Disposable dishcloths recommended by HPA
Disposable “dishcloths” such as Tork Premium Specialist Colour-Coded Cloths are being recommended in the food preparation sector by the Health Protection Agency.
This follows a study of 120 UK catering kitchens which showed that 56 per cent of textile dishcloths tested were unacceptable - and that some carried faecal bacteria and listeria.
“Catering staff are becoming increasingly conscious of the need for hand hygiene, but many seem unaware of the problems that a textile dishcloth can pose,” said Mark Riley, of SCA Tissue Europe product and market manager.
“By replacing dishcloths with a disposable alternative such as Tork Premium Specialist Colour-Coded Cloths, catering chiefs can potentially make the food preparation environment much safer.”
HPA researchers who tested 133 dishcloths in restaurant and fast-food kitchens discovered that 86 cloths carried faecal bacteria; 21 harboured E. coli; six were host to Staphylococcus aureus and five carried Listeria.
Disposable cloths were used at only a third of the premises while the remainder used "reusable cloths" - and 15 per cent were unsure as to how often these were changed. The recommended HPA advice for restaurants is to use disposable cloths and change them regularly, and to employ separate cloths for areas where raw meat is processed.
“Tork Premium Specialist Colour-Coded Cloths are ideal for the food environment since it is easy to apportion a different cleaning task to each coloured cloth,” said Mark.
Tork Premium Specialist Colour-Coded Cloths are strong and highly absorbent and have a porous structure which makes them easy to wring out and quick to dry, which is crucial since moisture provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
The cloths, which are 30cm by 38cm and come in packs of 40, have been food contact approved by ISEGA.
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