NEHA CCFS cheat sheet

Temperature danger zone is 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C); hold cold foods at or below 41°F and hot foods at or above 135°F.

Two-stage cooling: 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours, for a 6-hour total maximum.

Reheating for hot holding must reach 165°F (74°C) within 2 hours; reheating is permitted only once for previously cooked food.

FATTOM = Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, Moisture: the six conditions bacteria need to multiply; remove any one to inhibit growth.

Bacteria multiply fastest between 70°F and 125°F and can double roughly every 20 minutes under ideal conditions.

Handwashing requires at least 20 seconds of scrubbing with soap and warm running water, then drying with a disposable towel or air dryer.

Big Six pathogens requiring exclusion or restriction of food employees: Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and nontyphoidal Salmonella.

Biological hazards cause the majority of foodborne illness; viruses such as Norovirus and Hepatitis A are not destroyed by cooking and spread via hands and ready-to-eat food.

Cross-contamination controls: color-coded cutting boards, separate raw and ready-to-eat prep, and sanitizer concentrations of 50-100 ppm chlorine or 200-400 ppm quaternary ammonium.

A foodborne illness outbreak is two or more persons with the same illness from a common food; report suspected outbreaks to the local regulatory authority.

Active managerial control means the person in charge monitors critical control points such as cooking, cooling, and holding, and takes corrective action when limits are missed.

TCS foods (time/temperature control for safety) include meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, cut melons, leafy greens, cooked rice, and sprouts.

Date marking: ready-to-eat TCS food held over 24 hours must be marked with a discard date no more than 7 days from preparation at 41°F or below, day 1 being the prep date.

Cooking minimums: poultry and stuffed foods 165°F; ground meat and eggs for hot holding 155°F; whole-muscle fish and pork 145°F for 15 seconds; vegetables for hot holding 135°F.

Proper cold-holding equipment keeps food at 41°F or below; check with a calibrated probe thermometer, not the unit's dial gauge.

Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food is prohibited; use utensils, deli tissue, or single-use gloves changed between tasks and after touching the face or waste.

A HACCP plan has seven principles: hazard analysis, determine CCPs, establish limits, monitor, corrective actions, verify, and record keeping.

Cross-connection control requires an air gap or approved backflow preventer; a hose submerged in a mop sink is a common violation.

Sanitizing solutions must contact food-contact surfaces for the labeled time, typically 30 seconds for chlorine and 60 seconds for quaternary ammonium.

Manual warewashing: wash at 110°F, rinse in clean water, sanitize, then air dry; do not towel dry.

Thermometers must be calibrated using the ice-point method at 32°F (0°C) or boiling-point method at 212°F (100°C).

Pest control: keep exterior doors self-closing and tight-fitting, screen windows, seal cracks, and store food at least 6 inches off the floor.

Integrated pest management prioritizes prevention and sanitation over routine pesticide application; only licensed applicators may apply restricted pesticides.

Employee health: exclude workers with vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice; restrict workers with a lesion or a sore on the hand from ready-to-eat food contact.

Allergen control: the nine major allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame; prevent cross-contact, not just cross-contamination.

Food defense differs from food safety: it targets intentional contamination, so control physical access to storage, receiving, and utility areas.

Approved suppliers must be inspected; receiving rejects frozen food with large ice crystals, discoloration, or temperatures above 41°F for cold TCS food.

Shellstock tags must be retained 90 days from the date the last shellfish is served or sold.

Cleaning removes visible soil with detergent; sanitizing reduces pathogens to safe levels on a clean surface; both steps are required in that order.

Facility design follows a forward flow: receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, holding, and service, to prevent cross-contamination.

Variance or specialized process approval is needed for curing, smoking for preservation, reduced-oxygen packaging, and sprouting seeds.

Imminent health hazard, such as a sewage backup or loss of potable water, requires stopping operations and notifying the regulatory authority.

Food handler training and documented standard operating procedures are core verification records for an active managerial control system.

FIFO rotation: use oldest stock first; label and date all stored food and keep raw meat below ready-to-eat food in the cooler.

Cooler storage order top to bottom: ready-to-eat food, whole fish, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat, then poultry.

Hot-holding equipment must maintain 135°F or above; if food drops below, reheat to 165°F within 2 hours or discard.

Time as a public health control allows holding TCS food without temperature control for up to 4 hours, then the food must be discarded.

Freezer storage keeps food at 0°F or below; frozen food must be thawed under refrigeration, under running water at 70°F or below, or as part of cooking.

The FDA Food Code is a model code adopted, often with amendments, by state and local jurisdictions; the local regulatory authority sets the enforceable requirement.

Employee handwashing frequency: before starting work, after using the restroom, after handling raw meat, after touching hair or face, and after handling garbage.

Chemical storage must be separated from food and food-contact surfaces and kept in labeled original or approved containers.

Flow of food steps: purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, and serving; each has a temperature and time control.

Ice used for food or beverages must be made from potable water and must never be used as a coolant for food or beverages.

Serving: use clean and sanitized utensils; hold plates by the edge; never touch the food-contact surface of utensils.

Off-site service and catering require transport equipment that maintains safe temperatures and a plan for holding and reheating.

Vending and mobile units need potable water, handwashing facilities, and temperature control documented for TCS items.

A consumer advisory is required for raw or undercooked animal foods offered for sale, such as raw oysters or rare burgers.

Record-keeping supports verification: temperature logs, sanitizer logs, receiving logs, and corrective action notes demonstrate active managerial control.

Food safety culture indicators include leadership commitment, ongoing training, accountability, and prompt reporting of hazards and illness.

Bacteria growth phases are lag, log, stationary, and death; the log phase is when population increases exponentially and is the target of temperature control.

Spore-formers such as Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus cereus survive normal cooking; cooling and reheating controls prevent toxin formation.

Clostridium perfringens is associated with cooled meats and gravies held in the temperature danger zone; rapid cooling prevents it.

Staphylococcus aureus is carried on skin and in nasal passages; it produces a heat-stable toxin, so cooking does not make the food safe.

Listeria monocytogenes grows at refrigeration temperatures and is a special risk for pregnant people, older adults, and immunocompromised people.

Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States and spreads through the fecal-oral route and contaminated surfaces.

Parasites such as Anisakis in fish are controlled by freezing according to the FDA Food Code time and temperature schedule.

Chemical hazards include cleaning agents, sanitizers, and pesticides; physical hazards include glass, metal, bone, and jewelry.

An allergen cross-contact event requires cleaning and sanitizing equipment and utensils between allergen and non-allergen production.