Salad Bar Safety: Best Practices for Food Sanitation

Salad bars are popular in many restaurants and even grocery stores. It affords consumers the opportunity to choose what they want in their salad and how much. Proper sanitation and safety procedures are critical to prevent illnesses.

Preparation

• According to the National Restaurant Association, staff should thoroughly wash their hands or wear gloves when preparing food for a salad bar. Fruits and vegetables should be cleaned well in fresh running water. Cooked foods should be heated to the proper temperature.

Setting Up

• The National Restaurant Association indicates that sneeze guards are important to prevent contamination by customers. Using long handled spoons and tongs prevents customers from using their hands.

Temperature

• Temperatures should be periodically checked to be certain the proper temperature is maintained for cold and hot foods, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Maintenance

• Constant maintenance and supervision of the salad bar is essential. The National Restaurant Association advises that spills should be cleaned up promptly with sanitized wiping cloths to prevent spreading germs.

Food and Drug Administration

• The Food and Drug Administration provides guidelines to minimize food safety hazards in regard to fresh fruits and vegetables.