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KITCHEN SAFETY GUIDELINES

March, 2020

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OUR GOAL

Given the developing COVID-19 situation, we have developed some guidelines in consideration of general health and safety of our sangat and sevadaars. The content in this deck is based on the FDA Food Code.

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Our primary goal is to educate you on how to safely handle and serve food in the langar areas or community kitchens such as langar halls to minimize the risk of contamination as we continue to monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation carefully.

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It is crucial to continue to follow food safety standards and personal hygiene practices diligently and sanitize spaces such as langar halls, diwaans regularly to help maintain a safe environment for yourself and others.

STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK

We all play a role in keeping ourselves, our families, and our sangat safe and healthy. Please familiarize yourself with important tips on how to prevent contamination in community kitchen, diwaans and langar halls.

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• Stay at home if you are sick or have concerns that you have been exposed to COVID-19.
• Do not prepare food or engage in any onsite seva if you are not feeling well or have cough, fever or any other symptoms of concern.

PERSONAL HYGIENE & HANDWASHING

• Personal hygiene is key. Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds particularly after using the restroom and before touching any food.
• Hand sanitizer and gloves are not a substitute for washing hands.
• Wash hands before handling food, after touching a body part or after coming in contact with anything unsanitary such as garbage, dirty dishes, or caring for a sick person, etc.
• Cover your nose and mouth with clean Hazooria (parna) or mask, while serving parshad or langar.

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NO BARE HAND CONTACT WITH FOOD

• Do not touch any ready to eat food items such as rotis, chawal, parshad, daal, sabji, cut fruits, etc. with bare hands as the germs from your hands can pass on to the food and can make people sick.
• Always use a barrier between your hands and food. If possible
• You can wear single use food grade disposable gloves (change gloves when switching tasks or after touching something unsanitary) or can use a clean utensil such as a pair of tongs before touching ready to eat foods.

CLEANING & SANITATION

• Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces before and after food prep.
• Use disinfectants to wipe all high touch points such as door knobs, handles, counter tops, etc.
• Always wash, rinse and sanitize all utensils and equipments properly.
• Allow clean utensils to air dry.

TIME & TEMPERATURE CONTROL

• Do not leave food unattended at room temperature. Defrost them in the refrigerator.
• Cook plant based foods such as daals and subzis to at least 135 ℉ or 57 ℃ .
• Keep hot foods hot (above 141 ℉ or 60 degrees C) and cold foods cold (below 41 ℉ or 5 ℃ ).
• Reheat foods to at least 165 ℉or 73 ℃ .

℉ = Farenheit

℃ = Celsius

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES

Although specifics vary based on local risk level, consider the following:

• Providing pre-packaged boxed meals.
• Offering single serve individually wrapped plastic wares (disposable spoons, etc).
• Providing bottled beverages such as bottled water, canned juices.
• Changing from a self serve (buffet) format to meals that are served by dedicated sevadaars or staff members only.
• Increase cleaning frequency of common areas to at least every 4 hours.
• Encourage delivery drivers and sewadars to keep a distance of six feet or two meters from others.
• Wash all fruits and vegetables before storing and use. Disinfect all packaging before bringing it inside or remove food from packaging to bring inside. �We need to work together to ensure we protect each other and our community.

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FOOD DELIVERY & TRANSPORTATION

March, 2020

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FOOD DELIVERY AND TRANSPORTATION

Food delivery is a great form of seva to help those that are in need during physical distancing.

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It is important to keep food protected during transportation so as to maintain it pure and free from adulteration, spoilage and contamination due to time and temperature abuse, cross-contamination, allergen cross-contact, etc.

FOOD DELIVERY AND TRANSPORTATION

• Always deliver food in clean vehicles. No pets or sick individuals allowed on the delivery vehicle.
• All drivers must maintain good personal hygiene and should not engage in eating/drinking to prevent contamination due to accidental spillage of beverages and/or due to saliva.
• Do contactless delivery. Instead of handing off the food delivery in person, just drop off supplies at the doorsteps or porch so the receiver can grab it themselves.
• Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after touching the packaging and before eating because the virus can live on surfaces that people touch.

FOOD DELIVERY AND TRANSPORTATION

• Deliver temperature sensitive cold food items such as milk, yogurt, at a temperature below 41 ℉ or 5 ℃.
• Deliver hot foods such as cooked grains like rice and daal, etc. above 141 ℉ or 60 ℃.
• Keep all food items covered and protected in proper containers with tight fitting lids or other alternate means to prevent the risk of contamination during transportation.
• Handle foods containing allergenic ingredients with 100% care. Store them in a manner to prevent allergen cross-contact as there is a likelihood of leakage, spills outs or breakage, etc.

℉ = Farenheit

℃ = Celcius

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CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH COVID-19

March, 2020

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IF YOU ARE CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH COVID-19

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• If you are caring for someone who is sick due to COVID-19, that person should wear a facemask. If they are not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then assign the sick individual to a separate room.
• When caregivers enter the room of the sick person, they should wear a facemask and gloves to protect themselves from exposure.
• Avoid sharing personal items and food, drinks, etc. with others.
• Provide separate eating utensils (preferably disposable), towels, and bedding to the sick person.
• Wash the items used by the sick individual separately with soap and water and/or in a separate load for proper cleaning and sanitation.
• Clean their room and bathroom, as needed, to avoid unnecessary contact.

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IF YOU ARE CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH COVID-19

• Always wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after cleaning.
• If you are sharing spaces/bathroom with a sick person, you should wear gloves and disinfect door knobs, light switches, faucets, toilets and any other high-touch areas the patient has used with the disinfectant wipes.
• CDC’s guidelines on cleaning and disinfecting a home shared with someone with a suspected case of the coronavirus.
• If one person is infected or suspects they have the coronavirus, the sick person should isolate and the whole household should quarantine in the home for 14 days, according to public health officials. If you don’t have a confirmed test, but the family member is exhibiting all of the symptoms of the virus, you should probably err on the side of caution and stay quarantined.

RECOMMENDED TRAININGS & RESOURCES

Food Safety Training Requirements

• It is recommended that there’s at least one Certified Food Safety Manager in the Gurdwara kitchen. The certified person can be the cook or any employee responsible for safe food handling and who may insure that other sevadars use proper food handling techniques.
• All regular sevadars involved in the preparation, storage or service of food in a langar hall must obtain a Food Handlers Card.

Additional guidance can be obtained from the following:

• Santa Clara County
• San Francisco County Department of Public Health
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The content in this deck is compiled by Ashmeet Kaur who specializes in Global Food Safety, Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance. Ashmeet has a Master’s Degree in Nutritional Science and is a Certified Professional in Food safety through the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA).

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This educational information is being shared out of concern for the sangat and is a coordinated effort based on reputable sources and advice from numerous Sikh community and other professionals as well as community-based organizations. Special shout out to the following collaborators for their time and expertise in preparing this deck.

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• Amardeep S Purewal, Security Engineer
• Angad Singh, Student, Evergreen School District
• Ashween Sahni, OTR/L
• Avval Zameer Kaur, Student, UCLA

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Amritsar Medical and Dental Association of North America (AMDANA), Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI), Guru Nanak Free Medical Clinic, IkOnkar Bridges, Joy of Sewa, North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association (NASMDA), Sahaita, Sikh Family Center (SFC), Sikh Healthcare Team Collaborative, Sikh Spirit Alliance, Sikhs for Humanity, UNITED SIKHS

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This is not medical advice. If you need medical advice or information, please contact your primary health care professional. We encourage you to get the most current information from reputable sources like the FDA, the CDC and the WHO. �If you have any questions or want to share feedback, please contact us at VirsaCollaborative@gmail.com

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• Dr. Jot Preet Sahi, MD
• Jaspreet Birk, RN,MSN
• Parminder Singh Soch, Linguist
• Stephanie Szeto CIPHI(C)

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Disclaimer and Acknowledgement

• Dr. Birinder Narang, MBBS, CCFP
• Dr. Gurpreet K. Padam, MD, FAAFP
• Dr. Harkesh Sandhu, MD
• Dr. Jasneet Kaur, MD

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THANK YOU!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

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