When developing an effective system for daily line control and temperature recording, operations managers often face many of the same challenges.
What follows are the three main service operators most often mentioned food challenges face in developing a good HACCP regime, and how our new Saf-T-Log addresses these challenges and makes life easier.
In the food service industry (catering, hotels...), there's a big difference in daily workloads, which makes planning very difficult.
On-site morning checks can be interrupted by sick calls, maintenance problems, incomplete customer orders, or at the start of a rush you never saw coming.
This can cause some Quality Control team members to provide incomplete and inaccurate records for change.
Executive-level managers are well aware of the dangers of these reports and understand the potential consequences that follow.
The innovative Saf-T-Log thermometer records time, date, user and pass/fail status for each item on an on-line control sheet. This feature effectively eliminates errors in standard reports.
One of the things that may be getting more attention these days is the high operating costs of labor. When head office wants to see how much money you're spending on labor per shift, the thought of adding more bodies to your schedule seems unthinkable.
Yet, in many cases, managers are asked to have a team of two or more to carry out their online checks. These are two people who could be helpful in preparing for a busy change.
Line chefs and cooks are often snatched away from important preparation tasks to accompany managers with clip tips and thermometers to ruminate posts. One determines the product and the other records the temperature. This process can take up to an hour or more to complete - depending on the size of the operation.
Saf-T-Log effectively eliminates the need for clip boards and handwritten reports. Instead, a single user can scroll through a customized list of products, insert the temperature probe and, with a single touch, record the correct temperatures. No longer a two-man job, the Saf-T-Log thermometer will broadcast the line of your checking operation online and help you complete the task in half the time.
Effective communication is key to the success of any business.
There's nothing worse than having to answer for a poor health inspection score, especially when it comes as a result of poor record-keeping and inconsistent line checks. While the boss was under the impression that line checks were getting done, the fact is that operations can sometimes get the best of us, and a few days have been missed.
The Saf-T-Log thermometer allows users to download their daily readings (with corrective actions added) and store them on a PC for safekeeping.
The files, saved in PDF format, can be emailed to company managers to check accuracy and consistency.
Clearly, developing a HACCP system for a food service or food processing operation doesn't come without its challenges. Multiple menu items, multiple stages in the food flow, multiple pieces of equipment and multiple food handlers can all hinder the implementation of an effective, customized HACCP program. However, having the right tool for the job can make the process much easier.
