CFPM key terms

A proactive approach in which management identifies food safety risks in the operation's flow of food, puts controls in place, and monitors them daily so hazards are prevented rather than corrected after a problem.

A written document based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point principles that identifies significant hazards in a specific food process and sets critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, and recordkeeping for each control point.

A step in a food production process where a control measure can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

The step taken when monitoring shows a critical limit has not been met; it fixes the process, handles the affected food, and records what was done to prevent recurrence.

Scheduled observation or measurement of a control point, such as taking a temperature, to determine whether the process is staying within its established critical limits.

Activities, such as records review, calibration checks and product testing, that confirm a food safety system is working as written and that monitoring and corrective actions are being done correctly.

Basic operating conditions and practices, such as cleaning, pest control, supplier approval, and employee hygiene, that must be in place before a HACCP or food safety plan can be effective.

A microorganism, such as certain bacteria, viruses, or parasites, that can cause illness in people when it is present in food in sufficient numbers or produces toxins.

A danger to food safety caused by living organisms or their products, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, molds, and the toxins some of them produce.

A tough, dormant form some bacteria create that resists heat and drying; spores can survive normal cooking and later grow into active bacteria that produce illness or toxins.

Foodborne illness caused by eating food that already contains a toxin formed by microorganisms, such as the toxins of Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridium botulinum; living bacteria do not need to be present.

The transfer of harmful microorganisms or allergens from one food, surface, or utensil to another, often through hands, cutting boards, drips, or shared equipment.

The temperature range, generally 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C), in which bacteria multiply most rapidly; food should be kept out of this range as much as possible.

An acronym for the conditions bacteria need to grow: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, and Moisture. Managers use it to identify where growth is likely and remove those conditions.

A very small infectious agent that cannot grow in food but can be carried on hands, water, or food and cause illness after being swallowed; Norovirus and hepatitis A are common foodborne examples.

A protein in a food that triggers an immune reaction in sensitive people; the major food allergens must be identified, avoided in cross-contact, and declared on labels.

The five-step process of wetting hands, applying soap, scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, rinsing, and drying with a disposable towel or dryer, done at a designated sink.

Touching ready-to-eat food with uncovered hands, which is prohibited in many operations; tongs, deli paper, or single-use gloves should be used instead.

Food that is served raw or already cooked and requires no further washing or cooking to be safe, such as salads, deli meat, bread, and cut fruit.

Disposable gloves worn over clean hands to reduce bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food; they must be changed when torn, soiled, or when switching tasks.

A liquid or gel applied to hands after washing to reduce microorganisms; it is not a substitute for handwashing and must be approved for use on hands that touch food.

An exclusion keeps a food employee out of the operation, while a restriction limits the employee to duties that do not involve food, utensils, or contact with other employees or guests.

Six highly contagious foodborne pathogens, Norovirus, hepatitis A, Salmonella Typhi, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli O157:H7, that food employees must report if diagnosed.

Time/temperature control for safety food: food that needs time or temperature control to limit pathogen growth, such as meat, poultry, dairy, cooked rice, and cut leafy greens.

First in, first out: a stock rotation method in which older food is used before newer food so that stored products are consumed within their shelf life.

Labeling ready-to-eat TCS food with a discard date, typically seven days from preparation if held at 41°F or lower, to limit the growth of Listeria.

The temperature to which a food must be cooked and held for a set time to destroy pathogens, such as 165°F for poultry and 155°F for ground meat.

Cooling cooked food from 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then from 70°F to 41°F within four more hours, for a total of six hours.

Rapidly bringing previously cooked food back to at least 165°F for 15 seconds within two hours before hot holding; this destroys bacteria that may have grown during storage.

A vendor verified to operate under proper food safety regulations and inspections, so that received food is safe and legally sourced.

The acceptable ways to defrost frozen food: under refrigeration, under running water at 70°F or below, as part of cooking, or in a microwave followed immediately by cooking.

Adjusting a thermometer so its reading matches a known standard, typically using ice-point (32°F) or boiling-point methods, to keep temperature measurements accurate.

Removing visible soil, food residue, grease, and dirt from a surface, usually with soap and water, before sanitizing is done.

Reducing microorganisms on a cleaned surface to safe levels using heat or an approved chemical sanitizer at the correct concentration and contact time.

Strips or kits used to measure the concentration of a sanitizing solution so it stays within the required range and is effective.

A manual warewashing setup with sinks for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing, followed by air-drying, used when a mechanical dishwasher is not available.

The unobstructed vertical space between a water supply outlet and the flood level of a fixture, the most reliable way to prevent backflow contamination of the water system.

A link between safe drinking water and a source of contamination, such as a hose submerged in a sink, that can allow backflow into the water supply.

A prevention-based pest control strategy that uses sanitation, exclusion, and habitat removal first, with pesticides applied only as needed by licensed professionals.