The National Restaurant Association has released new guidelines on how to reopen operations, providing a basic summary of suggested practices that can be employed to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The guidance focuses on food safety, cleaning, sanitising, employee health monitoring, personal hygiene and social distancing.
In collaboration with representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), academia, the Conference for Food Protection, Ecolab, public health officials and industry representatives, the association prepared a list of ideas.
The document consists of recently released FDA best methods for retail food stores, restaurants and food pick-up / delivery services during the Covid-19 crisis.
National Restaurant Association training and certification executive vice-president Sherman Brown said: “By combining this guidance with a restaurant’s existing policies gleaned from the FDA Food Code, ServSafe training and recommendations from local health officials, they can help secure a safe opening.
“Adding to current best practices is an approachable way for owners and managers to put the modified protocols into practice as state and local officials begin to open communities.”
Furthermore, the document has recommended restaurant operators to update their current policies and operating procedures in accordance with the latest FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance and in accordance with local and state officials.
Established in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the business association for the restaurant industry, which includes one million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.6 million employees.
