Optimizing the Cafeteria at Work and School for Food Safety

It’s almost impossible to work and concentrate when your stomach is grumbling. Employees and students are usually looking for different ways of filling their appetites when studying or working.

When it comes to school or the workplace, the cafeteria and the kitchen are just some of the places that get a good amount of traffic every day. This isn’t a surprise when most people come to cafeterias for informal meetings, to study, plan things out, and, of course, eat.

However, most Australians of all age groups generally have poor diets, as reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This is because most workers and students do not get an adequate amount of sustenance from the five food groups, with most individuals choosing to eat foods that are high in salt, sugar, and fats. Particularly, fruits and vegetable consumption is kept at a minimum. This can increase most individuals’ risk factors when it came to Type II diabetes, obesity, and CKD.

Since the cafeteria is usually a place where most employees and students will be converging in, it’s only logical that we ensure that our cafeteria is optimised for maximum food safety while still catering to individuals’ needs.

So what are some important ways of optimising the cafeteria for the best efficiency? Here’s what you’ll need to know.

Sanitise and Automate Your Entryways

Compared to other facilities and areas at school or the workplace, the cafeteria will usually be a place that will constantly face foot traffic. The number of individuals that go in and out of the cafeteria is understandable since eating will always be a necessity.

However, the problem with having too much foot traffic is that people will be going in and out in the same entrances and exits. Although this is just a mild annoyance, this can be a problem, especially when there are emergencies and when most contagious diseases can reside on these entryways’ surfaces. The last thing you want is someone getting sick from touching a handle that almost everybody will have to interact with.

Thus, we must sanitise our entryways and doors every day to ensure that there won’t be any problem with infections and transmissions. Fortunately, there are internal sliding glass doors equipped with an automation system that will ensure that employees won’t have to make contact with infected surfaces. Moreover, these glass doors can be easily sanitised for better convenience.

Separate It from the Rest

In most cases, a cafeteria is where people will usually take a break from their work. Most would suggest painting and designing the cafeteria to have a better ambience. Instead of having an “institutional” and “corporate” feel to your cafeteria, why not make it inviting with sleek furniture and warm colours? Eventually, students and employees will start associating these colours with break and rest, and they’ll start to go to the cafeteria more.

Invest in Food and Equipment

A cafeteria and a kitchen will need the proper tools and equipment to ensure that the available food is safe for consumption and will meet the quality standards of the organisation. You might have to invest in higher-quality equipment and products for maintaining the kitchens. Most schools and workplaces that don’t emphasise their cafeterias are inviting cases of food poisoning and infections.

Information Drive and Spicing It Up

It might not seem like an important factor at first, but you’ll need to educate your workforce or the student body on why they should have a well-balanced diet instead of just eating a single type of food group. There are two things most of the kitchen crew will need to focus on: the nutritional needs of the individual while also ensuring that the dish that is being served is appetising to the employee or student.

While this isn’t necessarily a problem, most young students don’t really respond well when they are told, “vegetable A and B are really food for your health because of antioxidants and vitamins.” since these will most often sound like something off of a commercial. Although letting people know about the benefits of certain types of food is good, most would consider it a bit too overkill.

Instead, appeal to the taste buds of your employees and students by emphasising making appetising dishes that will make them want to taste more of the product. After all, foot setup matters, and this will eventually catch the attention of the workforce.

There are lots of ways of improving and optimising your workplace’s cafeteria. A cafeteria is a place where people can kick back and relax after a hard day at work, so it’s only appropriate that you ensure that your employees and most of the student body can use it for the leisure time that’s permitted to them. It’s also important to serve nutritious food that will get them through the day. Not only will this improve their overall health with the right diet, but it can also make them more productive in the long-run.