 As winter approaches and foodservice operators try to keep seasonal illnesses at bay, good sanitation becomes especially important. Foodservice technology needs the same rigorous sanitation as prep surfaces – and there is an ever-growing list of it to manage. Point-of-sale systems, tablets, service robots, smart kitchen appliances, digital displays and touchpads, thermometers, automated dispensers, portable barcode scanners and other communication devices can all harbor germs.
The FDA emphasizes that shared electronics should be cleaned with EPA-approved disinfectants effective against norovirus and other foodborne microbes. It’s a good time to ensure your cleaning protocols include the sanitizing of shared screens and tools – using the methods and frequency recommended by the manufacturer. Incorporating reminders into regular staff training can help ensure that these tools remain both sanitary and fully operational as you head into the holiday season.  Norovirus remains the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in long-term care, and seniors face disproportionate risks. The CDC reports that adults over 65 are more likely than younger populations to experience severe dehydration and hospitalization from norovirus. Outbreaks often begin in foodservice, with virus particles surviving on surfaces for weeks and resisting many common disinfectants.
While norovirus can occur year-round, most outbreaks and infections are reported in the winter months, so now is a good time to strengthen facilities against the risks. Preparation means reinforcing back-of-house hygiene: strict glove changes between raw and ready-to-eat foods, proper handwashing (20 seconds with soap and water), and sanitizing high-touch surfaces with EPA-approved agents effective against norovirus. Train staff to stay home for at least 48 hours after symptoms resolve. Some modified COVID-era approaches can be useful here too. At the front of the house, consider staggered dining, expanded room service deliveries, and in-room heat-and-serve options during peak outbreak periods to limit exposure. Proactive measures not only protect residents ’health but also safeguard your community’s reputation — and in many states, your regulatory standing too.  For people who are new to foodservice work, the terms cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting can sound almost interchangeable. But knowing the difference between them – and which to do where and when – plays a key role in preventing contamination and foodborne illness. It can also ensure your business complies with health codes during its next inspection. Is your team clear about the distinctions?
Cleaning is the first step. Using soap or detergent and water, it removes visible dirt, grease and food particles from floors, walls, equipment exteriors and non-food contact surfaces. This process makes surfaces look tidy but does not eliminate bacteria or viruses. Sanitizing follows cleaning for food-contact surfaces like prep tables, cutting boards and utensils. Using food-safe chemical sanitizers or heat, this process reduces bacteria to safe levels, preventing cross-contamination. Items should always be cleaned before sanitizing. Disinfecting is needed for high-touch, non-food areas such as restrooms, garbage bins, doorknobs and employee break rooms. Disinfectants kill most bacteria and viruses but are typically too strong for food-contact surfaces and shouldn’t be used on them. To maintain food safety, clean first, then sanitize or disinfect where needed using clearly labeled solutions.  Foodborne illness can be especially harmful to older adults. According to Foodsafety.gov, adults aged 65 and older are more likely to be hospitalized or to die from foodborne illness. In fact, more than half of Listeria infections occur in this age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The body’s immune response to disease becomes weaker with age, which makes it especially important to take good care when cleaning certain areas of the kitchen if you’re serving people in this demographic. Here are a few key hotspots that can be breeding ground for bacteria and mold if not managed carefully: Equipment that traps moisture – including ice machines, beverage dispensers, and refrigerator and freezer gaskets – can harbor bacteria and mold. Other areas where water and food particles are apt to collect, like floor drains and sinks, are culprits too. Regular scrubbing and maintenance to prevent clogs can help ensure these areas don’t trap food or liquid that can harbor pathogens. Cutting boards and prep surfaces can collect bacteria, particularly in cracks or cuts. In addition to cleaning and sanitizing them after use, these items should be replaced when damaged. Finally, ventilation hoods and grease traps can encourage mold growth through the accumulation of grease and moisture. These areas need frequent deep cleaning to maintain a safe kitchen environment.
 Making tasks around your business easier, faster and simpler carries a lot of weight when it comes to retaining staff and ensuring your training procedures stick with them. It can also reduce your food safety risk – no technology required. For example, the conventional rag-and-bucket approach to cleaning and sanitizing is prone to human error and cross-contamination because of the complex and time-consuming steps involved in preparing the solution, as a recent report from QSR Web explains. If you have workers who speak English as a second language or are just joining your team, it’s that much easier for mistakes to happen. If this is a bottleneck for you, could single-use sanitizing wipes help relieve pressure during especially busy periods – or on days when your staff is stretched thin? Where could the introduction of new tools or procedures save your staff time or make cleaning tasks easier? Monitor where your staff has to spend time – and what jobs consume the most of it. Using dispensers that minimize waste, posting checklists of necessary tasks in handy locations, and making it possible for staff to reach cleaning wipes or other supplies with one hand may sound like tiny changes, but they might help you make incremental improvements to your restaurant’s overall hygiene.
 Despite the rise in real-time, tech-based controls designed to help businesses monitor foodborne illness risks, outbreaks continue to be an issue for foodservice operations. The CDC recorded 519 norovirus outbreaks between August 2023 and January of this year, a sharp rise from the previous year’s numbers, and Salmonella has impacted people across 32 states in recent months. On top of food safety technology that helps foodservice operations monitor protocols and stay alert to problems, old-fashioned food safety practices are just as important. A Food Safety Tech report says this should include thorough, frequent handwashing; proper hand hygiene prior to handling food; and the use of alcohol-based sanitizer as an added precaution – not a substitute – for handwashing. It’s also important to clean and sanitize high-touch surfaces and equipment regularly – and wash and sanitize produce to eliminate contaminants (the recent Salmonella outbreak was linked to cantaloupe and pre-cut fruit products). The report also advises careful handling and proper cooking of seafood, particularly shellfish, and having an employee policy with clear guidelines for managing staff illness, especially regarding when it’s important to avoid handling food or reporting to work.
 Root vegetable season is here – and while the colors, flavors and nutrient content of this produce can elevate your fall and winter menus, these items also require some extra care to protect food safety. Most of the bacteria on produce comes from the soil that remains on their surface, so root vegetables need attention here. Even if you will be peeling and cooking these items, they need to be cleaned thoroughly first. Shortly before preparing root vegetables, remove any soil, then scrub them with fresh water to dislodge pathogens that may have accumulated in the vegetable’s crevices. You may want to use an additional cleaning solution for vegetables as an extra precaution.
 Restaurants are having to juggle tasks with smaller crews, so it might be easier to overlook tasks that aren’t exactly urgent but can still pose problems when not completed promptly. One example of this is the residue that can build up on your equipment – slime that accumulates on soda fountain nozzles and ice bins, grease in grease traps, and food particles that aren’t swept up can contaminate food, create fire hazards and attract pests. Are there areas of your operation that aren’t getting cleaned as well as they could? If so, make sure everyone is clear about how to complete these tasks – if they are on your schedule but not being completed effectively, some training may help.
 Before cooler temperatures encourage rodents and other pests to seek shelter in your restaurant kitchen, your staff can help you make your business a less hospitable place for them. Consider the perimeter of your property: Beyond repair work being done on your building to seal cracks and close other potential entry points, incentivize your waitstaff to keep pests at bay. They can be your eyes and ears around your restaurant, ensuring your outdoor seating areas are cleaned regularly, clearing finished dishes and cutlery promptly, wiping up spills, and identifying possible infestations for you before they become larger problems.
 Your cutting boards can be sources of contamination if they’re not cleaned and sanitized thoroughly – and according to the material they are made from. Broadly, you need to ensure the boards are scraped free of food particles, washed with warm, soapy water, rinsed, sanitized and then dried – either with a clean cloth or air-dried. The sanitizing step differs by the material of your board. For glass, plastic and stainless steel boards, State Food Safety advises sanitizing in the dishwasher or with an FDA-approved sanitizer for food contact surfaces. Marble boards should be sanitized by hand in a chlorine solution, while wooden boards are best sanitized in a quaternary ammonium-based sanitizer.
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