By Lee Davis, CFSP
The year is coming to an end, but Rubbermaid Commercial Products is already looking forward to a safer and more prosperous new year with the launch of their Color-Coded Foodservice System. Cross contamination is a significant food safety issue that can impact both patrons and business operators. One of the best ways to avoid cross contamination is by using color-coded utensils for food handling and color-coded containers for food storage.
Rubbermaid’s new line of color-coded products offers a seven-color solution, with utensils, containers, and lids coded in red, green, yellow, tan, blue, white or purple. Rubbermaid recommends the color-coding assignments pictured to the right, but operators may decide on alternative systems. Red is perfect for red meats, but in a pizza restaurant, for example, the owner may assign red for tomatoes and tomato products, reserving a different color for toppings such as sausage and pepperoni.
Rubbermaid’s spatulas are NSF certified, commercial dishwasher safe, and available in 9.5” or 13.5” lengths. They are rated for high heat with a Clean-Rest™ feature that prevents the blade from touching the counter when laid down. Rubbermaid tongs are 12” in length and manufactured from 22 gauge stainless steel. They have rubber grips and are also commercial dishwasher safe.
Rubbermaid cutting boards are 15”x 20”x 0.5”. They are made of durable high density polyethylene. They are NSF certified, resist stains, maintain their shape and feature a hanging hole for easy drying. Stainless steel racks are available to organize and air-dry cutting boards while avoiding contact between the surfaces.
Rubbermaid offers both square poly-carbonate and round polyethylene food containers in 4qt., 8qt., and 12qt. sizes. All feature easy to read measurement graduations. Unlike many other brands, Rubbermaid applies a color-coded stamp to each container. This helps operators keep matching containers and lids together, further discouraging cross contamination. Square containers feature durable handles and round containers are stack-able.
If you’ve already implemented a color-coding system in your operation, then Rubbermaid has all the products you need to expand and improve your system. If you haven’t, then Rubbermaid makes it easy to get started with their color-coded kits. Kits feature a selection of containers, spatulas, cutting boards, and tongs with an implementation guide and poster to train employees. You can purchase a kit in one color, three colors, five colors or all seven colors. You can also purchase a separate kit that features only the cutting boards, in seven different colors.
Ring in the new year with a Rubbermaid Commercial Products Color-Coded Foodservice System. Click here for more information.
