Illnesses and outbreaks caused by caliciviruses, particularly norovirus, highlight that there is no room for operations based on estimations in the hospitality and public catering sectors. According to the InDeRe Food Research Institute, the foundation of safe food production today is not merely knowing the rules, but their evidence-based, documented, and verifiable application in daily practice.
International public health and food safety experiences are clear: norovirus is one of the most significant pathogens causing foodborne illnesses. Its spread can be largely attributed to sick food handlers or those with inadequate hygiene practices, as well as contaminated surfaces and ready-to-eat foods. According to the latest European Union summary, the number of reported foodborne outbreaks increased in 2024, with norovirus being among the most frequently identified causative agents.
In this context, it is especially important that kitchen operations are not based on assumptions, routines, or an "it hasn't been a problem so far" approach. Evidence-based operation means that the food business operator understands the risks present in their own processes, how to prevent them, and what data, records, checks, and test results can substantiate all of this. This is now also a matter of reputation and legal certainty.
These processes clearly show the increasing importance of self-monitoring. Self-monitoring is not an administrative burden but the most crucial tool for responsible operation: daily verification that personal hygiene, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, prevention of cross-contamination, heat treatment, the cold chain, and work organization are functioning correctly. Documented internal checks, recording deviations, and tracking corrective actions not only reduce risk but also make the existence of proper hygiene practices verifiable.
Discipline regarding the health status and employment of staff is particularly important. Exclusion from work in cases of vomiting and diarrhea symptoms, consistent adherence to return-to-work rules, the use of hand hygiene stations, and immediate disinfection protocols are not optional elements but fundamental requirements for epidemic prevention. Rules existing only on paper do not protect; true protection comes from the demonstrable alignment of daily kitchen operations with these rules.
Microbiological testing plays a key role in this. Laboratory results do not replace good hygiene practices but are indispensable for their validation and verification. Properly designed sampling – whether of food samples, samples from the technological environment, or surface checks – provides an objective picture of whether kitchen processes are truly capable of preventing contamination. European regulations also stipulate that food business operators must verify the proper functioning of their HACCP-based and good hygiene practice-based systems with microbiological tests as necessary.
According to InDeRe, the successful kitchens of the future will be those that not only aim to comply but can also prove their compliance. The trust of guests, beneficiaries, operators, and authorities increasingly depends on a business's ability to operate based on data, measurably, and traceably.
Therefore, the InDeRe Food Research Institute urges stakeholders in the hospitality and public catering sectors to treat self-monitoring systems not as a mandatory minimum, but as a strategic line of defense. Well-established hygiene discipline, regular training, consistent internal control, and targeted microbiological testing together provide true safety – and together enable a food business operator to credibly demonstrate that proper hygiene practices are present not just on paper, but in daily operations within their kitchens.
András Bittsánszky PhD
