Using Restaurant Equipment Verification to Ensure Safe and Quality Food

The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan ensures food facilities, including restaurants, maintain hazard controls.¹Equipment verification is an essential component of HACCP that ensures equipment is functional and safe to mitigate food safety risks, such as physical or chemical contamination. The ultimate goal of the verification is to demonstrate the production of safe, quality, and delicious food.

Below is a framework for Equipment Verification within Restaurants, which combines industry practices and my experience as a Food Safety Professional.² Ideally, this process should be completed in a controlled environment (e.g., a test kitchen) or a restaurant location providing optimal supervision to ensure safety.  

1. Design Verification: During the selection process, verify if the equipment appears fit for the operation to achieve the desired outcome. To determine suitability, review the operation manuals and conduct an in-person demonstration. Questions to explore: 

• What is the equipment’s desired outcome? (i.e., requirements related to quality, capacity, technology, etc.)? The more specifics identified, the better potential for successful equipment selection. 

• Is the equipment certified by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited program (4)? While ANSI Certification provides significant assurance the equipment will meet local food codes, additional selection criteria are usually needed. 

• Is equipment management simple or complex and do the restaurant operation skills meet the management complexity to prevent hazards?   

• Are regulatory approvals needed? Verify with the local regulatory authority to ensure compliance.  

• Are supple mental tools needed (i.e., chemicals, hand tools, technology, etc.)? 

• Application Example: An assessment was conducted on a beverage unit to be used at indoor and outdoor events. Upon review of the operation manual, a maximum ambient temperature was required for proper operation. Given the unit would be used during hot summer events, which could exceed this requirement, the unit was not selected. 

2. Installation Verification: Verify that all requirements have been met for proper installation. A thorough review of the operation manuals and partnering with the Facilities team is critical during this step. Questions to explore: 

• What roles are needed on the installation team (i.e., specialty or certified providers)? 

• Has the required installation preparation and regulatory approvals been established? 

• Should non-essential personnel be present during installation (i.e., will utilities be off or any potential for chemical exposure)?   

• What pre- and post-installation checklists are needed?

• Application Example: If during an installation inspection, screws are not secured or missing from equipment, re-visit the post-installation checklist. A verification step for the Vendor and Restaurant Manager can be added to ensure that all screws are present and secured upon completion of installation and prior to use. 

"Ensuring food safety in a restaurant involves managing various aspects effectively, including verification that equipment is safe to use."

3. Operational Verification: During this step, verify the equipment is operating as expected. While operating the equipment, use a draft operational procedure to identify any necessary modifications. Questions to explore:  

• Are the supplemental tools present for operation? 

• Have all pre-operational steps been completed?   

• During product test runs, is the equipment operating at the proper specifications (temperature, speed, pressure, etc.)? Identify the key performance data points and record this data to determine if equipment adjustments are needed. 

• After completing the manufacturer cleaning instructions, was the equipment cleaned effectively? Certain types of equipment are more prone to microbial risk. To verify microbial sanitation consider using microbial testing methods.     

• Application Example: New frozen beverage dispensers were evaluated for microbial sanitation effectiveness in a test kitchen. We ran the product through the units, completed the required cleaning, and then used aseptic sponges for microbial testing. Based on the results, we selected the unit that was less prone to sanitation risk. 

4. Performance Verification: Verify that the equipment and operational procedures are resulting in reliable and consistent performance. Questions to explore: 

• How long should this verification phase be to determine operational fit? Consider equipment and operational complexity to determine this timeframe. From experience, 4-6 months (minimum) is recommended before committing to the use of the unit. 

• What type and frequency of Performance Verification data are needed?  For example, continuous, hourly, or daily temperature data points, or weekly or monthly durability inspections.

• How do the data points from this phase relate to the performance success criteria? If design modifications might be of value, share your data and feedback with the manufacturer for optimal results.   

• Application Example: When evaluating the performance of a piece of equipment, if cavities are found providing a potential biological hazard condition, share these observations with the vendor to determine if a design modification will eliminate the issue.

Ensuring food safety in a restaurant involves managing various aspects effectively, including verification that equipment is safe to use. Even though commercial food manufacturers and restaurant operators follow different regulations, our customers’ expectation is one and the same, to receive safe food.