Coronavirus and Food Safety – Providing Takeaway and Delivery Services

Updated 27/04/2020

The social distancing impact on our industry is unprecedented and we are aware that you are considering ways that you can not only keep your businesses running but also support your local communities. Several food businesses have moved to providing a food takeaway collection or delivery service from their restaurants.

The Government has announced that planning rules will be relaxed so that pubs and restaurants can operate as a takeaway for a limited time. Click here for more information  You must notify your local environmental health department if you have substantially changed the nature of your operation but you don’t require permission to do so.

Safer Food Scores has put together this advice note to support you if this is something that you have done or are considering doing.

Food safety guidance for delivering takeaway foods

• Only use disposable packaging that is approved for food use, check with your supplier or look for the symbol:
• Do not re-use any returned disposable packaging.
• Insulated packaging or boxes should be easy to clean and sanitise. These should be cleaned and sanitised internally and externally regularly throughout the day.  This should also include any ice packs that are used.
• Ensure that staff wear clean uniforms and are fit for work. (see Fitness to Work Guidance here)
• Food handlers should wash hands for at least 20 seconds before preparing or packaging up takeaway foods.
• Increase the frequency of cleaning and sanitising, particularly for hand contact surfaces in both front of house and back of house areas.
• Make sure that the food is protected by double bagging and sealing so it cannot be contaminated.
• Deliver cold foods at or below 8ºC.
• Deliver hot foods at or above 63◦C.
• If the journey time is likely to be more than 30 minutes, use a refrigerated delivery van or insulated containers that will keep foods at the right temperature.
• Either label the product or advise customers to put any chilled food into their fridge and any hot food into an oven unless it will be served straight away.
• Continue to document all of your due diligence checks such as incoming food deliveries, storage temperatures, cooking, reheating and cooling times and temperatures, opening and closing checks and any other checks you do.
• Update your food safety management system if you are carrying out processes that you do not normally carry out.

Providing allergen information

Taking orders – online or telephone

By law, allergen information must be made available at the point of ordering therefore:

• If customers can order online, allergen information (or details of how it can be obtained) should be available on the website
• If customers contact you by telephone, direct customers to your website if allergen information is available there.
• Ensure that your website communicates the cross-contact risk to customers:

“If you have any food allergies or intolerances, please let us know so that we can help you choose. As allergens are present in our kitchen and some of our ingredients have ‘may contain’ warnings, we cannot guarantee menu items will be completely free from allergens”.

Otherwise ensure the person providing allergen information verbally is properly trained and has access to accurate allergen information on each of your dishes. If it is the case, make sure they are clear that cross-contact with allergens may be possible. A phrase similar to this could be used:

“As allergens are present in our kitchen and some of our ingredients have ‘may contain’ warnings, we cannot guarantee menu items will be completely free from allergens”. 

Deliveries

By law, allergen information must be made available at the point of delivery therefore:

• Provide allergen information (or details of how it can be obtained) on menu flyers or food labels.

• Include on the flyer or food label your statement regarding any allergen cross-contact risks e.g.

“As allergens are present in our kitchen and some of our ingredients have ‘may contain’ warnings, we cannot guarantee menu items will be completely free from allergens”.

• As before, make sure each item is labelled clearly with the name of the food and ‘eat on day of purchase’. If any food has been specially requested by an allergy sufferer this should be highlighted.

Social distancing advice for collections and deliveries

Keeping everyone healthy is our priority so taking steps to limit contact is advisable especially if you are otherwise closed to the public.

• Adhere to all social distancing guidelines in all areas of the operation keeping at least 2 metres away from each other.
• Only allow telephone or online orders and avoid accepting cash, take card payments at ordering prior to delivery wherever possible.
• Operate a queuing system or specify a pick-up time to avoid physical contact between anyone collecting food or delivery personnel and your staff.
• Display signage explaining social distancing and handwashing/sanitising rules on doors.
• Designate or mark out a set down/pick up area such as a floor area and table in part of the restaurant. Allow a distance of at least 2 metres between people.
• Provide either additional temporary hand wash facilities or  hand sanitiser for anyone collecting food.
• Ensure that restaurant staff set the packaged food down and move away at least 2 metres before the collector or delivery personnel picks it up.
• Delivery personnel should place the food into the transport bag/box immediately.
• Delivery personnel should set the food down at the customers door, knock or ring at the door before moving back at least 2 metres.  Wait at the customers property until they have collected the food.

Delivering pre-packaged foods

If food to be delivered has been pre-packaged in advance (and not at the time of the customer order), by law, full product labelling is required – much like what you would see on a retail product.

Full labelling includes:

• The name of the food (customary, legal or descriptive)
• The percentage of certain ingredients
• An ingredients list with any specified allergens contained (in a different format)
• Any additives contained
• If it contains a genetically modified ingredient
• If any of the ingredients have been irradiated
• The nutritional content
• The weight, volume or quantity
• Use by or best before date
• A batch or lot number
• Name and address of business
• Place of origin if omission could mislead
• Any special storage instructions
• Any instructions for use such as cooking/reheat instructions
• Food specific requirements e.g. warnings

Clearly this is very detailed information so if you would like further guidance on this Safer Food Scores have labelling expertise to assist with this.

Providing allergen information for your customers

It is a legal requirement to provide accurate, consistent and verifiable allergen information.

We can assist by:

• Carrying out menu and recipe analysis to inform your food allergen declarations; and/or
• Configure your allergen data using Menu Guide software. Customers can gain access to your allergen menu by scanning a QR code on the menu with their phones or access the information via your website. Customers can also filter the menu dependent on their dietary requirements so they would just see the foods that they could eat. As well as ensuring customers advise you of any allergies, we can also ensure that it requires them to confirm that they understand any cross-contact risks.

Allergen awareness and food safety training for your business

Making sure your teams are fully trained or refreshed on food safety and allergen awareness is essential for both legal compliance and for  good food safety and allergen practice in your business.

• A Game to Train Level 2 E-learning:

We have a special offer on our revolutionary game-based Level 2 Food Safety e-learning  https://agametotrain.co.uk/

Normally £19 each, we are offering these courses at £10 (plus VAT) each if purchased before the end of April 2020 (minimum order size 10)

• Highfield e-learning allergen awareness

Covering the basics such as allergen identification and controls.

This course costs £14 plus VAT each (10-19 courses) £12 plus VAT each (20 – 49 courses).  There is a minimum order of 10 however any combination of our e-learning courses can be ordered.

• In addition to our current portfolio of highly respected Highfield e-learning courses we are now able to offer the newly updated Infection Prevention and Control + New COVID-19 Module.

Priced at £4.90 plus VAT each (minimum order size 50) the Infection Prevention and Control course is designed to help you and your business understand how to prevent and control infection and why it is important to do so.

Click here for some great deals and more information on our excellent range of e-learning courses

Please contact us on 01442 877322 if we can help further.

Any guidance given in our articles is not official and Safer Food Scores can take no responsibility if the information is used to form part of any legal or regulatory compliance for your business. However, please do get in touch if you are interested in our support services and would like to benefit from official guidance relating to your particular circumstances, email [javascript protected email address]