Premium on Safety - Issue 37, 2020 - 8

BEST PRACTICES
Restaurant and Third-Party Delivery Services
Now you may say, "I will order from the best restaurant in
town with the best food safety record." That is much safer
than bringing food in from a home kitchen, but there are still
huge risks. Most restaurants must give you the food hot (above
135°F/57°C), depending on the item. This is what is referred to
as the "cook/serve" process that satisfies their safety system.
Using this method, they have cooked to the proper temperature
for the majority of bacteria to be killed before serving it to
diners on site.
They assume you will be eating it right away, but what do we
do? We risk cross-contamination by putting it in a car, bringing
it on the airplane, and worse, serving it hours later. If you stop
to think about it, the food has been transported in an unknown
environment for an unknown period of time. All the while, the
food spends time in the danger temperature zone, growing
more and more bacteria by the minute.
Having a third party deliver the food for you brings risks of its
own as well. Companies like DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEATS
do provide a wonderful service. But your food may be arriving
in their personal vehicle with personal belongings, pet residue,
or worse. Each vehicle and each person handling the food has
added their own personal bacteria to the catering.
Private Aviation Caterers
The best choice is to order from an aviation caterer. Private
aviation caterers have the means to cook food properly as well
as cool food properly using blast chillers in a "cook/chill" facility
purpose-built to prepare foods that will be eaten at a later time.
Employees are trained in food safety, allergies, and proper cooking
techniques to keep the food safe, and packaging reduces the risk

Private aviation caterers have the means
to cook food properly as well as cool food
properly using blast chillers.
of cross-contamination for you as well as takes on the liability
for you. Caterers are inspected by local health departments and
by the Food and Drug Administration to further the food safety
practices in their facilities.
Aviation catering is always delivered below 40°F/4.5°C to
ensure the limit of bacteria growth. Martin Herschel, owner
of Carlos Catering, with locations throughout Germany, notes
that "Private aviation caterers in Europe always deliver food in
refrigerated vehicles directly to the aircraft. This is the only way
to ensure that the food is well-chilled and that there is no risk of
bacteria for the passengers."
All private aviation caterers interviewed for this article have
made adjustments during this pandemic. Amanda Kraft and Eric
Posey, owners of Tastefully Yours Catering in Atlanta, Georgia,
have increased their sanitizing practices to include sanitizing all

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Premium on Safety - Issue 37, 2020

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