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The Food Code requires scrubbing hands and exposed arms with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds, then rinsing and drying with a single-use towel. Scrubbing for less time does not remove enough soil and microorganisms.
Bacterial growth is fastest between 41°F and 135°F, so time-temperature control for safety (TCS) food must be kept out of this range. Below 41°F growth slows greatly and above 135°F most pathogens stop multiplying.
Poultry, including chicken and turkey, must reach an internal temperature of 165°F for at least 15 seconds because it is commonly contaminated with Salmonella and Campylobacter. Lower temperatures do not reliably destroy these pathogens.
Hot TCS food must be maintained at 135°F or hotter to keep it out of the danger zone. Food that drops below this temperature must be reheated or discarded according to policy.
Cold TCS food must be kept at 41°F or colder to slow bacterial growth. Higher temperatures place the food inside the danger zone.
Gloves are worn over clean hands, so hands must be washed with soap and water before gloves are put on. Gloves do not substitute for handwashing and can spread contamination if placed over dirty hands.
Separating equipment used for raw animal foods from equipment used for ready-to-eat food prevents pathogens from transferring to food that will not be cooked. Rinsing or wiping does not remove bacteria adequately.
Diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, sore throat with fever, and infected wounds must be reported because they can signal a foodborne illness that could be passed to customers. A headache, bruise, or healing scrape is not a reportable symptom.
Food that will be hot held must be reheated to 165°F for at least 15 seconds within 2 hours so that any bacteria that grew during storage are destroyed. Reaching only a holding temperature is not sufficient.
Cooling happens in two stages: 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours, for a total of 6 hours. The first stage is the most critical because bacteria grow quickly in that range.
Thawing under running water at 70°F or below keeps the food out of the danger zone while it defrosts. Thawing may also be done in refrigeration, as part of cooking, or in a microwave if cooking follows immediately.
In-house prepared ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F or colder may be kept no more than 7 days, counting the day of preparation as day one. After that, Listeria and other pathogens may have multiplied to unsafe levels.
First-in, first-out means the food received or stored earliest is used before newer stock, which limits the chance that items will pass their use-by dates. New deliveries go behind older product, not in front of it.
Food is stored from highest required cooking temperature on the bottom upward. Raw poultry requires the highest cooking temperature (165°F), so it goes below ready-to-eat food, seafood, whole cuts, and ground meat to prevent drips from contaminating them.
The ice-point method uses a mixture of ice and water, which stays at 32°F, to check and adjust a thermometer. The boiling-point method, at 212°F at sea level, is the other common calibration check.
A chlorine sanitizing solution should be mixed to about 50 to 100 ppm and checked with test strips. Quaternary ammonium compounds are used at roughly 200 ppm, which is a different chemical with a different target.
Gloves must be changed whenever the task changes or contamination occurs, such as after handling raw animal food and before touching ready-to-eat food. Gloves are never washed and reused.
The major allergens include milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Rice, carrots, and lettuce are not among them.
Ice crystals and water stains suggest the product thawed and was refrozen, which means it may have spent time in the danger zone. Such shipments should be rejected, along with any delivery that is not frozen solid.
Ready-to-eat food must not be touched with bare hands, so utensils such as tongs, deli paper, or single-use gloves must be used. Hand sanitizer does not make bare-hand contact acceptable.
Vomiting and diarrhea are symptoms of illnesses such as Norovirus that spread easily through food, so the handler must be excluded from the food establishment. Restricting duties is only for certain other conditions, such as an infected wound.
Wiping does not clean and sanitize the board, so pathogens from the raw chicken juices remain and are transferred to the tomatoes, which will be served without cooking. The board must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
A critical limit is a measurable value, such as 165°F for 15 seconds, that separates safe food from unsafe food at a critical control point. If the limit is not met, corrective action is required.
An infected wound or boil that cannot be covered with a watertight bandage, or that is on the hands or wrists, requires the employee to be restricted from working with exposed food, clean equipment, utensils, and linens. A bandage alone does not remove the risk of Staph contamination.
TCS food that has been in the danger zone for more than 4 hours cannot be made safe again and must be discarded. Reheating or chilling does not destroy the toxins that bacteria such as Bacillus cereus may have produced.
Handwashing must last long enough for soap and friction to lift soil and microorganisms from the hands, including the backs of the hands, between the fingers, and under the nails. Food safety training standards set the minimum at about 20 seconds of washing before rinsing and drying. Shorter washing leaves contamination behind.
The range from 41°F to 135°F is the temperature danger zone, where bacteria reproduce fastest. TCS food must be kept out of this range or moved through it quickly. Cold holding keeps food at or below 41°F and hot holding keeps it at or above 135°F.
Hot-held TCS food must stay at an internal temperature of at least 135°F to keep bacteria from multiplying. The temperature should be checked at least every four hours and the food reheated or discarded if it falls below that point. Holding below 135°F places the food in the danger zone.
Cold holding requires TCS food to be kept at 41°F or lower to slow bacterial growth. Temperatures above 41°F place the food in the danger zone. Coolers and cold tables should be checked regularly so the food stays within this limit.
Freezers should hold food at 0°F or colder to keep it solidly frozen and preserve quality. Temperatures that hover near or above freezing let ice crystals soften and allow the food to warm during defrost cycles. Freezer temperatures should be checked and logged daily.
Washing and rinsing remove food and grease, but a sanitizing step is needed to reduce pathogens to safe levels on the surface. After sanitizing, the item should be allowed to air dry so the sanitizer can work and no recontamination occurs. The correct order is wash, rinse, sanitize, and air dry.
Wet wiping cloths left on counters become breeding grounds for bacteria and can spread contamination from one surface to another. They must be stored in a bucket of approved sanitizer at the correct concentration between uses. Cloths should be replaced when the solution becomes soiled.
The scoop handle can carry contamination from hands, so it must never touch the ice. Storing the scoop in a clean holder outside the bin keeps both the handle and the ice protected. Scoops should be cleaned and sanitized regularly.
Chemicals must be kept in a designated area away from food, utensils, and food-contact surfaces to prevent accidental contamination or poisoning. Storing them below and apart from food also prevents leaks from dripping onto food. Containers must stay labeled at all times.
Shellstock tags must be kept on file for 90 days from the date the last shellfish from that container was sold or served. The tags allow traceability if a shellfish-related illness outbreak is investigated. Tags must remain attached to the container until it is emptied.
The coldest spot in a large piece of meat is the center of the thickest portion, so the probe must reach that point to give a valid reading. Placing the probe in the center of the thickest part ensures the whole piece reached the required temperature. The probe should be inserted at least two inches deep.
When time is used instead of temperature control, the food must be marked with the time it left refrigeration and thrown away once four hours have passed. The food must also have started at 41°F or below. After the limit, bacteria may have multiplied enough to make the food unsafe.
Jaundice can signal hepatitis A, a highly contagious illness spread through food and handled items. A food handler with jaundice must be excluded from the operation and referred to a health care provider, and the local regulatory authority must be notified. Gloves and reassignment do not remove the risk of spreading the virus.
A hose submerged in dirty water can allow backflow, drawing contaminated water into the potable water lines when pressure drops. This is called back siphonage and can spread illness through the building's water supply. Hoses must be kept above the flood rim of the sink or fitted with a backflow prevention device.
Handwashing sinks are reserved for handwashing so they stay available and sanitary for that purpose. Using them for dumping or filling introduces soil and contaminants that can be picked up on hands. If a mop sink is out of service, another approved utility sink should be used instead.
Scrubbing with soap for 10 to 15 seconds loosens and lifts soil and microorganisms so they can be rinsed away, and the full handwashing process takes about 20 seconds.
Hands must be washed after using the restroom because body waste can carry pathogens such as norovirus and E. coli that are easily transferred to food.
Nails must be kept short and clean so soil and pathogens cannot collect underneath them, and most codes also prohibit nail polish and artificial nails on food handlers.
Jewelry such as rings, watches, and bracelets traps food and pathogens underneath and can fall into food, so it must be removed before working with food.
Hair must be restrained with an effective covering such as a hat or hairnet so loose hair cannot fall into food, and tying it back alone does not fully cover the hair.
Eating and drinking are allowed only in designated areas away from food, utensils, and equipment, and drinks must be kept covered with a lid and straw.
Coughing or sneezing into the elbow or a tissue keeps droplets off the hands and away from food, and the handler must wash hands afterward.
Diarrhea is a symptom of a foodborne illness, so the handler must tell the person in charge, who will exclude or restrict the handler from food work.
Gloves that have touched raw meat carry pathogens and must be discarded, the hands washed, and new gloves put on before touching ready-to-eat food or clean equipment.
Hand antiseptics reduce germs but do not remove soil, grease, or food residue, so they may be used only after hands have been washed with soap and water and never as a substitute.