It was once common practice in a restaurant for a customer to ask for the leftovers from their meals to be packaged to take home to their family pet, thus the term 'doggy bag' was coined.
Today, many restaurants do not follow this practice due to the implications involved with food safety. In the interest of public health, the use of doggy bags should be discouraged.
Some of the safety concerns with doggy bags are:
- Food left too long in the temperature danger zone (50C - 60C). Bacteria multiply rapidly in this temperature zone.
- Potential contamination by the consumer handling the food at the restaurant.
- Potential cross-contamination after the food has left the restaurant.
- Foods may not be stored or reheated correctly prior to consumption.
Another concern is that the food purchased by a customer at a restaurant becomes the property of that customer. It may be seen as poor service if a restaurateur has banned doggy bags.
If a restaurant insists on allowing doggy bags, risks can be reduced by:
- Limiting doggy bags to suitable low-risk foods
- Have a policy outlining doggy bag usage and food safety procedures.
- Left-over foods should be transferred into a clean, unused food-grade type container.
- Write the date on the container of when the food was sold.
- Keep a record of doggy bags that are distributed to customers. This may be helpful in the event of legal action against the proprietor.
- Attach a sticker or leaflet to the doggy bag outlining possible problems and define the responsibility of the consumer to ensure the food is handled correctly.