For anyone who had ever suffered from food poisoning, you know exactly how important food hygiene (and food hygiene signs) are. When unhygienic mistakes are made in the kitchen, people can become dangerously sick. Therefore, it is paramount to always take the proper precautions to ensure hygiene is being taken seriously. It can also land companies in hot water, as breaking food hygiene laws can be met with a serious fine. 

Of course, you hope whoever is preparing food is fully aware of the food hygiene regulations (which you can read more about here) but having food hygiene signs can be a great reminder. These food hygiene signs are used to remind people to wash their hands, wear appropriate clothing and how the kitchen is organised to promote food safety. Not only are they great for the team, they're especially good for new staff who may not yet be accustomed to food hygiene rules.

We have a wide range of food hygiene sings here at Label Source - view our whole collection of kitchen safety signs here. Here's a look at just a few in the collection:

No one wants hair in their food! Make sure you remind staff to wear a hair net with this useful food hygiene sign.

Cross-contamination between raw and cooked food can make people seriously ill. Make your dedicated areas clear with this 'raw food preparation' food hygiene sign. 

You must have a sink in a professional kitchen that is only for washing hands. Make sure it's clear which one this is with this 'Wash Hands Only' food hygiene sign.

If you have any questions about our food hygiene signs or any other the other signs we supply then feel free to get in touch. Our friendly team is always here to help so contact us today. 

We share a lot of health and safety stories on this blog, many of which focus on the news that yet another organisation has been prosecuted and fined for poor safety practices. More often than not, these law-breaking companies are in high-risk fields like construction and industrial manufacturing, and they're caught out because a worker suffered an injury (or worse) that would have been prevented had the proper regulations been observed.

Today, however, we'd like to share a news story which demonstrates that every company in every industry must abide by the rules or face the consequences. Earlier this week, The Enquirer reported that a business in Essex had been fined £20,000 for a number of unsafe practices. So what type of business was this? An engineering firm? A large factory?

No and no; in actual fact, it was the Crown Café in Southend-on-Sea. Last week, Southend Magistrates Court found the business guilty of the following food hygiene / health and safety breaches:

• No wash basin exclusively designated for hand washing in the kitchen
• No documented food safety management system
• Failure to maintain electrical installations in the café

These issues were documented during an inspection of the café in August 2015. Inspectors issues three Improvement Notices, but a follow-up inspection one year later found that the Notices had not been acted upon and that the problems were still there. As a result, Ms De'Ath was ordered to pay £1,440 (plus £1,000 in costs), and the business itself was fined £16,000 (plus £2,162.50 in costs). On top of that, Ms De'Ath and her business had to pay a victim surcharge totalling £188.

After the sentence had been delivered, a local councillor made the following statement:

"We hope this successful prosecution sends out a clear message to food businesses that you must take your responsibilities for food hygiene and health and safety seriously...we will take any action necessary to protect the public from harm."

Health and safety is a crucial concern for all organisations across all sectors. No matter what products or services you provide, it is your responsibility as a business owner to carry out a full risk assessment and take any measures necessary to minimise the risk that someone will come to harm on your premises or as a result of your operations. If you work in the food industry, then hygiene should of course be a key priority, but you are also bound by the same general health and safety legislation as any other commercial organisation. Don't let yourself end up in court like the owner of the Crown Café!

Here at Label Source, we stock a number of signs and notices to help promote hygiene and safety in a kitchen environment. Click here to browse our Kitchen Safety Signs range.

A mass food poisoning outbreak was caused at a convention over 200 people who attended the convention reported to have been suffering with food poisoning and 24 people were hospitalised. 

An investigation into the cause of the outbreak revealed that the people who were poisoned had the same strain of salmonella that was found on a kitchen stick blender that had not been cleaned correctly and was poorly sanitised. Although cooking food at high temperatures does kill the bacteria, on this occasion the salmonella was not killed because the cooking temperature was not high enough, instead the bacteria was “incubated”. 

A further investigation into the kitchen where this outbreak took place, found not only salmonella on the kitchen stick blender and a large food mixer, but also E-coli, and Bacillus Cereus (B. cereus) were found on a separate mixer, pastry brushes and whisks. 

These harmful bacteria’s were all present at this establishment due to a breakdown on cleanliness, a lack of sanitizing the equipment, and staff not washing their hands correctly or often enough. 

To prevent another harmful outbreak the general manager of the establishment has advised that the mixer has been removed and whole eggs are no longer on the menu, which means there are no egg shells, which potentially carry pathogens, will ever come into the kitchen. 

If you are working in an environment where you are handling food you have a responsibility to the public to ensure that the food that you are serving them is safe and free from foodborne illnesses such as salmonella and E. Coli. 

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food poisoning. People can get salmonellosis by eating food contaminated with salmonella if an infected food handler had not washed their hands with soap before handling food products.  

Salmonella can also be passed from meat products to vegetables if you are preparing vegetables with the same equipment that was used to prepare the infected meat. 

There are many strains of E. Coli, thankfully most of them are harmless to humans, however, if you are handling raw fruit and vegetables, it is important to skin / wash them before use. Again, if you are preparing meat, such as beer, be sure not to use the same utensils or chopping board for cooked, uncooked meat and vegetables.  

It is important that the employees in your kitchens are washing their hands regularly, before they start work, before food preparation, and after handling raw products. 

Here at Label Source we know that kitchens are full of hazards. We have a comprehensive range of mandatory kitchen safety signs will help prevent the contamination of food prepared in your kitchen by helping to identify potential hazards, and encourage best practises from your staff. 

All of our Kitchen Safety signs are made to meet the ISO EN 1710 standards and comply with the General food hygiene regulations 2010. 

Click here to View our comprehensive range of Kitchen Safety Signs. 

In the unlikely event that you cannot find the safety signs that meet your specific requirements then please contact us on 0800 3761 693 or email info@labelsource.co.uk and a member of  our customer service team will be happy to assist you.