Sanitation and Food Safety
Pathogens and the danger zone
Know the big six: Norovirus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli O157:H7, plus Listeria and Bacillus cereus. The temperature danger zone is 41 F to 135 F (5 C to 57 C); keep cold foods at or below 41 F and hot foods at or above 135 F. Trap: questions often use 40 F or 140 F; the FDA Food Code uses 41/135.
HACCP and process control
HACCP has seven principles: hazard analysis, determine critical control points, establish limits, monitor, take corrective actions, verify, and keep records. Critical limits must be measurable, such as time and temperature. Receiving: frozen at 0 F or below, refrigerated at 41 F or below; reject damaged or temperature-abused product. Cooking minimums: poultry 165 F, ground meats 155 F, whole-muscle meats 145 F with a 3-minute rest. Cooling: 135 F to 70 F within 2 hours, then 70 F to 41 F within 4 more hours (6 hours total). Reheat to 165 F for 15 seconds within 2 hours. Handwashing: wet, soap, scrub at least 20 seconds, rinse, dry; gloves do not replace handwashing.
Worked example
A pot of soup finishes cooking at 180 F at noon. It must reach 70 F by 2:00 p.m. and 41 F by 6:00 p.m. If it is still 75 F at 2:00 p.m., take corrective action: reheat to 165 F and restart cooling, or discard. Document the action.
Sanitizing
Test sanitizer concentration with strips; contact time and concentration matter. Store chemicals away from food.