Sanitation Standards
Preventing Food-Borne Illness - in the food business industry, food is fragile and perishable. If food is not handled, stored, and cooked properly, people can become ill. When working with food, your priorities must always be to serve safe food.
Three of the most important ways to keep food safe are:
Perform Temperature Checks: cold food should be served cold (below 40°F), and hot food should be served hot (above 140°F)
Always, always use the proper chemicals to clean your work area and your hands. Learn how to use sanitizer properly.
Wash hands often (see below)
To prevent food-borne illness, change your gloves at least every two hours! Or whenever needed! Wash your hands whenever you:
Go to the restroom (always take off your apron and chef coat before going in)
Touch a trashcan
Touch your face or hair
Touch the floor or trash on the floor
Work with raw chicken, fish, or marinades that involve raw product
Touch any pan or utensil used to work on raw chicken, fish, etc.
Sneeze or cough
Smoke
Sweep the floor
Open a door
Use the POS System and then work with food
* Remember to not take your cellphone with you inside the restroom, using your cellphone in the restroom puts you at risk of catching germs like salmonella, E. coli, and C. Difficile.
Salmonella is a type of food poisoning caused by eating contaminated foods. When you handle a bacteria-infested phone, you’re going to get all that bacteria on your food and possibly become very ill!
E. Coli is an infection that forms from coming into contact with feces or stool from humans or animals. While most strands are harmless, some can cause severe anemia or kidney failure and lead to death.
C. Difficile is one of the most common germs found in a toilet. These bacteria cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to deadly inflammation of the colon. According to the CDC, nearly 500,000 cases of C. difficile infections were reported in 2011, with almost 29,000 patients facing death after the first month of diagnosis.
The Five Risk Factors for Foodborne Illness
Investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks often identify the following five risk factors that result in foodborne illness:
1. Food held at improper temperature
When potentially hazardous foods are maintained at temperatures between 41°F and 135°F, pathogenic microorganisms are able to multiply rapidly. As they grow and multiply, food becomes unsafe.
2. Inadequately cooked or “undercooked” food
Raw foods such as meats, poultry, and fish may already contain many microorganisms. If these foods are not cooked to proper temperatures, the microorganisms will be passed on to the consumer.
3. Contaminated food equipment
Contamination of food may also occur from food equipment that has not been properly cleaned and sanitized. Unproperly washed plates, ramekins, ladles and other utensils may contaminate food and foodborne illness may occur.
4. Food from an unsafe source
Some foodborne illnesses have been linked to foods from an unsafe source such as a non-approved supplier.
5. Poor hygienic practices
When a team member does not practice good personal hygiene, food that they handle is likely to become contaminated. Team member who does not wear clean clothes and apron or use effective hair restraints, working while ill, not washing hands after performing unsanitary task (see above list) are all prime candidates for contaminating food.
Handwashing
Handwashing needs to take place by every team member at a minimum of every 30 minutes, in addition to washing after using the restroom, before putting on new gloves, after handling dirty dishes, cleaning a spill, etc.
Handwashing is one of the most effective things food handlers can do to prevent illnesses. To make sure washing is effective, follow this procedure:
Use hot water that is at least 110°F.
Apply 1 to 2 squirts of soap.
Scrub for at least 20 seconds, making sure to wash in between fingers and under nails.
Rinse thoroughly under running hot water.
Pat hands dry with paper towels. Use the paper towel to turn off the water. Dispose of the paper towel.
Once hands are dry, use 1 to 2 squirts of hand sanitizer. Please remember that using hand sanitizer should be IN ADDITION (not in replacement) to washing hands.
Illness & Sneezing/Coughing
Cough/sneeze away from food and guests. Excuse yourself from the work are
Cover your mouth and nose!
Immediately wash your hands and change your gloves!
Let your manager know if you are sick! If you are contagious, you shouldn’t be working.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
These are the two most essential tasks in a food establishment. Effective cleaning and sanitizing reduce the risk of cross contamination, increases the working life of equipment, minimizes the attraction of insects, and rodents, and reduces the risk of a foodborne disease outbreak. While cleaning and sanitizing are often thought of as one, they are actually two different processes.
Cleaning = removing visible dirt
Sanitizing = reducing harmful bacteria to a safe level (sanitizer is the chemical used to kill bacteria in food)
When you Sanitize, clean the item with soap first, then use a chemical sanitizer as well!
Sanitizing
There are many ways to destroy the microorganisms, but the two most common methods of sanitizing equipment and utensils are with high temperatures or chemicals. High temperature sanitizing is used primarily for warewashing. Chemical sanitizing is also used in warewashing, to sanitize larger pieces of equipment that may not fit in a dishwasher.
The two most common chemical sanitizers used in food service facilities are chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds
Chlorine-based sanitizers such as bleach, are the most commonly used sanitizers, it is effective in hard water, destroys a wide variety of microorganisms, and leave no film or residue. Chlorine sanitizers are usually used at a concentration of 50 ppm, the water temp should be between 75°F and 115° F and shouldn’t pass 115° F or the solution becomes ineffective.
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (quats) are a popular general-purpose sanitizer because it is effective at wider temperature and pH ranges. Quats is non-corrosive unlike the chlorine-based, and non-irritating to the skin. Quats is best used at concentrations above 200 ppm and at temperature above 75° F.
Sanitizer Buckets
Follow our current procedures for sanitizer buckets/towels and for sanitizer bottles/towels that clean the tabletops and any surfaces not mentioned above:
● Fill red sanitizer buckets 50% of the way to the top with sanitizer water from the dispenser at the 3-comp sink.
● Run a fresh clean white towel under the sanitizer dispenser to get it wet, then place it in the bucket of solution (make sure a fresh towel is used every time you change the bucket). Only 1 towel per sanitizer bucket is allowed.
● Place a quat/litmus test strip in the solution for 10 seconds to make sure the concentration level is correct.
● Sanitizer buckets are to be changed at least every 2 hours. Change them more frequently if you see they are getting dirty.
Cross Contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when you touch food and then, without washing your hands or changing your gloves, you touch a different type of food, thus transferring bacteria from one product to another. It is especially important to avoid cross-contamination when dealing with raw proteins (e.g. chicken, seafood, beef, etc.).
Walk-in
Improper storage of products in the walk-in can easily lead to cross-contamination. Whenever you put raw protein in the walk-in, make sure it is not being stored above any other product. Juices from that protein can easily drip on items below it and contaminate them. Also, make sure the item is in a sealed container. This will help keep bacteria from spreading. Be especially careful to not contaminate products that are served raw (e.g., cucumbers, lettuce, scallions). Because these items never get cooked, the process that kills bacteria, any bacteria they carry is going to be served to our guests.
Cutting Boards
Cutting two different products on the same cutting board will cause cross-contamination. To prevent this from happening, follow these two simple rules.
1. Always clean and sanitize your cutting board between products.
2. Use the proper colored cutting board.
o Green – produce
o Blue - raw fish/shellfish
o Red – raw meats
o Yellow – raw poultry
o Brown – cooked meats
o White – dairy
Kitchen Prep Sink
Under California Retail Food Code: it only allowed use is to wash, rinse, thaw, and prep foods. Never use for hand washing, cleaning utensils & tools, and disposing of mop water. Sanitize before, after, and between use especially when raw meat is prepared prior to prepping produce or ready-to-eat foods.
Danger Zone
Most bacteria grow between 41° and 135° Fahrenheit. This is called the “Danger Zone.” Food should never be kept between these temperatures. This means that food in refrigerators and on the cold table must always be under 41°F and food on the steam table must always be above 135°F.
Certain foods should be kept above 135°F (e.g. chicken should be 165 degrees). The Steam Times chart posted on the convection steamer outlines the minimum temperatures to which food should be heated. Under NO circumstances can food be served without first being brought up to the proper temperature.
Temp Checks
To ensure food is not in the danger zone, do periodic “temp checks.” A temp check is simply taking the temperature of the food and recording it on the daily Tasting Notes.
How to Do Temp Checks
To do a temp check you need a thermometer, probe wipes, and the Tasting Notes.
Stir the product. Foods cool and heat unevenly. To get an accurate temperature you should stir the food in order to break up any cold or hot pockets.
Insert the thermometer. The thermometer should be inserted deep enough to go through every layer of the food. However, make sure it is not touching the bottom or sides of the pan. You want to take the temperature of the food, not the metal.
Compare and record the temperature on the Tasting Notes. Compare the temperature of the food to the desired temperature on the Tasting Notes. If an item is not at the proper temperature, bring the item to temperature in the convection steamer by incrementally heating and temperature checking (ensure that you do not overcook the item by heating in small increments and taking the temperature after each heating). Record the temperature in the proper place on the Tasting Notes.
Sanitize the thermometer. After you remove the thermometer from each product, wipe it thoroughly with the probe wipes before placing it in another product. Sanitizing the thermometer will prevent cross-contamination.
How to Calibrate the Thermometer
Thermometers should be calibrated (checked for accuracy) on a regular basis and after being dropped or jarred. To calibrate a thermometer...
Fill a clean, plastic cup with 1⁄2 water and 1⁄2 ice.
Insert the thermometer in the slush making sure the tip does not touch the side or bottom of the cup.
Wait until the reading is steady.
If the thermometer is digital and does not read 32 degrees, change the battery. If the thermometer is a simple, pocket one, turn the nut until the needle reads 32 degrees.
Cooling Product
When cooling the product, you want it to pass through the danger zone as quickly as possible (that is, you want to get it from above 135 degrees to below 41 degrees in the shortest time you can). To do this:
· Transfer hot food into sanitized 2” hotel pans. Using large shallow pans and spreading the food out will help it cool faster.
· Never put a lid on food that is cooling. The lid will keep the heat trapped near the food.
· If possible, place the pan on ice.
At the end of the night, when you have a lot of product to cool, turn off the steam table, drain it, and fill it with ice. That will give you enough room to ice down all of the carry-over food. During service, you may not have the room to ice down hot products. If this is the case, put food directly into the walk-in. For example, after making a batch of roasted veggies in the morning, transfer them into sanitized 2” hotel pans and put them in the walk-in uncovered to cool. Cover the product when it has cooled.
Thawing Procedures
In Cold Water – this method typically takes 20-30 minutes per pound of food and requires some planning and preparation. Cold water thawing is meant to keep the surface of your food cool enough that the bacterial growth stays slow, allowing the food to slowly, and safely thaw all the way through. It is important that you keep the temperature of the water consistently at or below 70°F. Refresh the water every 30 minutes or so.
In Cold Running Water – one way to keep the water cold without having to continuously watch over it is to fill a bowl with cold water and leave the tap water running over the food as it thaws. This does require a lot of water, but it will keep the surface temperature of your food from growing bacteria too rapidly. Keep the food in its original container or in a plastic, resealable bag to protect the kitchen sink and counter from germs.
In the Refrigerator – this is the safest method for thawing, especially when thawing whole food items. It takes the longest amount of time so planning ahead is the key! Depending on the type of food you are thawing, 5 lbs. can take 24 hours to thaw. While this method definitely takes some planning ahead, there are many upsides to thawing frozen food this way:
1. The refrigerator keeps the food safe from bacterial growth the entire time it thaws.
2. You won’t need to keep watch over the food.
3. You helped save some water resources.
Working with Seafood
When working with seafood never take the product out of the walk-in before you are ready to work with it. You want to minimize the amount of time the fish is at room temperature because seafood is especially vulnerable to bacteria growth. Always keep the product over ice (even when it is in the walk-in). For example, when you cut salmon and cubed tuna, keep the filets you are not presently working with wrapped in plastic and on ice, and immediately transfer the cut portions into a 1/6 pan on ice.
Product Rotation
F.I.F.O.
To minimize food spoilage, you should always use the oldest product available (of course, if the product is spoiled you should let your manager know and use a fresh batch). This method of food rotation is called First In/First Out (FIFO). To ensure FIFO is followed, always put new products behind old products on shelves and in refrigerators.
Food Labels
To make using FIFO rotation easier, every product should have a food label sticker on it. This includes everything in the walk-in, freezer, dry storage, grill drawers, and refrigerators under the line. Food Labels/Day Dots are color-coded stickers that signify what day of the week the product was prepped or received. The sticker should be facing out, so it can easily be seen. In addition, if you think batches could get mixed up, place a “Use First” sticker on the older batch.
