Whether you work in a restaurant, in a catering laboratory or even in a collective kitchen, it is crucial to properly structure the space in a professional kitchen to maintain food safety. The establishment of the Walk forward in the kitchen is essential for that. This strategy, taught during the HACCP training, aims to improve hygiene standards in the catering sector. It organizes the workflow and the layout of spaces to avoid contact between contaminated utensils or food and fresh products or products ready to be served. But what exactly is forward thinking? How is this principle linked to the HACCP method? Or how to apply it in food establishments? Find all the answers to your questions in this guide.
La Step forward in restoration represents a qualitative approach aimed at preventing hygiene risks. It consists of an optimal organization of places and work processes, ensuring that clean products and contaminated products never meet to avoid cross-contamination. This contamination, resulting from the transfer of microorganisms from infected foods to healthy foods, can occur during storage or preparation.
European legislation, in particular the Regulation (EC) 852/2004, requires managers of professional kitchens in food establishments to adopt a Health control plan to prevent food-related health risks. This plan includes HACCP method, which is used to identify and manage potential risks, whether chemical, biological or physical, by following 7 principles and 12 steps for rigorous hazard analysis and the development of appropriate responses. So, the Principle of forward movement is at the heart of this method. Indeed, this regulation imposes a spatial and functional organization of kitchens that favors maintenance and cleaning. He also emphasizes the need to clearly distinguish between “clean” and “dirty” preparation areas, whether for food or equipment. This is intended to ensure optimal hygiene and to prevent contamination between raw and cooked foods. In practice, this means that every step, from receiving the ingredients to the delivery of the ready meals, must follow a clear order. For example, it is forbidden to cross the washing area before serving a dish. Likewise, dirty dishes should never touch surfaces where fresh food is prepared. Clean foods, utensils, or surfaces should therefore be avoided from touching dirty items. The aim of this method is to maintain perfect hygiene at all stages. This goes from the arrival of the ingredients to their storage after preparation. In this way, the health of the people who eat these dishes is protected.
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The principle of walking forward in a kitchen means organizing space so that clean food never crosses the path of dirty food, thus ensuring a constant flow in the preparation of dishes. This method requires a specific layout and is easier to apply when creating a kitchen from scratch. This is easy to follow in theory, but sometimes complicated to implement, as it requires rethinking all the space to respect this rule.
When the spatial constraints of kitchens, often encountered by artisans, prevent the application of Walk forward traditional in space, adaptation over time becomes necessary. This approach does not depend on the physical structure of the kitchen, but on the organization of tasks. In the method of Walk forward in time, there is a “temporal” rather than “spatial” separation of activities that involve foods at different levels of cleanliness. So you can use the same workbench for “clean” and “dirty” tasks. The only condition is that thorough cleaning and disinfection is required between each change of activity. For example, it is possible to first prepare vegetables on a plane and then, after thorough cleaning, use the same space to concoct a sauce. This organization requires that operations be carried out sequentially. This will prevent two people simultaneously handling products at different stages of cleanliness in the same space. This rigor guarantees the maintenance of hygiene and food safety standards in professional kitchens, thus ensuring the health protection of prepared foods.
The concept of walking forward is to effectively organize staff and food to minimize the risk of contamination in professional kitchens. This principle is therefore essential for all catering sectors and ensures the safety of all food served.
When talking about the clean area of a restaurant kitchen, this includes:
On the other hand, the contaminated area of a professional kitchen aims to:
To prevent clean and dirty items from crossing paths in the kitchen, follow these steps:1. Reception area : the products arrive at a dedicated point where their packaging is removed and disposed of.2. Storage space : it is essential to distinguish between products that require washing and those that are already clean. For example, it is essential to store fruits and vegetables that require washing on one side of the kitchen. On the other hand, store products that are already clean or unpacked, such as butter, meat, and other packaged items of animal origin, including prepared creams and sauces. 3. Preparation area : here, the food is processed, whether cut or mixed. This zone can be divided according to the types of activities. After preparation, you can consider all foods clean.4. Cooking zone : this is where the prepared foods are cooked.5. Cleaning area : this area is intended for washing dishes and utensils. As it is susceptible to contamination, it should be located away from preparation and cooking areas to prevent cross-contamination.6. Conservation space : prepared meals are kept here waiting to be served or delivered.7. Distribution : the dishes are finally served at the tables, delivered directly to customers or sent for delivery.
