3 Vital Senior Food Safety Practices to Maintain
December 13, 20225 Diet Strategies for Ogden Senior Heart Health
February 14, 2023In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some vital food safety considerations for any setting where seniors will be dining. Proper food safety is important in any food establishment, naturally, but takes on even greater relevance with seniors due to higher risks of certain health conditions that they often face.
At Cozy Retire, extensive food safety methods are maintained at all times within any of the dining areas of our assisted living community. We take this area very seriously, and it is our goal to ensure that all residents can enjoy their dining experience without risk of food-born illness. Here are some of the other key best practices that any establishment like ours, or others that serve seniors, should be maintaining when it comes to food safety.
Careful Handling of Perishable Items
We went over basic themes like hygiene and a clean workspace in part one of our series, and one of the most important best practices of all is to be very careful when handling perishable items like dairy, eggs, and cooked foods. It’s advisable to store all such products in proper, temperature-controlled containers and to take utmost care when prepping them for cooking or serving.
Specifically, when dealing with any type of cooked food, the food should never be left out at room temperature for more than two hours. This is especially important because seniors may have a weakened immune system that can make them more susceptible to food-borne illness.
Cooking Meats and Poultry Expediently
Because of their potential to spoil and cause food-borne illnesses, it’s key to cook all meats and poultry as quickly as possible. This also goes hand in hand with proper temperature control; the appropriate internal temperatures must always be met when preparing these types of foods.
When preparing poultry dishes, it’s important to make sure that there is no pink residue left in the meat, which could be a sign of potential contamination. Additionally, if any sort of marinade is used on the meat, it should always be disposed of after one use and not reused or stored for future meals.
Be on the Watch for Damaged or Contaminated Deliveries
For any fresh produce, it’s important to check for spoilage or contamination in the delivery. Damaged packaging or containers should never be accepted and any food that is found to be contaminated must also be disposed of immediately.
By following all of these best practices, establishments like Cozy Retire can help ensure that every senior citizen who comes through our doors enjoys a safe, healthy dining experience. We thank you for reading this blog series and we hope that the information provided here can help create a safer food atmosphere in any senior living community. Happy eating!