Why smartphone apps are not so smart in a kitchen

There’s a smartphone app for everything these days.

But if you’re serious about food safety and hygiene, you may want to consider whether they belong in a commercial kitchen environment.

Various studies have proven that mobile devices are one of the most unhygienic items on the planet. And is it any wonder, given that the average person touches their smartphone 2,617 times a day? And let’s be real, for some people, that includes while they are on the toilet.

Smartphones simply don’t belong in food preparation areas. If your staff are like most people these days – smartphone addicted – then no amount of hand washing is going to stop the spread of bacteria from their phone to your customers’ food. Here’s a small sample of the types of nasty bacteria that have been found lurking on mobile phones:

• E. coli
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Influenza
• Clostridium difficile
• Streptococcus
  
  

One study took swabs of people’s smartphones and found a total of 7,000 different types of bacteria from 51 samples. And 82% of the most common bacteria present on participants’ fingers were also found on their phones. Another study of 200 healthcare workers found 94.5% of phones were contaminated with different types of bacteria.  

Choose a purpose-built device
for managing food safety tasks

Downloading a food safety app to a smartphone or tablet may seem like a simple, affordable solution to managing routine hygiene tasks and checks. But the problem is, generic touchscreen devices are a breeding ground for bacteria, not to mention a source of distraction for staff. Plus they’re not built to withstand the rigours of a commercial kitchen environment.

And let’s not forget the added risk that mobile devices pose as a potential vector for SARS-CoV-2 – and that consumer-grade smartphones simply aren’t built to withstand the harsh chemicals required to kill the Coronavirus.

Instead, the best digital food safety system is one that comes with a dedicated, anti-bacterial coated touchscreen device. Configured exclusively with food safety software, you can be confident it will only ever be used in the environment for which it was intended.

The Monika Smart PA device

If you choose a Monika digital food safety system, your staff will use the Monika Smart PA which is Biocote-treated, and toughened and tested for knocks, drops, heat and moisture. It’s locked down and exclusively loaded with food safety software, so it can’t be used for anything else. This keeps the focus on food safety and sends a clear message to staff that food safety comes first – above everything else.

For a free demonstration, contact Monika’s National Sales Manager, William Gatzonis, on 0497 999 889 or via wgatzonis@monika.com.au