Rail Food Safety
with Rail Gourmet
Food Served on the Move in trains needs to temperature monitoring to avoid food waste.
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“We have been able to avoid unnecessary waste and make substantial savings”
Paul Hewitt, Operations Manager of RG
Company Profile
Rail Gourmet (RG) can trace its operations back to 1948, when British Rail was formed. As the rail industry went through a number of changes, Rail Gourmet emerged and is now RG, whose parent company SSP Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. RG is a leading provider of food, beverage and specialist solutions to the travel industry. It supplies catering services to TransPennine Express (TPE), including food and drink, equipment and human resources. The TPE route connects major cities in the north of England and Scotland.
Rail Catering Temperature Monitoring
Issues with identifying rail food safety
Food served on the move includes cold and hot food in Standard and First Class, and the quality and safety of food served on board the trains is of prime importance. The introduction of hot meals, pre-cooked at RG’s Heston facility, blast frozen and then re-generated on the trains, has introduced a problem with the monitoring of food stored out of chilled conditions.
Before serving, food is kept in chilled bays on each train. The ‘four-hour rule’ for food safety is a guideline used to prevent foodborne illnesses. It is based on research and recommendations from food safety authorities, such as the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Food that has been removed to room temperature must be discarded if unused within four hours.
Before serving, food is kept in chilled bays on each train. The ‘four-hour rule’ for food safety is a guideline used to prevent foodborne illnesses. It is based on research and recommendations from food safety authorities, such as the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Food that has been removed to room temperature must be discarded if unused within four hours.
RG had no way of knowing how long food had been stored above the chilled cabinet environment of under 8ºC. As a consequence, they needed to take the cautious approach of discarding food after four hours, and this included food that was perfectly fresh.
Temperature Indicators for rail food safety
After a short successful trial, RG adopted the neo Multi temperature and time indicator that travels with food consignments on board the trains. These small, light electronic devices are attached to a plastic tag on each cabinet to constantly monitor ambient conditions. They provide the important confirmation that food has not been exposed to elevated temperatures, and if it has, the duration of the breach, shown using a series of LEDs on the face of the indicator.
Each neo Multi remains on the train and is reset at the end of each leg of its journey, and replaced after five uses. A spare indicator is kept in each carriage in case it is required.
Each neo Multi remains on the train and is reset at the end of each leg of its journey, and replaced after five uses. A spare indicator is kept in each carriage in case it is required.
Benefits of rail food safety temperature monitoring
Use of the neo Multi is highly cost effective, as the indicators themselves are low cost and very easy to use. Minimal training is required, although RG created a ‘How to Operate’ leaflet for operators, some of whom have English as a second language. The LED lamps on the neo Multi are colour coded and easy to interpret.
By avoiding unnecessary food waste, using the devices for three months resulted in a substantial cost saving: the previous waste figures were reduced by half.
By avoiding unnecessary food waste, using the devices for three months resulted in a substantial cost saving: the previous waste figures were reduced by half.
“The neo Multi has worked very well for us, its reliability and simplicity are its greatest attributes in our application”, said Paul Hewitt, Operations Manager of RG. “We have been able to avoid unnecessary waste and make substantial savings.”
Rail Catering Temperature Monitoring
Issues with identifying rail food safety
As RG can now be confident in the condition of its travelling food, the potential exists for it to be re-loaded onto subsequent trains, with further savings in waste and cost.
The Timestrip neo Multi 8ºC, 2-4 hr indicator is a standard Timestrip product, and other specifications are available, as well as custom solutions for different applications.
The Timestrip neo Multi 8ºC, 2-4 hr indicator is a standard Timestrip product, and other specifications are available, as well as custom solutions for different applications.
