Homemade Food
Homemade food cannot be served under any circumstance, for fundraising, events or to be given away at events. This applies on and off campus for approved Society events. The difference is when it comes to a cooking class. This is where the food is not being served, but eaten by participants who are making it themselves. All ingredients should be bought from a shop and be at an approved venue/kitchen e.g. The Oaks.
Cooking classes/workshops
These are done on an individual basis, looking at what it involved. Please contact your coordinator about these. You must:
- Display all ingredients and allergens
- Have suitable storage for the food
- Use clean appliances, surfaces and wash hands sufficiently
This should all be listed in your risk assessment. People should eat the food that they make themselves, and if they eat other food they take responsibility for this but it should not be served. Signs should be up during the event stating this.
Decorating classes such as biscuit decorating are fine, as long and ingredients and allergens are shown and on display. These should also be done with shop bought products.
Urns
No electric urns can be used at events, but thermos urns can be purchased and kept by the Society, or these can be hired from Warwick Food and Drink. Kettles cannot be used. All drinks available must be shop bought and not homemade.
Good food hygiene means knowing how to avoid the spread of bacteria when cooking, preparing, and storing food. Foods that are not cooked, stored and handled correctly can cause food poisoning or an allergic reaction.
There are 4 basic steps to food safety at home, these are known as the four C’s:
- cleaning – ensuring your hands, surfaces and equipment are clean before, during and after cooking
- cooking – ensuring sure food is cooked throughout to kill harmful bacteria
- chilling – ensuring foods are stored at the correct temperature to prevent growth of harmful bacteria
- avoiding cross-contamination – preventing the spread of bacteria or allergens to surfaces and ready-to-eat food
There are 4 serious hazards that must be considered
- Microbial (bacterial) hazards
- Allergenic hazards
- Physical hazards
- Chemical hazards
These hazards all have the potential to cause illness, allergic reactions or injury up to death in rare occurrences.
It is critical that any individual or Society preparing food in any environment takes the time properly to read and understand the basic elements essential to mitigate risk of illness or injury.
The following is a non-exhaustive glossary of terms and links that signpost to best practice in order that you and your society can exhibit due diligence and safe food working practices.