ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The cleaning sector in Italy has produced a handbook on hygiene in catering. Anna Garbagna tells us more.

The pandemic continues to be a major challenge and the most affected sectors are now facing a further very difficult test. Among them is catering which, in order to survive, had to adjust to new rules on space management and securing the premises, a task that today more than ever is accomplished through hygiene.

Correct daily cleaning of premises is vital. So industry association Afidamp and Fipe-Confcommercio (Italian Federation of Public Establishments) have produced a handbook to support contractors in the important task of sanitising premises. Available as a printed version and as short videos viewable using a QR code, the handbook contains precise guidelines on how to guarantee cleanliness and safety for customers and employees.

Among the most important guidelines, there is advice on hand sanitising procedures, guidance on the correct use of chemicals and any mechanical support tools and on the washing of cloths that have been used for cleaning. There is advice on delivery, storage and opening of external packaging and also specific recommendations on cleaning objects most exposed to the public such as tables, chairs, menus,etc.

Public buildings must conform to accurate sanitising operations to be performed daily and as correctly as possible and not only in a case of a health emergency like the one in which we are living now. This is why the association is focusing its attention on this particular aspect of the life of the community.

The handbook for sanitisation of dining rooms and kitchens is added to the second edition of  Guida Pratica Pulizia nella Ristorazione (practical guide to cleaning in catering), which was also launched recently and created with the contribution of APCI – Associazione Professionale Cuochi Italiani, OTALL (professional association of Italian chefs); Ordine dei Tecnologi Alimentari Lombardia e Liguria (order of food technologists Lombardy and Liguria); and FCSI Italia – Foodservice Consultant Society International.

Comprehensive

This practical guide is even more comprehensive and detailed, and a further testimony to the commitment which brings Afidamp and FIPE together to support public establishments carrying out their activities in total safety.

This project comes after the merger to create the new Afidamp, a more compact structure representing the professional cleaning sector, from the already existing AFIDAMP, AfidampCOM and AfidampFED. The project was born from a desire to align with the market evolution and the ongoing institutional, social and economic transformations.

The objectives included the enhancement and more effective representation of a sector that has demonstrated its importance at international level. There is also the need for single associations to merge into a wider and organic structure acting as a better vehicle for the values and interests of members. The merger will result in the formation of a single governing council composed of the two components of Afidamp: the manufacturers and the distributors.