The 4 Cs of Food Safety
- CLEANING: Wash hands thoroughly before and after all food handling. Keep all surfaces and utensils consistently clean.
- COOKING: Cook all foods to safe internal temperatures. When in doubt — cook longer, never shorter.
- CHILLING: Maintain refrigerator below 5°C (41°F) at all times without exception.
- CROSS-CONTAMINATION: Keep raw meat completely separate from all other foods at all times. Use separate colour-coded cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables.
Household Staff Roles
- Chef/Cook: Prepares all meals and designs menus
- Butler/House Manager: Communicates preferences, timing, and guest requirements to chef
- Housekeeper: Kitchen cleanliness and supplies monitoring
- Principal/Family: Provides dietary preferences, restrictions, and event briefs
Menu Planning Essentials
- Review complete dietary preferences, allergies, and religious requirements for all household members
- Plan meals weekly for variety, nutritional balance, and efficient shopping
- Account for seasonal produce availability in Zambia — rainy vs dry season
- Always maintain backup meal options for unexpected additional guests
Luxury Provisioning
- Learn and document every family member’s favourite brands and products in every category
- Keep a continuously updated preferred products list in the household manual
- Pre-order specialty or imported items with sufficient lead time
- NEVER allow daily essentials to run out — this is a serious service failure
FIFO Inventory Management
- Walk through pantry, refrigerator, and freezer systematically every week
- Compare current stock against the household master pantry list
- Note all items below minimum quantity threshold
- Check all expiry dates — rotate using FIFO: First In, First Out (oldest stock used first)
- Generate shopping list sorted by store section for maximum efficiency
- Flag special-order items early to allow sufficient procurement lead time
Key Rule: FIFO — First In, First Out. New stock always placed BEHIND existing stock. Prevents waste and expired food from ever reaching the principal’s table.
