Serve SafeFood Safety May 2006
Food Safety • Important to prevent food borne illnesses • Food borne illness caused by bacterial growth on food usually on potentially hazardous foods • Children, elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable to illness
Food Safety Potentially hazardous foods include: • High protein foods • Eggs • Milk • Meat and poultry • Fish and shellfish • Some soy protein foods • Raw seed sprouts
Symptoms of Food Borne Illness • Diarrhea • Nausea • Vomiting • Upset stomach • Fever • Cramps
Causes of Food Borne Illness • Personal hygiene • Contaminated equipment and surfaces • Food from an unsafe source • Improper thawing • Inadequate cooking • Improper holding and storing temperatures
Personal Hygiene • It is important to wash hands before, during, and after handling foods to prevent cross-contamination • Even if you wear gloves, hand-washing is necessary
Personal Hygiene Proper hand-washing procedure: • Wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. • Rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces. • Continue for 10 - 15 seconds or about the length of a little tune. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs. • Rinse well and dry your hands using a paper towel
Contaminated Equipment and Surfaces Cleaning and disinfecting are both important • Cleaning helps to remove dirt and most germs • Sanitation/disinfecting helps to remove anything remaining • Surfaces may look clean, but germs can still be around • Without the extra margin of care through sanitation, foods can easily become contaminated
Food Sources If food is contaminated when you receive it, proper cooking and holding temperatures will likely kill any bacteria
Thawing Foods • Ways to properly thaw foods to prevent bacterial growth include: • In the microwave • In the refrigerator • Place food in a bucket of ice cold water • Do not thaw foods on the counter! • Bacteria can easily grow at room temperature • Be sure to cook food immediately after thawing
Preparing Foods • Be sure to use different equipment and utensils when handling raw and cooked foods • Keep raw and cooked foods separate • Do not allow juices from raw foods to drip on to other foods • Keep raw foods in containers to prevent cross-contamination
Cooking Foods • If bacteria are present on food, cooking food to proper temperatures will destroy it • Use a food thermometer to ensure proper temperatures • Proper cooking temperatures: • Ground meats, beef, veal, ham - 165°F • Poultry - 180°F • Egg dishes - 160°F • Fish – should be opaque or white and flaky • Reheated foods - 165°F
Holding Foods • Keep foods out of the “danger zone,” the temperatures at which bacteria grow freely • “Danger zone:” 40°F-140°F • Things to keep in mind: • Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold • 2 hour rule: Do not leave perishable foods out for more than 2 hours
Storing Foods • Refrigerate or freeze potentially hazardous foods • Use containers to prevent cross-contamination • Keep refrigerator at 40°F • Keep freezer at 0°F • Store foods promptly • Allowing foods to “cool” before refrigeration is not necessary
Storing Foods
Easy Rules of Thumb • Clean, separate, cook, and chill foods • Cook foods to proper temperatures • Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold • The 2 hour rule • When in doubt, throw it out!
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