For anybody working in the catering industry, hygiene is naturally a matter of prime concern. If you are handling and preparing food for others, it is vital that you are equipped with the right products to ensure a hygienic and safe environment.

Whilst it is possible to maintain hygienic hands with frequent washing, this can take its toll on your skin, and is also not a measure which customers can observe; wearing latex gloves not only protects your skin as well but also means that your customers can see that hygiene practices are being followed. These gloves are disposable, so you can simply change gloves between preparation tasks to avoid cross-contamination, and offer a close fit which won’t get in the way of fine tasks like chopping small vegetables.

Whilst your hands are naturally the first thing you need to protect in food preparation, as they come into direct contact with the food, they are far from the only consideration. Plastic aprons are an excellent investment, as they protect the food from cross-contamination coming from employees’ clothes, as well as protecting the clothes from splashes and stains. We offer disposable plastic aprons in different colours, so that you can colour code different tasks for maximum hygiene; for example, you could have different coloured aprons for meat and vegetable preparation as a visual reminder to keep those tasks separate. This is particularly useful if you cater for vegetarian or vegan clients, or to people with food sensitivities, as it helps to ensure that there is no cross-contamination between food groups.

The third important aspect to consider is hair; nobody ever wants to find a hair in their soup or sandwich, so it is essential that you take measures to ensure that all employees handling food have their hair suitably secured. Snood caps and trilby hats are ideal for covering employee’s hair to ensure that it cannot escape and contaminate food, and where necessary you can also use disposable beard masks.

Combined with the right training, these affordable products will help you to ensure that your food preparation tasks are always carried out hygienically and safely.