According to the spreading characteristics of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia epidemic, the catering segment is an important part of epidemic prevention and control, which is of great significance for the prevention and control of the epidemic. Recently, the Guangdong Administration For Market Regulation organized experts in food and disease prevention and control to compile the “Guidelines for Novel Coronavirus infected pneumonia epidemic prevention and control in catering service industry in Guangdong province”, giving scientific guidelines from the aspects of food raw materials, requirements for practitioners, operating practices, cleaning and disinfection of places, management and control of people gathering and dinners,etc. To sum up, the content of the Guidelines is to do a good job of the “five musts”: purchase of food materials "must be inspected", practitioners "must be subject to a health examination", cleaning and disinfection "must be conducted", people gathering "must be controlled", operating practices "must be performed", which consists of 16 articles.
On January 28, 2020, the Guidelines was officially released to the society, requiring all catering service units in Guangdong province to strictly implement them. If you find that a catering service unit does not follow the Guidelines, you can call 12315 and 12345 hotline at any time to report. The content of the Guidelines is as follows:
(I) It is prohibited to operate or store wild animals or wild animal products.
(II) Purchase, breeding and on-site slaughtering of live livestock and poultry animals are not be allowed.
(III) Do a good job in asking for certificate and invoice of meat and meat products to ensure the traceability of meat sources. In particular, the inspection of the “two certificates and one report” of pork shall be strengthened. It is strictly prohibited to purchase and use the meat and meat products of livestock and poultry animals that died of diseases, poisoning or any other unknown causes.
(IV) Catering service operating units shall conduct morning inspections of employees (inspect before each meal if necessary), keep records and filing. In case of finding any on-the-job employees with fever (above 37.3 ℃), cold, cough symptom, and respiratory infections, they shall be immediately stopped working and urged to see a doctor promptly. Also, they shall not be allowed to return to their work until they are diagnosed with a non-2019-nCoV infection by the hospital.
(V) All on-the-job employees shall wear masks and replace the masks in a timely manner according to regulations.
(VI) Practitioners shall try to avoid close contact with those who have symptoms of respiratory diseases, and avoid contact with wild animals, farmed or diseased livestock and poultry animals.
(VII) Practitioners shall wash their hands with running water and liquid soap by following a six-step hand-washing method before preparing foods, after processing raw or cooked foods, before meals and after using the toilet, and after contacting with wastes. The hands shall be rubbed for not less than 15 s. Practitioners shall remind diners to wash their hands before dining.
(VIII) The work of the staff from Wuhan City shall be suspended and assistance shall be provided to send them to the community workstation where they live (locate in) to complete the registration of information, accept the management of the community workstation, and take temperatures in the morning and evening. They are allowed to return to their work after 14 days of self-isolation and observed health.
(IX) Food processing and manufacturing shall comply with the “Food safety operating practices in food services”. It shall be ensured that the dishes are strictly cleaned and disinfected before use. For the cleaning and disinfection of dishes, please refer to the “Recommended method for cleaning and disinfection of dishes”.
(X) The dining places, clean-keeping facilities, personnel passages, elevator rooms, and washrooms shall be disinfected every day. The washrooms shall be equipped with hand-washing faucets, liquid soap, and disinfectant, etc.
(XI) Good air circulation shall be maintained in processing and dining places. The air filtering apparatus shall be cleaned and disinfected regularly.
(XII) Operating units that provide online meal ordering and delivery services shall clean and disinfect the incubators, logistics vehicles and logistics turnover tools for delivery of meals every day.
(XIII) If there is a restaurant where suspected cases or confirmed cases have dined recently, terminal disinfection shall be carried out (a thorough disinfection of the epidemic spot after the source of infection leaves the epidemic spot or the state of infection is terminated due to hospitalization, transfer or death).
(XIV) Increase the awareness of the situation of epidemic prevention and control, cooperate with the government to enhance the interpretation and promotion of relevant policies and regulations, scientific knowledge, and prevention and control measures for epidemic prevention and control, and strengthen the publicity of epidemic prevention and control in restaurants, such as posting signs for prohibiting to receive large-scale dinner activities, etc.
(XV) Catering service operating units are prohibited from receiving large-scale dinner activities until the epidemic prevention and control is lifted.
(XVI) Conditional catering service operating units shall have corresponding temperature measuring devices to detect and remind consumers of fever symptoms. If consumers are found to have respiratory infection symptoms such as fever, cold, cough, etc. at the dining place, they shall be actively advised to leave and reminded to go to the hospital promptly.
Please note: Original English article of Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate, please indicate the source from the Global Foodmate if reprint.
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