Quick Food Safety Guide for Food Service Workers

Quick

Food Safety

Guide

for

Food Service

Workers

Receiving Food Safely

How to Receive Potentially Hazardous Foods:

Potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) — also called Time and

Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods — are more

likely to support the growth of harmful bacteria and toxins.

Examples include milk and milk products; eggs; meat;

poultry; sh; shellsh; tofu; cooked pasta, rice, potatoes

and beans; cut leafy greens and cut tomatoes. PHFs need

to be stored, handled and prepared carefully.

• Make sure the delivery truck is clean and keeps foods

at proper temperatures.

• Make sure that all PHFs are delivered at proper

temperatures:

– 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for hot food

– 45 degrees Fahrenheit for raw shell eggs

– 41 degrees Fahrenheit for cold food

– 38 degrees Fahrenheit for smoked sh

– 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below for frozen foods

• Look for proper tags when receiving shellsh.

How to Receive Dry Foods, Produce and

Packaged Foods:

• Make sure that all packages are intact and undamaged.

• Look for rodent gnaw marks, insects or insect eggs.

• Check sell-by or use-by dates to make sure products

are delivered long before they expire.

• Do not use dented, leaking, rusted or swollen

canned goods.

• Make sure fruits and vegetables are not bruised, wilted

or spoiled.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Mark received a shipment

of raw chicken breasts. He

checked the meat temperature

and found that it was

58degrees Fahrenheit. He

noticed the truck was not

refrigerated, and that the ice

had completely melted.

This document describes food safety best

practices for food service workers. Follow

these guidelines to ensure that food is stored,

prepared and served safely.

CONTENTS

Receiving Food Safely ___________________________ 1

Storing Food Safely

_____________________________ 2

Preparing Food Safely

___________________________ 3

Preventing Cross-Contamination of Food

__________ 5

Using Gloves Properly

___________________________ 7

Manually Cleaning Dishes and Equipment

__________ 8

Keeping Pests Out

______________________________ 9

Preparing Food Safely

How to Cook Food Safely:

• Properly maintain cooking equipment (e.g., ovens,

stoves, grills, salamanders, etc.) by cleaning and

sanitizing them regularly and repairing when necessary.

• Cook food to the following minimum internal

temperatures:

– 165 degrees Fahrenheit for poultry, stuffed meats

andstufng

– 158 degrees Fahrenheit for ground meats

– 150 degrees Fahrenheit for pork and pork products

– 145 degrees Fahrenheit for shell eggs

– 140 degrees Fahrenheit for all other meats (e.g.,

lamb, sh, shellsh, etc.)

• Check the internal temperature by inserting the

thermometer in various parts of the food, including the

thickest part.

– Always use clean thermometers to check

temperatures.

How to Hot-Hold Foods:

• Preheat equipment before adding food.

• Maintain a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or

higher for all foods.

• Check food temperatures with an accurate food

thermometer and record them.

•

Stir food frequently to make sure the entire dish

is heated.

How to Cold-Hold Foods:

• Make sure the equipment is cold before adding food.

• Maintain a temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or

lower for all foods.

• Check food temperatures with an accurate food

thermometer and record them.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

It was 15 minutes past lunch

time and the food had not been

served. Instead of making the

guests wait any longer, the

food service workers served

the hamburgers when they had

reached an internal temperature

of 140degrees Fahrenheit.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

James lled the cold holding

table with macaroni salad

just before lunch began at

11:00a.m. At 2:00 p.m., he

found that the cold holding table

was not working and that the

macaroni salad waswarm.

Storing Food Safely

General Tips:

• Write the date on food products when you receive them

and use the oldest products rst to reduce food waste.

This practice is called First-in, First-out (FIFO).

• Make sure all food storage and preparation

areas are located away from overhead waste or

condensation pipes.

• Store all food at least 6 inches above the oor so that

the oor can be cleaned regularly.

• Store all food away from the walls or ceiling so that air

can circulate.

For Dry Storage:

• Maintain humidity of 50 percent and a temperature of

70degrees Fahrenheit.

• Look out for pest activity signs, such as rat or mouse

droppings, insect eggs or odors.

• Store food in vermin-proof containers (e.g., metal or

glass containers with tightly tted lids).

• Remove dented, leaking, rusted, swollen or unlabeled

canned goods.

For Cold Storage:

• Store all PHFs at proper temperatures:

– 41 degrees Fahrenheit for cold food

– 38 degrees Fahrenheit for smoked sh

– 45 degrees Fahrenheit for raw shell eggs

– 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below for frozen foods

• Maintain proper temperatures. Place a refrigeration

thermometer in the warmest spot in the cold storage unit

to measure ambient air temperature.

• Store cooked and ready-to-eat (RTE) food away from or

above raw food.

• Watch for condensation that may contaminate food.

• Do not exceed the storage unit’s capacity.

NOTES

Preparing Food Safely continued

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

On Monday morning, Mandy

made a 10-gallon pot of beef

stew for Tuesday’s lunch. After

she nished cooking, she

turned off the stove and let the

stew cool in the pot. Before she

went home, she placed the pot

of beef stew in the refrigerator.

REMEMBER:

• Never refreeze

thawed food.

• Never thaw frozen food at

room temperature.

• Thaw raw food below

cooked food to avoid

cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination happens when harmful microorgan-

isms (e.g., bacteria) transfer from a raw or contaminated

food to a cooked or RTE food.

When Using Cutting Boards and Prep Tables:

• Wash, rinse and sanitize boards and tables when

changing from raw to RTE food preparation, and

between preparing different types of raw meat, sh

and poultry.

When Handling Food:

• Do not touch RTE food with bare hands. Use

gloves, tongs, a spatula, deli paper, spoon, fork or

another utensil.

• Wash hands thoroughly and often. Always wash hands

between tasks. See below for good hand-washing

practices.

By Washing Hands:

Clean hands are an extremely important part of food

safety. Hands must be washed often and thoroughly —

before starting work, after using the bathroom, after

eating, after drinking, after smoking or after any activity

when the hands have become contaminated. Hand-

washing involves ve simple and effective steps:

• Wet hands using warm water.

• Apply soap and lather generously up to the elbow.

• Rub hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds; use a

brush on the nails.

• Rinse hands thoroughly.

• Dry hands on disposable paper towels or a hot air dryer.

NOTES

How to Cool Foods:

Cool foods from 140 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees

Fahrenheit within two hours, and from 70 degrees

Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within an additional

four hours. Check that the food is cooling by taking food

temperatures regularly.

To cool food quickly:

• Place food container in an ice bath and stir food using

ice paddles.

– To create an ice bath, ll a larger container or a

culinary sink with a 50-50 ratio of water and ice.

• Add ice to the food.

– Prepare food with half the amount of water called

for in the recipe, and add the remaining half as ice

during the cooling process.

You can also try the following cooling methods:

• Place food in pans or containers no more than 4 inches

high, with the food product no more than 2 inches deep.

• Divide food into smaller or thinner pieces or portions (no

more than 6 pounds per portion).

• Stir food regularly to release trapped heat.

• Keep containers loosely covered or uncovered (if

protected from overhead contamination).

How to Thaw/Defrost Foods:

There are four safe ways to thaw frozen food:

1. In a refrigeration unit at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower

2. Under cold (70 degrees Fahrenheit or lower)

running water

3. In a microwave oven, if followed by a continuous

cooking process

4. As part of the cooking process (for single portions)

Preventing

Cross-Contamination of Food

Preventing

Cross-Contamination of Food continued

When Storing Food:

• Store raw meat, sh and poultry below RTE food.

• Store raw meats in the following order from

bottom to top:

1. Poultry

2. Ground meats

3. Pork

4. All other meats

• Keep seafood separate from other meats.

• Keep food that does not require further washing or

cooking separate from food that does.

Using Gloves Properly

Using gloves does not replace good hand-washing

practices!

• Always wear disposable gloves when you prepare or

handle RTE foods.

• Before putting on gloves:

– Wash hands thoroughly using good hand-washing

practices.

– Dry hands using a disposable paper towel.

• Use gloves for one task only and then discard.

• Replace gloves any time they become soiled or

damaged, or when an interruption occurs during

food preparation. Examples of an interruption include

stepping away from the food preparation area or taking

money from a customer.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Betty was wearing gloves when

she started making sandwiches

at 10:00 a.m. At 11:20 a.m., she

removed her gloves, placed

them on the counter and got

some canned goods from the

pantry. She then put her used

gloves back on to prepare more

sandwiches.

NOTES

Keeping Pests Out

• Seal any holes, cracks or crevices in the facility.

– Mice can squeeze through openings 1/4 inch in

diameter; rats can get through openings 1/2 inch

in diameter.

• Make sure all doors and windows t tightly. Add sweeps

to the bottom of doors to prevent rodents from entering

through the gap between the door and the oor.

• Put screens on open windows and doors.

• Store food in pest-proof containers with tight-tting lids.

• Keep food storage and preparation areas clean.

– Clean up food debris and trash regularly.

– Put food waste and other garbage into metal or hard

plastic containers with tight-tting lids.

– Keep garbage staging areas clean.

• Keep the area outside the establishment clean.

Maintain proper drainage to reduce shelter areas

for pests.

–

– Control any weeds with herbicides designed to

prevent pests.

– Install outdoor light xtures away from entrances

and windows to reduce the presence of

ying insects.

• If you have a pest problem, hire a licensed exterminator.

• To prevent cross-contamination, make sure the

dishwashing and drying areas are not next to the food

preparation areas.

• Hand-wash dishes in a three-compartment sink only:

– Wash dishes in the rst sink.

– Rinse dishes in the second sink.

– Sanitize dishes in the third sink.

• For heat sanitizing, water temperature must be at

least 170 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and the

dishes must be covered for at least 30 seconds.

• For chemical sanitizing, the chlorine-based sanitizer

must be at least 50 parts per million (ppm), and the

dishes must be covered for at least 30 seconds.

– To make 50 ppm sanitizing solution, mix 1/2 ounce

(or 1 tablespoon) of household bleach with one

gallon of water.

• Air dry dishes.

• If items do not t in the sink, use a 100-ppm sanitizing

solution to wipe, pour on or spray the dishes.

– To make 100-ppm sanitizing solution, mix 1 ounce

(or 2tablespoons) of household bleach with one

gallon of water.

• Use an appropriate chlorine test kit to test the strength

of sanitizers used.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

To clean dishes, Jane washes

them in a two-compartment

sink. In the rst compartment,

she cleans them with a dish-

washing liquid, and in the

second, she rinses the dishes in

clean water.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Meena has been seeing a lot of

ies in the kitchen lately. One

morning, before starting work,

she uses a whole can of insec-

ticide spray in the kitchen to kill

as many ies as she can.

Manually Cleaning Dishes and

Equipment

4.19 – English