Picobelly Hygiene Guidelines

To make everything as clear as possible regarding sanitation, we have set up the Picobelly Hygiene Guidelines. This way if you have any doubts about hygiene matters whatsoever, you are always able to consult these guidelines at any place, any time.

The Picobelly hygiene guidelines are based on guidelines from the “Nederlandse Voedsel-en Warenauthoriteit” (NVWA) and World Health Organizations (who.int).

At Picobelly, we want to ensure that you always enjoy tasty and freshly made meals. The guidelines listed below help you with preparing and buying food properly and safely so that everyone can have an enjoyable and healthy experience on Picobelly.

1. Cooking and Kitchen Guidelines

Personal and kitchen hygiene

  • Wash your hands before handling food and often during food preparation.
  • Wash all germs away by always using soap.
  • Wash your hands after going to the toilet.
  • Wash and sanitize all surfaces and equipment used for food preparation.
  • Protect kitchen areas and food from insects, pests and other animals.
  • Always cover any wounds (especially on your hands) with the appropriate band-aids.
  • Wash your used appliances after using them.
  • Always use a clean kitchen cloth while preparing your meals

Cooking your food properly

  • Cook food thoroughly, especially meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood.
  • Bring foods like soups and stews to boiling to make sure that they have reached 70°C.
  • The inside of warm dishes is required to be heated to at least 75°C.
  • For meat and poultry, make sure that juices are clear, not pink. Ideally, use a thermometer.
  • Reheat cooked food thoroughly.

Separate raw and cooked

  • Separate raw and cooked meat, poultry, and seafood.
  • Meat, fish, and vegetables all need their own cutting boards and kitchen appliances. Make sure to always separate these ingredients while raw.
  • Keep raw fish and raw meat separate from all other ingredients or food to prevent cross-contamination.
  • Store food in containers to avoid contact between raw and prepared foods.

Wash your vegetables

  • We advise you to always wash all the vegetables that you buy, even pre-cut raw vegetables. By washing your vegetables thoroughly with water, you remove germs, dirt, and pesticides.

2. Picobelly Chef Guidelines

2.1. Going Grocery Shopping

Expiration dates

Always check whether the expiration date has been passed. Do not buy or prepare food when the expiration date is overdue.

Store packages

Always check if the ingredients in your shopping cart are still looking fresh. Also, make sure that the food packaging is not damaged.

Frozen and fresh products

  • Carry around cooled or frozen products always in an insulated shopping bag.
  • Frozen ingredients should not be in your shopping cart for a long time. Add frozen ingredients into your shopping cart at the last moment.
  • Put frozen ingredients into an insulated bag or cooling box right after purchase.
  • Always put frozen ingredients straight in the freezer when you arrive home.

2.2. Food Storage

Keep in mind to always check the expiration date. Products which has passed the consumption date should not be used anymore.

Products which have a 'best before' or 'use before' date are safe to be used in your meals, until the stated date. You can find more information about these labels on the website of the “Nederlandse Voedsel-en Warenauthoriteit” (NVWA), which is the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority (https://www.nvwa.nl)

Be aware that expiration dates on food packages are no longer valid after the packaging has been opened.

Whenever you store food in the fridge, make sure that the food is at room temperature or lower. Warm food does not cool off properly in the fridge, which might lead to food poisoning. Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Deep frozen products need to be stored at least at -18°C.

Refrigeration

You should be aware that the temperature in your fridge is not even everywhere. The temperature differs between 0 and 7°C. Meat and fish (raw or cooked) should be stored in the coldest areas (in the back of the fridge). Dairy products should be stored at a temperature of 4-5°C. When you want to defrost frozen food, make sure to defrost it in the fridge. Refrigerate promptly all cooked and perishable food (preferably below 5°C)

2.3. Picobelly Packaging

You should always give your buyers their homemade meals in a properly closed, disposable package. You are required to only use clean packages, which are specially made to contain food.

When you prepare food early in the day, and sell it later the same day or next day, make sure to cool down the meal to a maximum of 10°C within 2 hours, and then to a maximum of 7°C as soon as possible.

You are obliged to tell your buyer whether you have prepared the meal a day in advance before selling it. This way, the buyer knows that he or she cannot keep the meal as long as usual.

Portion size

Bear in mind that every meal should contain enough food for one buyer. The buyer should not be hungry anymore after eating your delicious meal! The portion should be reasonable; the price for the ingredients (and effort) you use.

Pictures

Please take into account that you can upload pictures that resemble the actual meal (or at least as closely as possible).

2.4. Allergens

Buyers may be allergic to certain types of food. Of course, it is also the responsibility of the buyer to inform you of any allergies he/she might have. You should be extra careful with the 14 most common allergens:

Be aware that your buyers might be allergic to certain types of food. Be extra careful with the following 14 most common allergens:

  1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridized strains, and products thereof
  2. Crustaceans and products thereof
  3. Eggs and products thereof
  4. Fish and products thereof
  5. Peanuts and products thereof
  6. Soybeans and products thereof, except:
  7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose)
  8. Nuts
  9. Celery and products thereof
  10. Mustard and products thereof
  11. Sesame seeds and products thereof
  12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
  13. Lupin and products thereof
  14. Molluscs and products thereof

A small trace of the above mentioned substances can cause a reaction to who is allergic. You should be aware of the types of allergens you are using, while also communicating this to your customers. For extra safety measures, be sure to ask your buyer whether he/she is allergic to anything.

Contact details

Email: info@picobelly.com