Committed To Food Safety

Vishal Singh, general manager, Hyatt Regency Pune outlines when, why and how a hotelier can get ISO 22000 certification from Bureau Veritas, the international standard for food safety

- Vinita Bhatia

Be it a select-service hotel, a full-service one or an extended stay property; food and beverage (F&B) plays a big role in the guest experience at any of these properties, and by extension, contributes a substantial chunk to the revenues of these establishments. Hoteliers, therefore, go out of their way to provide guests with unique dining options, starting from breakfast, going on to lunch, lengthening it to a lavish dinner, with some inspiring in-room dining options.

However, all these exercises and exertions will be pointless, if there emerges even one untoward incident of substandard food being served to a guest. Not only will the hotelier put the brand’s reputation on the firing line, all the efforts to get the customer on board and retain them will be in vain.

GET CERTIFIED

Understanding that this was a Damocles sword that would always hang over their heads, Vishal Singh, general manager of Hyatt Regency Pune, decided that it was imperative to understand the processes involved in food safety and also teach his team the same. After speaking to people in the industry and doing his own bit of research, he found out that the best way to go forward with this was to get an ISO 22000 certification from Bureau Veritas. This is an international standard for implementation of a certified food safety management system and covers interactive communication, system management and hazard control.