Food safety at weddings

Food is important at wedding celebrations but equally crucial is food safety. Dr Saurabh Arorahighlights the essential do’s and dont’s for the wedding caterer

While the wedding invitations, the clothes, the jewellery, the dance and music, décor and venue are all important aspects of a wedding but the biggest takeaway is the food! The multiple functions spanning a minimum of three days require multitudinous menus. Wedding caterers need to offer unique and exquisite cuisine but they also need to keep food safety in mind when preparing foods. The safer the food experience, the higher the demand for the caterer at other celebrations! If you wish to be a wedding caterer par excellence you need to ensure that the food is tasty but also completely safe. Wedding feasts therefore, require a huge amount of planning, right from procuring the best ingredients to handling, storing, preparing, serving and transporting food to preserve its freshness. You also need to consider the number of people you are catering for and the time at which the food is to be served so it does not get a chance to allow bacterial growth. If you also serve cold foods you must know for how long the fresh cut fruit dessert, salads, cold fish, cream, etc., can be safe to eat without refrigeration.

Procurement of raw food and ingredients

Food preparation plays a vital role in keeping away hazards, right from raw material to final dishes. Caterers that follow food preparation norms as laid down in the FSSAI regulations keep consumers safe as well as their own reputation. The first step is to procure raw materials only from licensed vendors as that helps prevent chemical and physical hazards from entering vegetables, pulses, rice, spices, etc. Raw milk must be only supplied by certified vendors because toxins produced by staph bacteria can appear in unpasteurised milk and cheese and these cannot be destroyed by cooking. Similarly, procure meat and chicken only from vendors that have been certified by the veterinary surgeon. Only those colours, additives and flavours must be used that are approved by food regulations as they can infuse foods with toxins. Use only branded packaged oil for cooking. Taking these precautionary steps eliminates hazards from entering food right at the beginning.

Is the venue suitable?

If you are planning to cook food at the venue then it is in your best interest to ensure the cleanliness of the food preparation area. Are the walls, ceilings and floors clean? Is the venue designed to prevent the entry of pests and vermin? Are there sufficient food preparation surfaces to handle vegetarian and non-vegetarian food so there is no cross contamination? Keep in mind that the venue must have enough space to prepare, store and serve food according to the volume of the food prepared. Any food for human consumption cannot be prepared under unhygienic or unsanitary conditions. Doing so could invite a penalty which may extend to one lakh rupees especially if there is an outbreak of food poisoning.

Water is a key ingredient

Keep in mind that the kitchen area in the venue must have a running supply of potable water or the water must be chlorinated or ozone water.

Water is also needed to thoroughly clean vegetables and meats and also to clean and disinfect food preparation surfaces, cooking and serving utensils so the supply should be sufficient and safe as unsafe water can cause a number of water borne diseases. All drinking water, water used for preparing beverages and ice must be potable and stored in a sanitary condition in containers that have taps for withdrawing it.

Right temperature

If there is no kitchen at the venue and you have transported the food from another location then you must ensure that you have the required equipment to keep the food hot. If reheating is required you must have heat sources that ensure that food reaches a temperature of up to 70°C as that temperature is required to destroy and minimise bacteria. Most often transported food is hot held in equipment like Bain-marie, hot holding cart, soup kettle or electrical heating is used.

These must be available with the caterer to keep the temperature at a steady 60°C to 63°C. Food that is in hot holding must not be mixed with food that is already on display as the previously served food might have been on display beyond two hours. It goes without saying that food that is left uncovered will attract flies and contaminants like dust will find their way into food. Besides, properly covered hot served food must also be stirred constantly so that it remains evenly hot. The practice of using higher quantity of oil to keep food hot for longer periods must not be used as excess oil in food is a health hazard.

High risk foods and frozen desserts

Fresh fruit, salads, confectionery items, chutneys, cream, cold platters become easy target for microbial contamination. These are high risk foods and if they are not consumed within two hours of preparation then they must be refrigerated at 5°C or lower as bacteria begin to multiply when the temperature of food is above 5°C. If caterers use their own refrigerated van then it must be parked close to the venue. In case there is no way to refrigerate high risk food at the venue then you must time the delivery in such a way that it is consumed within two hours or change the menu, if food safety is compromised.

Frozen desserts like ice-cream, cakes, ras malai are perishable and subject to microbial contamination if not stored appropriately. If electric freezer is not available then perishable cold desserts must be stored in ice-cream carts or insulated ice-boxes packed with dry ice. High risk foods and desserts also need to be handled with care when serving them as they can get contaminated easily and so gloves should be worn at all times when serving them.

Thawing and cooking temperatures

Caterers who use frozen foods must ensure that they are thawed thoroughly before they are cooked. Meat and chicken might not cook to the centre if they are not thawed fully. Temperature of the food must be maintained at 5°C, so it is best to thaw foods in the refrigerator or a microwave. Do not leave food outside on a surface to thaw. All foods whether vegetarian or non- vegetarian must be cooked so that the internal core temperature is 70°C as that kills all bacteria. In fact meat and poultry must be cooked to a temperature or 74°C to make it completely safe. Caterers use calibrated probe thermometers to check that correct cooking temperatures are reached. Probes are disinfected before and after use. Undercooking foods like meats allow bacteria to survive and cause food poisoning. Slow cooking and slow reheating at temperatures 20°C to 50°C cause bacteria to grow faster.

Equipment must not cause cross contamination

Another important aspect to keep in mind when cooking is to use separate equipment and utensils for vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking, cooked and uncooked food so as to prevent cross-contamination. Knives, tongs, cutting boards, etc., must be separate for raw and ready-to-eat and they must be cleaned and sanitised between each use. Check to see that cooking equipment is made of steel, brass and not of aluminium or other corrodible material. According to experts cooking utensils must be flat bottomed as that helps to distribute heat evenly so all parts of the food are cooked at the right temperature.

Health and hygiene of staff

Most wedding caterers employ additional temporary staff for cooking and servicing if the catering order is big. Anyone handling food in the kitchen or in the service area must be suitably trained and supervised. Sometimes food can be contaminated by S Aureus bacteria by food service workers who handle food without washing their hands. Maintaining personal hygiene is extremely important and emphasis must be laid to train all staff to follow all hygiene rules like washing hands before handling food and after toilet use, not smoking, coughing, sneezing, scratching, or touching hair or nose when handling food.

It is an FSSAI requirement for all workers, whether permanent or temporary, to undergo a health check if they handle food. If a food handler has any cuts or abrasions, a skin infection or has recently had diarrhoea then he must not handle food in the kitchen, serve food or work as a waiter as the food can be contaminated or infection passed to the wedding guests. As a wedding caterer of repute you must provide clean uniforms, aprons, gloves, caps for the cooking and serving staff. Hair must be tied back neatly. Disposal towels and anti-bacterial soap must be available for washing hands. Food poisoning outbreaks can occur when workers don’t handle, cook or store food properly.

Transportation of cooked food

When transporting food to the wedding venue, caterers must use food grade, easy to clean, and covered containers. Cardboard boxes are hardly suitable for transporting food safely or hygienically. The vehicle must be clean and must not be used to transport other goods so as to avoid the risk of contamination. When transporting the food the temperature needs to be controlled to ensure it is kept hot at above 60°C or cold at below 5°C.

For short journeys insulated boxes with cold packs can also be used while for longer journeys a refrigerated vehicle is ideal. Once it arrives at the venue the temperature must be checked and food must be reheated to the adequate temperature. Food poisoning is the caterer’s biggest nightmare. As a caterer if you have ensured proper handling, storing and transporting of food then there should not be any danger of food poisoning. After the wedding is over you will know all has gone well if you get calls from wedding guests to cater food for them too.