Hygiene guidelines for Food delivery and take away
The below information is also available as a PDF download; print it out and put it up in your kitchen to aid staff training and keep hygiene top of mind.
General guidance for contactless food delivery and takeaway
- No orders should be taken in person on the premises – only online or by telephone.
- A contact-free collection zone to be set up by the restaurant, separate from the kitchen, with no contact between the persons preparing the meal and the delivery person.
- Use staggered collection times – no customers should enter until their order is ready.
- Customers whose orders are ready should enter one at a time to collect their order and make contactless payments if possible.
- Discourage crowding outside the premises and use queue management systems with 2 metres separation.
Instructions for restaurant staff
- All staff to follow the basic protective measures (including frequent hand washing for 20 seconds, maintaining 2 metre social distancing and greeting without touching).
- Any food handler who is unwell should not be at work. If they have any symptoms, they should follow government advice and stay at home.
- The containers and bags containing the meals must be properly closed.
- The delivery person deposits his open bag and the restaurant staff places the meal directly in the bag.
- Particular attention should be paid to cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces and utensils in contact with food.
Additional instructions for delivery persons
- When waiting in front of the restaurant, the delivery person should ensure that social distance of at least 2 metres is respected.
- The delivery person warns the customer of his / her arrival and leaves immediately or keeps a minimum distance of 2 metres from the door, before the door is opened by the customer.
- The delivery equipment must be regularly cleaned, particularly the areas in contact with hands, by using disinfectant wipes or a cloth and a cleaning / disinfection product.
In addition, consider how you communicate your food safety and hygiene practices to your customers to give them reassurance. This could be via social media, your website, or even slips contained within delivery packages.
Regular hand washing is the simplest and most effective way of preventing the spread of infections. In addition to washing hands, it is essential for any customer-serving business to regularly wipe down and disinfect areas which are touched frequently such as service counters, cash registers, door handles, light switches, remote controls and other high frequency touch points.
