Has anyone figured out an excellent blade control policy for a kitchen environment? My SQF consultant says that the auditor will DEFINITELY want to see a check in and check out blade control policy.
Some background on us:
-very small candy company
-We use knives in the kitchen to cut candy or fudge, but not regularly, so checking a set of knives out to each cook, each day, is unnecessary and would make a lot of paperwork.
-The packagers use a paring knife to trim bars before putting them in plastic bags. They don't do this daily either.
Currently: Our knives are treated like all our other small cooking tools: When used for a recipe, they are sent to the dish station for washing and sanitizing, sent to drying area to dry, then returned to their spot in the clean dishes area. They have a specific box that they sit in, and are currently available to all staff. I have a policy to narrate cleaning procedures, and another that outlines what knives can and cannot be used for (cutting into cardboard boxes, etc.) I show logs detailing staff training on these policies.
My consultant is happy with my blade cleanliness and cross contact policies, but when it comes to blade "control", I can't think of a great system that works for my team and satisfies the requirement.
I've seen videos showing amazing knife baskets that include two types of knives and the employee clocks in and retrieves a sanitary knife basket for use throughout the day. But again, I have 5 cooks, 2-7 packagers, and no one uses knives frequently enough for a system like this. These systems seem geared towards much larger facilities. We are small, do multiple recipes every day, production schedule can change on a dime.
Do I really have to check knives in and out for every use like a library?
Any imaginative solutions that anyone has seen or implemented would be so great to hear about! Thanks!