Food Safety Focus (204th Issue, July 2023) – Article 3

Robotics in Food Service - Ensuring Hygiene and Food Safety

As technology advances, food businesses are increasingly turning to food service robots to deliver food from the kitchen to dining tables. These robots usually serve a number of dining tables. Consumers may have to collect foods from the same shelf, which could increase the risk of cross-contamination by unhygienic hands. Moreover, some consumers may return finished plates food or used utensils to the robots, which could also lead to contamination of other food carried by the robots.

To ensure food safety, food business operators should maintain a high standard of hygiene for the robots and implement measures to remind consumers not to return finished plates to the food serving robots. Loaded food should be covered properly and kept unadulterated during delivery. Consumers should follow the instructions for collecting their orders and should not return finished plates or used cutlery back to the robots.