How Blocked Extraction Fans Can Impact Food Hygiene Ratings

The most important thing for commercial kitchens to have is a high food hygiene rating, as this assures customers that produce prepared and cooked on the premises will be handled safely and not cause them ill health. 

That’s why restaurants, cafes, hotels and every catering establishment needs to ensure they undergo regular deep cleans.

Kitchen extract cleaning is also incredibly important, as blocked extraction fans can have a big impact on food hygiene. 

Breeding ground for bacteria

If an extraction system becomes blocked with grease, this provides the ideal breeding ground for bacteria that can cause serious harm to consumers. 

For instance, Salmonella and E. coli thrive in warm, moist environments, and can last for months. 

It just takes a drop of grease falling onto a plate of food or kitchen utensils for patrons to get food poisoning from these bacterias. 

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and a fever. 

For some people, it can be very serious and they might develop bloody diarrhoea, severe dehydration, and infection in the bones, joints, lungs or urinary tract if the bacteria enters the bloodstream.

Attracts pests

Another major problem of blocked extraction fans is that it can attract pests, including insects and rodents. 

This is because if the extraction system is not working effectively, a backlog of grease and food parts will accumulate. 

This will tempt flies, rats and cockroaches into the kitchen, which could be very dangerous, as they contaminate food through their faeces, urine and saliva. 

House flies alone can transmit more than 100 pathogens, including typhoid and tuberculosis. At the same time, cockroaches carry seven human pathogens, six parasitic worms and 33 types of bacteria. 

Mould growth

If the extractor system is blocked then it is not able to remove the steam from the kitchen effectively. 

This leads to a build-up of moisture in the kitchen, which is likely to result in mould on the walls, worktops and ceilings. 

Mould can cause a lot of health risks, including vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as allergic reactions and respiratory problems, especially for asthmatics.