If you are thinking about getting a catering service, it is important that your caterer follows certain guidelines. The NEA (National Environment Agency) released guidelines for ordering catered meals. These guidelines will minimize the danger of food poisoning.
Catering food is prevalent here in Singapore. There are many functions, events and gatherings that take place here every day like birthday, staff lunch and wedding celebrations. With that, it is strongly advised that you practice the following safety tips:
Choosing
If you are looking for a caterer, you should consider licensed caterers; you can look into NEA’s lists of licensed caterers found at their website. When you are on the verge of choosing, you need to pick the caterer with excellent hygiene grading.
Ordering
If you have guests like pregnant women, elderly and children, as much as possible avoid ordering uncooked foods. If you ordered raw foods, make sure that it is delivered at below 5°C. Avoid food wastage by ordering enough.
Delivery
In order to avoid spoilage, the hot food should be kept above 60°C while cold foods should be kept below 5°C. Remember that the food should not be stored long in a room temperature. People need to consume all foods not more than four hours.
Serving
When the food is delivered, it should be arranged in a logical manner. For example, raw foods should be separated from cooked food. Each dish should be served using different utensils. Check if the utensils and containers are clean.
Eating
If you are the caterer, the best thing to build your reputation is to be punctual. You need to tell your staffs to observe proper food hygiene when handling foods. If you are the host, you can begin by advising your guests to wash their hands first.
Clearing
The service is not over the moment the guests consume the foods. The caterer should be there to clear things like tackling the leftover foods and the tools used.