations Director at Scoffs Group Ltd confirmed:
Digital food safety management can offer huge value to hospitality businesses who take food safety seriously.
In this article, we’ve explored the potential financial and reputational impact of not staying compliant, and we’ve looked at the immense benefits of introducing a digital solution to help you manage food hygiene and safety across your business. And we’ve looked specifically at how Trail can transform your processes and save you time and money. If you’re ready to see it in action, book a demo now.
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Find out more about the Trail app for compliance and safety in food hygiene.
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