Home Delivery Hygiene: A Look Behind the Scenes
Home delivery hygiene for groceries has become a necessity to maintain social distancing in ‘the new normal’, but what safety measures do delivery firms take behind the scenes? We asked Halima Jumani, Operations Director at multi award-winning grocery delivery firm Kibsons about the hygiene and safety measures you should expect.
What food safety standards do food delivery companies need to adhere to?
It is important to point out that for years before the coronavirus pandemic, Kibsons has consistently achieved a 100% health certification and is HACCP approved.
‘HACCP’ stands for ‘Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points’ and is a global system that addresses food safety standards. This system makes a detailed audit and assessment of how all food safety hazards are controlled. These include microbiological, chemical and physical hazards – from the production of raw material right the way through to consumption of the finished product. This includes manufacturing, our food procurement, all product handling, storage and distribution. So we have decades of experience in every tiny detail of hygiene control and safety. In our case, we refresh our training regularly to keep up-to-date with any new laws and procedures.
Can you give us a run-down of the hygiene safety protocols you have put in place since the Covid-19 outbreak?
Our hygiene systems and processes at Kibsons have always been at the core of what we do, because it’s simply the right thing to do. I’m a consumer and a mum with a family, so I know what I want from food delivery to keep my kids safe. All families deserve this level of safety, so these are the measures in place at Kibsons:
- We check the body temperature of all operations staff at the beginning of every shift
- All Kibsons operations staff are required to wear safety gloves and masks while at work
- All Kibsons delivery vehicles are thoroughly washed, and sanitised three times more frequently than before
- All Kibsons drivers understand the importance of frequently sanitizing their van interiors, being cautious during transit, and using safety gloves for delivery
- All frequently touched surfaces in any part of the Kibsons facilities have a protocol for being wiped down and sanitised regularly throughout the day
- We are ensuring that Kibsons food delivery boxes are 100% clean, food-grade certified and brand new straight off the press
- All Kibsons staff are required to wash their hands as frequently as possible during the dayAll suppliers to Kibsons have been notified and briefed that they must follow the above hygiene precautions while delivering to our premises.
Is it okay for these extra safety measures to ease off a little as we move into life after lockdown and the population eventually develops immunity to Covid-19?
No. Absolutely not. The effects of this pandemic have been devastating to everyone, but in the middle of it, people have also found new ways of doing things and forged stronger family bonds and connections with people.
Kibsons is also a family business at heart and we all shared the same spirit and ethos for food safety measures. But the pandemic has given us the opportunity to not only significantly enhance our hygiene practices, but keep the dialogue about safety foremost in the work ethic and working day of our entire team. So for us, Covid-19 has raised the bar of food safety, and that’s the ‘new normal’ at Kibsons.
FURTHER READING ON HYGIENE:
Where Bacteria Lurk in the Kitchen
Bacteria Hidden on Light Switches & Handles
A Child’s Perspective of the Covid-19 Lockdown
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