fundamentals of
fundamentals of Safe food handling begins at production and continues through the preparation process. Food-borne illness, commonly known as food poisoning, is caused by eating food that is contaminated by bacteria or other harmful substances. To prevent food-borne illness, all staff members should know and understand food safety principals.
Follow HACCP Principles Maintain good personal hygiene Prepare food correctly Check temperatures when cooking, serving, and holding Manage receiving and storage
You are covered in bacteria. Everyone has bacteria. It can be found on your hair, skin, mouth, nose, and throat even when you are healthy! The most important tool we have to prevent foodborne illness, therefore, is personal hygiene. Keep fingernails short and clean Do NOT wear nail polish Avoid unsanitary habits, like... Do NOT wear fake nails Scratching your scalp Running your fingers through your hair Wiping or touching your nose Rubbing your ear Touching a pimple or infected wound Restrain hair by wearing a clean hat or a hair restraint Bathe reguarly and maintain personal cleanliness Remove all jewelry Wearing a dirty uniform Coughing or sneezing into your hand Spitting Wear clean and appropriate clothing Maintain good health Report any wounds, illnesses, or health issues
Handwashing steps: 5 2 Apply soap. Apply enough to build up a good lather. Dry hands and arms. Use a single-use paper towel or hand dryer. Consider using a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the restroom door. 1 Wet hands and arms. Use running water as hot as you can comfortably stand. 4 Rinse hands and arms. Use warm, running water. 3 Scrub hands and arms. Scrub them for 10 to 15 seconds. Clean under fingernails and between fingers. Food handlers must wash hands after: Using the restroom Handling raw meat, poultry, or seafood wash before and after Touching your hair, face, or body Sneezing, coughing, or using a tissue Eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum, chewing tobacco Handling chemicals that might affect food safety Taking out the garbage Clearing tables or busing dirty dishes Touching clothing or aprons Handling money Leaving and returning to the kitchen or prep area Handling service animals or aquatic animals Touching anything else that may contaminate hands Wash and dry hands before putting gloves on Do NOT blow into gloves Hold gloves by the edge when putting them on Choose the correct glove size Do NOT roll gloves up to make them easier to put on Once gloves are on, check for rips and tears The DOs and DON'Ts of wearing gloves. NEVER wash and reuse gloves Gloves must NEVER be used in place of handwashing
Preparing Eggs Handle pooled eggs with special care Consider using pasteurized egg products Promptly clean and sanitize all equipment and utensils Produce Handle food carefully. Food becomes hazardous by contamination. Contamination occurs when harmful substances, like chemicals, get in the food. Contamination also occurs when microorganisms, like bacteria, grow in food. For this reason, food must be handled very carefully when it is thawed, cooled, cooked, and reheated. Temperature Danger Zone 41 135 F Prevent crosscontamination. While prepping and cooking, be aware of when food comes into contact with another food. When this happens, harmful microorganisms from one food can contaminate the other food. Food-to-Food Contamination Example: Thawing meat drips onto fresh produce Do not expose to raw meat and poultry Wash thoroughly under running water When soaking, do not mix with other items Meat, Fish, Poultry Use clean and sanitized work areas and equipment Wash hands properly Remove from refrigerator only as much as you can prepare at one time Return raw prepared meat to refridgerator, or cook it immediately Ice Ice must be made from drinking water Ice used to chill should not be used as an ingredient Use a clean, sanitized container and ice scoop Microorganisms are more likely to grow when the temperature of potentially hazardous foods is in the danger zone. Equipment-to-Food Contamination Example: You cut fresh produce on a cutting board that was just used to cut raw meat Proper Ways to Thaw: Refridgerate at 40 F or lower Place under running water that is 70 F or lower Microwave if the food will be cooked immediately
Calibrating Make sure thermometers are accurate to +/- 2 F Measures temperature through a metal probe comes with interchangeable probes, including: Immersion Probe Surface Probe Penetration Probe Air Probe Measures temperature through the metal stem 1 Fill a large container 2 Put the thermometer 3 with crushed ice stem or probe into and water. the water. Adjust the thermometer so it reads 32 F. the right way to use a Thermocouple Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometer Attached to packages by the supplier Wait for the thermometer reading to steady before recording the temperature. Wash, rinse, sanitize, and airdry thermometers before and after using them. Monitors both time and temperature. A color change appears on the device when timetemperature abuse has occured Measures the surface temperature of food and equipment. To use, hold as close to the food, food package, or equipment as possible 1 Insert the thermometer stem 2 or probe into the thickest part. Take another reading in a different spot. Measuring Time-Temperature Indicator Infrared (Laser) Thermometer
Minimal internal cooking temperature ( F) Cooking Cooling 165 165 155 Poultry whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck 155 155 155 Injected Meat including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts Stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry Ground Seafood including chopped or minced seafood Ground Meat beef, pork, lamb, and other meat Ratites including ostrich and emu 145 145 145 You have a limited amount of time to cool food safely. If food has not been cooked for immediate service, it should be cooled to 41 F in under 6 hours to eliminate the possibility of bacteria growth. Best options for cooling food: Place food in an ice-water bath Stir food with an ice paddle Place food in a blast chiller or tumble chiller Use ice or cold water as an ingredient 135 70 70 41 2 hours 4 hours If you cool the food from 135 to 70 in less than 2 hours, use the remaining time of 4 hours to cool it to 41 or lower. Before cooling food, reduce it's size. Seafood including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans Steaks/Chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb Roasts 145 135 135 Shell Eggs that will be served immediately Fruits & Vegetables Grains & Legumes including rice, pasta, beans, etc. * Temperatures must be maintained for at least 15 seconds, excluding roasts, which must be maintained for 4 minutes.
Holding Prevent contamination when serving and holding food. Once the back of house staff has taken all precautions to keep food from becoming contaminated, it s important for the front of house staff to do the same. For the front of house staff, this means monitoring food temperature and preventing crosscontamination. If food remains in the temperature danger zone for 4 hours or longer, foodborne microorganisms can grow to levels high enough to make someone ill. Once removed from temperature control, hot food can be held up to 4 hours before it must be served or discarded. Hot food must be held at 135 F or higher. Cross-contamination occurs when microbes and dirt from people, raw meat, and raw fruits and vegetables transfer to ready-to-eat foods on utensils and equipment. Cold food must be held at 41 F or lower. Once removed from temperature control, cold food can be held up to 6 hours before it must be served or discarded. Cold food must never exceed 70 F
Serving Food safety is everyone's responsibility. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by bacteria spread by the people who handle food. Anyone can contaminate food with a harmful microorganism and not even know it! Carry plates of food from the bottom, without touching the top of the plate CORRECT vs. Do not wrap your fingers around the plate, touching the area meant for food INCORRECT Use clean and sanitized utensils. Scoop ice using a clean, designated ice scoop Do not scoop ice using a drinking cup Use separate utensils for each food Transport clean glasses using a clean dishwashing rack Do not transport clean glasses by stacking and carrying as many as possible Clean and sanitize utensils after each task Use serving utensils with long handles Store serving utensils properly Pick up silverware by the stem Do not pick up silverware by the part you eat with
Receiving Hey, there's a delivery! When you receive food, it s important to Inspect the delivery carefully and sample product temperatures. Check that all food packages are intact, make sure produce is fresh, and refridgerate products as soon as possible. Meat, Poultry, Fish: Insert the thermometer stem or probe into the thickest part of the food (usually the center). Cold TCS Food Hot TCS Food Frozen Food Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) food and bulk food: Insert the thermometer stem or probe between two packages. Be careful not to puncture the packaging. 41 F or lower, unless specified 135 F or higher Frozen solid Other Packaged Food: Open the package and insert the thermometer stem or probe into the food. Fully immerse the sensing area in the item. Sample product temperatures when they arrive. Live Shellfish Air temperature of 45 F Internal temperature of 50 F or less Once received, cool it to an internal temperature of 41 F or lower in 4 hours Be sure to keep packages of raw meat and poultry separate. Shucked Shellfish Milk Shell Eggs 45 F or lower Must be cooled to an internal temperature of 41 F or lower in 4 hours 45 F or lower Must be cooled to an internal temperature of 41 F or lower in 4 hours Air temperature of 45 F or lower
Storing Continue monitoring the temperature of stored food. Once the food arrives and you ensure it is in a safe temperature zone, it is your job to keep it in that safe zone. Refridgerate foods as soon as possible, and make sure your cooler s thermometers are working properly. 135 F or higher Storage units should have at least one air temperature measuing device. It must be accurate to +/- 3 F. Place the device in the warmest part of refridgerated units, and in the coldest part of hot holding units. 41 F or lower A B Store food items in this top-to-bottom order: A. Ready-to-eat food B. Seafood C. Whole cuts of beef and pork D. Ground meat and ground fish E. Whole and ground poultry potato salad 10/7 Potato salad prepared and stored on October 1 would have a discard date of October 7 on the label. Mark the date of ready-to-eat food. Ready-to-eat food can be stored for only 7 days if it is held at 41 F or lower. This count begins on the day that the food was prepared or a commercial container was opened. Some operations write the date the food was prepared on the label; other write the use-by date. C D E Follow the rule of FIFO: First In, First Out Store food in designated storage areas. Food should be stored in a clean, dry location away from dust and other contaminants. Never store food in locker rooms, restrooms, garbage rooms, mechanical rooms, under leaking water lines, or under stairwells.
The water must be at least 171 F Heat Surfaces can be sanitized using heat or chemicals. Chlorine, Iodine, or Quats Chemicals How to sanitize stationary equipment: Immerse the item for 30 seconds Soak in a sanitizing solution or rinse, swab, or spray with a sanitizing solution 1 2 3 4 How to sanitize food-contact surfaces: Scrape or remove food bits from the surface Wash the surface Rinse the surface Sanitize the surface 1 3 Unplug the equipment 2 Scrape any food off the equipment surfaces and then wash, rinse, and sanitize the equipment surfaces, making sure the sanitizer comes in contact with each surface. Allow all surfaces to air-dry. 4 Take the removable parts off the equipment and wash, rinse, and sanitize them by hand or in the dishwasher, if allowed Put the unit back together Not enough sanitizer may make the solution weak and useless Too much santizer may make the solution too strong, unsafe, and corrode metal Sanitizers should be mixed with water to the correct concentration Check concentration with a test kit. Make sure it is designed for the sanitizer used, and check often. The sanitizer must make contact with the object for a specific amount of time. Minimum times differ for each sanitizer. 5 Allow the surface to air-dry * Change the santizing solution when it s dirty or when the concentration is too low.
> machine dishwashing Scrape, rinse, or soak items before washing Use the correct dish racks, and never overload them Check the machine's water temperature and water pressure, and clean the machine often Check dish detergent and sanitizer before washing dishes Clean and sanitize each sink and drain board Air dry items on a clean, sanitized surface Use a clock with a second hand to know how long items have been in the sanitizer Sink 1 Sink 2 Sink 3 Wash Fill the first sink with detergent and water that s at least 110 F Rinse Fill the second sink with clean water Sanitize Fill the third sink with water and sanitizer to the correct concentration > manual dishwashing
Clean and sanitize drawers and shelves before items are stored Store clean equipment at least 6 inches off the floor Cups must have a lid Employee Employee drink cups drink cups are are commonly commonly NOT NOT stored stored correctly. correctly. Storing Clean and Sanitized Items Store glasses and cups upside down on a clean and sanitized shelf or rack Store flatware and utensils with handles up Cups should all be stored in the same place in a back storage area Cover the food-contact surfaces of stationary equipment until ready for use Clean and sanitize trays and carts used to carry clean tableware and utensils
2 Determine critical control points (CCPS) These are the points in the production process where an action can be taken to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level. 1 HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. HACCP is an approach to food safety that is systematic and preventive. It helps to find, correct, and prevent hazards throughout the food production process. There are 7 HACCP principles. Conduct a hazard analysis At this stage, a plan is laid out to identify all possible food safety hazards that could cause a product to be unsafe for consumption. Hazards include biological, chemical, and physical contaminants. 3 Establish critical limits You must establish critical maximum or minimum limits for each critical control point. A critical limit is the limit at which a hazard is acceptable without compromising food safety. In our example, the critical control point is during cooking. This is the point in the production process when an action can be taken to prevent the survival of pathogens in the chicekn. Example: While conducting your hazard analysis, you identify the survival of pathogens in cooked chicken as a hazard. This potential hazard would be the result of inadequate cooking time or temperature. Our critical limits for cooking should include a specific minimal cook time and an internal temperature of 165 for the chicken.
4 Establish monitoring procedures Determine the best way to check your critical limits, and make sure they are consistently met. Determine who will monitor them and how often. 6 To verify that we have successfully eliminated pathogens in our chicken, we will take the internal temperature of the chicken. The temperature must meet the critical limit we established. Verify that the system works We will monitor our critical limits by timing how long the chicken cooks and by taking the internal temperature of the chicken with a thermometer. Verification means applying methods, procedures, tests, sampling, and other evaluations to determine whether a control measure at a critical control point is operating as intended. Here is where you determine if your plan prevents, reduces, or eliminates the identified hazards. 5 Identify corrective actions Identify steps that must be taken when a critical limit is not met. These steps are meant to bring the production process back on track if monitoring indicates that deviation from critical limits has occurred. 7 Establish procedures for record keeping and documentation Keep records for monitoring activities, corrective actions, validating equipment, and working with suppliers (invoices, specifications, etc). If the required internal temperature has not been reached, our corrective action will require that the chicken be cooked more. If the cooking temperature cannot be reached, another corrective action will call for chicken to be thrown out. The employee responsible for cooking the chicken will complete a cooking log sheet. This sheet includes the date, the start and finish time, the temperature, and the employee s signature.