ENSURING FOOD SAFETY IN SCHOOLS: THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD TEMPERATURE MONITORING
If you are in the food department, you are always looking for ways to ensure your food items are always fresh and suitable for consumption. And this generally starts with temperature monitoring to ensure the food items’ temperature is always in the ideal range.
Bimetallic thermometers are a typical example of a classic food temperature monitoring instrument. However, they are frequently not accurate enough. Additionally, because they need continual physical supervision, they are less useful in a fast-paced setting or when in transit, especially in a field where a labor shortage is already imminent.
Technology-advanced food safety temperature monitoring is helpful in this situation. For example, wireless temperature data loggers can track food temperatures and send real-time notifications to ensure your food products are safe. Here is the importance of leveraging technology to monitor floor temperature in schools.
Less chance of a foodborne illness
When the temperature of your meal rises above 40°F, it can be the perfect setting for hazardous bacteria and viruses to flourish. There are several possible severe effects that these dangerous organisms might have, including the possibility of food poisoning and spoiling.
These dangerous organisms have the potential to seriously harm individuals and even kill them, especially the weak and defenseless, like young children and those with weakened immune systems. Additionally, the food may suffer other harm or spoilage, which would be detrimental to your finances.
Continuously checking the temperature of the food is an essential procedure that can help you see potential risks and hazards early on, increasing the likelihood that you can take quick action. This reduces the possibility of a foodborne illness erupting in the school by eventually ensuring the safety and quality of food products.
Increased compliance
Food temperature monitoring while in storage and during transportation is mandated by law. In the absence of compliance, you risk paying high fines. However, you can improve compliance by documenting every step of your processes with temperature monitoring instruments like data loggers. For instance, an electronic data logger can assist you in maintaining compliance and streamlining the auditing process.
Streamlined processes
An enormous labor shortage is affecting the American food industry. Most food markets and departments lack staff for tedious jobs like ongoing temperature monitoring. However, the most recent advancements in food monitoring technology can assist by automating data collecting and analysis and freeing up your team’s time to concentrate on other crucial processes.
Automatic data gathering
Different foods respond differently to temperature changes. The best temperature for storing one kind of food may compromise the quality of another. Food departments need to monitor their products in real-time to create more effective food preservation techniques as a workaround.
Devices that track food temperatures can give you reliable statistical data and round-the-clock monitoring to aid in developing better preservation techniques. One of the best things about this is that the entire process is automated, which offers extra cost-efficiency advantages as you don’t need to hire more staff or assign work.
The bottom line
Food monitoring technology can modernize and enhance your school kitchen operations, improve the safety of your food products, and provide you with smooth, immediate access to temperature information.