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APR. MAG. 2020 VI MAGAZINE emergency then pushed 10.4% of restaurateurs to equip themselves for home delivery. Thus, in a few weeks 40% of the operators of the catering industry recorded an appreciable growth in the demand for food at home, which showed a different approach to delivery than in the past by consumers. To protect the safety of citizens, restaurateurs, riders and customers, AssoDelivery and FIPE have drawn up a series of regulations in line with the provisions of the competent authorities and the Ministry of Health. Some: on the separation of the food preparation areas from the premises where the food is collected, on the hygienisation of the premises, especially those where the food is collected, on the maintenance of a safety distance between people of at least one metre and the absence of direct contact at all the various stages, including delivery and on the thermal transport containers that must be repeatedly cleaned with sanitising products. “We have two kitchens,” said Alessandro Palmieri, “and this has made it easier for us to offer home delivery and then take-away, services that we have decided to give our customers for the future too. And then, this allowed us not to close completely during the blockade imposed by the Government, limiting losses to a minimum.” Absent but justified in the lively world of home delivery restaurants, although during the emergency there was no lack of delivery initiatives by some of them such as: Ristorante il Moro in Monza, Da Mimmo in Bergamo high town, Da Vittorio in Brusaporto and Filippo La Mantia in Milan. The absence of starred restaurants is not necessarily wanted by chefs or restaurateurs. Several times it is conditioned by factors external to the restaurant, such as, the lack of allocation of customers, notoriously niche, and reservations, almost always planned by the consumer in advance. TAKE AWAY, THE ALTERNATIVE The real novelty of the Decree of 26 April is the following: ‘...Catering with home delivery in compliance with health and hygiene regulations for both packaging and transport, as well as the catering with take-away is allowed, without prejudice to the obligation to respect the interpersonal safety distance of at least one metre, the prohibition to consume the products inside the premises and the prohibition to stay in the immediate vicinity of the same’. A Decree that has certainly not reassured the operators who orbit in the food & beverage sector, as well as the FIPE top management who, in a note, highlighted their disappointment with the Government for having postponed the opening of bars, pubs, restaurants and pastry shops until 01 June. However, this is the only way forward for the moment. ______________________________ BOX DELIVERY YES, BUT MY WAY The delivery is there, and there will continue to be more. But pay attention to costs, which must be carefully evaluated: are delivery, packaging, dedicated staff sustainable for my restaurant? And pay attention also to the menu, which must stand up to delivery times, allergens and contamination. There is no lack of innovative proposals. Iannotti offers a box with semi-finished ingredients sent home; the customer is then constantly followed with tips on the mise en place via WhatsApp and direct Instagram for the actual preparation. Negrini and Pisani think to bring not only the food but also the chef, waiter and sommelier to the customer’s home to live the complete haute cuisine experience. The wish for everyone, is to soon return to the normality of the past! ______________________________ AT PAGE 18 IN DEPTH Reopen safely? Here’s how Use masks, wash your hands frequently, sanitise surfaces often, following the procedures, maintain distances. These are the rules to be followed to minimise the risk of contagion in restaurants. Nothing incredible, just awareness and common sense. by Elena Consonni Among the thousands of news reports of the pandemic, there is one that works in our favour. SARS-CoV-2, better known as Coronavirus, does not seem to be transmitted through food or, at the very least, the chance of becoming infected from eating food contaminated by the virus is very low. Despite this, it is essential to handle food in a hygienic manner because restaurants, and in general public places, must be healthy and safe for both customers and staff. In order to increase the level of safety, it is very important to correctly perform the procedures for sanitising environments and surfaces, considering that the Coronavirus has shown to last longer on steel and plastic (two materials that are widely used in professional kitchens because they are very easy to sanitise) than other materials. This was demonstrated by research carried out by “contaminating” copper, cardboard, stainless steel and plastic surfaces with the virus, and by verifying how the virus’ infectious capacity changed over the course of time, at room temperature (21-23°C with a relative humidity of 40%). Copper and cardboard have proved to be the least “hospitable” materials for the virus, while times increase for stainless steel and plastic. On stainless steel, the infectious nature is only halved after about 6 hours, while it takes about 7 hours to halve it on plastic. The time required for