Food Safety, Hygiene and Kitchen Sanitation
What is tested
Food hazards, bacterial growth conditions, temperature control, personal hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, cross-contamination, HACCP and pest and waste control.
Core rules
- Hazards are biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical, physical and allergenic.
- Bacteria need food, acidity near neutral, time, temperature, oxygen and moisture - remembered as FATTOM.
- Danger zone 5–63 °C. Keep cold food at or below 5 °C and hot food at or above 63 °C; cool cooked food from 63 °C to 5 °C within 90 minutes; freezer −18 °C; fridge 0–5 °C.
- High-risk foods are high in protein and moisture: meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, cooked rice and gravy.
- Prevent cross-contamination: separate colour-coded boards, raw food below ready-to-eat food in the fridge, 20-second handwashing, clean and sanitise surfaces.
- HACCP has seven principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective action, verification, documentation.
Worked example
A cook leaves a deep pot of chicken stew on the bench overnight. The large mass stays in the danger zone for hours, so bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens multiply. Correct the practice by decanting into shallow containers no more than 5 cm deep, cooling rapidly in an ice bath or blast chiller and refrigerating within 90 minutes. Reheat to 74 °C before service. Reasoning: cooling speed depends on the surface-area-to-volume ratio.
Traps
- Believing freezing kills bacteria - it only stops growth.
- Wiping a board with a damp cloth and calling it sanitised.
- Storing raw chicken above salad.
- Using one cloth or pair of tongs for raw and cooked items.