Crisis at Canoe: Business Communications Assignments - Assignment Example

Topic: CANOE CRISIS Introduction I am the manager of Aqua restaurant in southern California which is one of the best restaurants in the city. I have worked in the restaurant for quite some time and I ensure that it maintains high standards as per the Los Angeles County restaurant grading. With respect to this, our restaurant has maintained a grade “A” due to the compliance with the rules. I am conversant with all the health and administration requirements of restaurants. With this regard, the report I am writing is as per the requirements of LA County’s food regulations.

I have thoroughly inspected Canoe restaurant and in this report, I have written everything as required by the LA food storage, handling, and preparation regulations. Food handlingThe first thing in any food handling premises is its cleanliness right from the equipment to the staff themselves. Handling food should be is such a way that the food will not be contaminated. When I first entered the restaurant I noticed that the kitchen had a thermometer as required. It is important for the kitchen to have a thermometer so that the temperatures can be known any time as required.

The staffs were in their right uniforms which were clean. The chef and the assistant chef had their gloves but were not wearing hair nets as required. It is required that whenever handling food such as raw poultry which is potentially harmful, one should clean and sanitize the equipment. I realized that the assistant chef used the same instrument she was using to chop beef into cubes to chop chicken. She did not clean nor did she sanitize the equipment before using it on chicken. Food storageProper food storage avoids contamination and keeps the food fresh for a longer time.

In this case the temperature of the stored food is the most important factor. Also, the place of storing has to be clean. The temperature of food should always be kept out of the range where bacteria in food thrive and multiply rapidly. This range of temperature is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The freezer and the refrigerator were well organized and clean as they should be. The items in those storage equipment were well kept and all were in sealed containers. However, it was not possible to tell what was contained in each container as they were not labeled.

The rules say that these containers should be well labeled for easy identification and to avoid confusion. The labels, which were lacking, also show the dates which the items were received. This is important, for example, in that it is possible to know which items have overstayed beyond the appropriate period. The rules are that freezers and refrigerators should have thermometers so that their temperatures can easily be known. Daily products, all meats, vegetables, and seafood should be refrigerated to avoid contamination.

The temperatures in the refrigerator should have to be kept below 38 degrees Fahrenheit. In the freezers, the temperature must be kept below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Those equipment were lacking thermometers therefore it was not possible to establish the exact temperatures. Without a thermometer these equipment cannot be considered functional. If it is not working one cannot know. This can cause food contamination which is risky to the consumers. In the dry storage room, things were in order as they should be.

The room was clean and every item was neatly kept, labeled and dated. As stated earlier, items should be well labeled and the date when they were received should be indicated. The room also had a thermometer whose reading was 66 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature for a dry storage room should always be kept between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This unit was therefore in the correct range of temperature. At this temperature, the food stuffs are always dry and they are protected from decomposing due to lack of moisture.

Absence of a thermometer in this unit would mean that it would not be possible to determine the temperature at a glance. The hygrometer was also present in the dry storage room as required. This instrument is used to measure relative humidity in the unit. For a dry storage room, relative humidity should be kept between 50 and 60 percent. At this humidity there would be no growth of bacteria. This unit had a relative humidity of 55% which was within the required range. At this temperature and relative humidity, the foods kept are safe.

It prevents possible rusting of cans and bacterial growth. Rusts of cans can be fatal to the health of consumers. Rusting is caused by presence of moisture. This rust contaminates the food and it should therefore be prevented whatsoever. This is best done by maintaining the correct temperature and relative humidity which was the case with Canoe restaurant.Food preparation Preparation of food goes hand in hand with food handling. This therefore calls for high levels of stuff hygiene and general cleanliness.

As I had mentioned earlier, members of staff should be in their correct attire during food preparation. They should be wearing their uniforms, gloves, and hairnets. Hairnets are very important during preparation of food. They prevent hairs from falling into the food and therefore prevent contamination. The chef and his assistant were in their uniforms and gloves, however, they lacked hairnets. When preparing frozen food, it may be prepared in its frozen state or can be first refrigerated for up to two hours at temperatures of 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

One can also thaw the frozen food under water which is running and at temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below. I noticed that that a turkey that I had found on the counter four hours earlier was still lying on the counter. The turkey was a little less frozen due to the temperature in the kitchen. Foods should only be taken from the freezer when they are ready to be prepared. Letting the food stay out of the freezer for many hours will allow the activity of bacteria to occur thus they will multiply.

ReferencesElizabeth M. Williams, S. J. (2010). The A-Z Encyclopedia of Food Controversies and the Law, Volume 1. Los Angeles: ABC-CLIO,.Law, C. O. (2005). Barclays official California code of regulations. Los Angeles: Barclays Law Publishers.Law, C. O. (1999). California Regulatory Notice Register. Los Angeles: Office of Administrative Law.