No compromises in hygiene

In Hungary it is the experts of the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and the county government offices who perform the food safety inspections at festivals and in hospitality units.

Dávid Tóth
head of hospitality
and mass catering dept.
Nébih

Dávid Tóth, head of the hospitality and mass catering department at Nébih:

“At festivals very often not only the bars and restaurants, but also the toilets are temporary facilities. It is very important for bar and restaurant staff to have their own toilet, which isn’t far from the place of work, and where they can always wash their hands with disinfectant soap.”

A wide range of solutions

Every year METRO supplies partners at up to 200 festivals with food, drug and non-food products.

Sándor Kovács
head of sales
METRO

Sándor Kovács, head of sales at METRO:

“This year our main objective is to serve HoReCa partners with a complex selection of products for their festival presence. This involves kitchen equipment and different devices too, various cooking ingredients and packaging materials. Based on partner feedback from earlier years, this season we are offering a comprehensive package to partners.”

Mr Kovács added that the hygiene level of festivals has definitely improved since the pandemic.

Hidden threats

pically festivals are organised in the summer, and it goes without saying that in this hot season the temperature is even higher in the kitchens. This is the reason why the proper storing of food products that need refrigeration is essential. Dávid Tóth explained that most ingredients must be stored at 0-5°C, and refrigerators must provide this even in extreme conditions, e.g. hot outside, frequently opened refrigerator doors. Another thing that can cause problems at festival is the dust flying in the air.

Washing hands without water

Gábor Szabó, PR manager of Florin Zrt. told that the company’s BradoLife 50ml hand sanitiser gels and individually wrapped disinfectant wipes offer a practical solution when one is travelling or visiting a festival.

Gábor Szabó
PR-manager
Florin

“Sales of these jump 20-30% in the summer if compared with the spring or autumn periods. We set up hand-sanitiser stations all over festivals, which also serve as excellent meeting points for festival-goers. This year we plan to be present at EFOTT, and being a Szeged-based company at Dejavu and the summer-closing SZIN.”

New inspection strategies

In 2022 summer inspections also had new target areas, such as checking the packaging materials brought by the customers, managing reusable cups, the use of so-called substitute products (e.g. plant-based cheese, walnut substitute filling, etc.), and providing shoppers with the necessary information. Nébih’s expert revealed that there were more problems with the cold chain in 2022 than in 2021, but the number of traceability issues dropped. In 2021 fines had been imposed in 376 cases, while 2022 brought 425 fines; however, the number of operating restrictions dropped from 85 to 37. Almost 10 tonnes of food – in the value of HUF 6.2bn – were withdrawn from circulation, in most cases because they expired or had some kind of labelling problem.

The bitter experience of the pandemic made the level of hygiene elevate at festivals

It is never empty!

Éva Maurer-Décsy, marketing coordinator of Hagleitner Hygiene Magyarország Kft.:

Éva Maurer-Décsy
marketing coordinator
Hagleitner

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2023/4.