Food Safety and Foodborne Illness

Foodborne Illness

• Foodborne illness is an infection caused by contaminated food.
• Common symptoms include stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting, and even death.
• An outbreak is when more cases than expected occur in a specific area or group over a certain time.
• Outbreaks can cause civil lawsuits, economic losses, and restaurant closures.
• Food handlers are responsible for maintaining food safety standards to protect customers.

Food Safety Practices

• The person in charge (PIC) is responsible for food safety practices at a restaurant.
• Improper handwashing and personal hygiene lead to foodborne illness.
• Food handlers must wash hands:
  • After touching their face, nose, or scratching an itch
  • After handling raw meat or eggs
  • After touching raw meat surfaces or equipment (including cracking eggs)
  • After sneezing or coughing
  • After handling trash or dirty dishes
  • Before and after putting on gloves
  • After touching animals
  • After smoking or taking a break

Handwashing

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 10-15 seconds.
• Rub soap between palms, fingers, backs of hands, thumbs, wrists, fingertips, and under nails.
• Rinse thoroughly with warm water and dry with a paper towel.
• Turn off the water using the paper towel.
• Food handlers must wash their hands in the bathroom and again at a designated sink upon entering the kitchen to prevent cross-contamination.
• Avoid using handwashing sinks for washing food or utensils.

Good Manufacturing Practices

• Do not touch ready-to-eat foods with bare hands; use utensils or gloves.
• Wash hands after changing tasks and before putting on gloves.
• Wear hair nets, beard nets, aprons, and gloves to reduce cross-contamination.
• Change gloves after touching raw animal foods, garbage, cleaning supplies, or unclean items.
• Avoid artificial fingernails, bracelets, rings with stones, and unsecured jewelry; plain band wedding rings are permitted.
• Wash hands after scratching skin.
• Cover cuts and abrasions with clean bandages.
• Never catch falling knives.

Illness While Handling Food

• Do not handle food or be near food handling areas if you have vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, fever with sore throat, or infected wounds on hands or arms.
• Stay symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to work.
• Inform the PIC if you are sick; you may be sent home or assigned other duties.

Facility Standards

• Food establishments must have sanitary design, adequate product flow, and clean, organized facilities.
• Well-maintained restrooms and hand sinks are essential.
• Signs must instruct employees to wash hands before returning to work.
• Food preparation areas must be segregated to prevent cross-contamination.

Smoking

• Smoking is prohibited inside food establishments
• Smoking can only take place in designated outdoor areas away from food preparation.

Equipment

• Equipment must be well-maintained to prevent malfunctions.
• Refrigerators must maintain 41°F.
• Freezers must keep food frozen solid.
• Heat sanitizing dish machines must use 180°F water.
• Low-temperature dish machines must have appropriate sanitizer levels.
• Employees must ensure equipment functions correctly and report malfunctions to the PIC.
• Sanitizer buckets with towels and handwashing stations must be readily available.

Equipment Storage

• Keep clean and dirty equipment and utensils separate to prevent cross-contamination.

Food Handler Card

• A food handler card is required for handling food.
• Individuals without a card should not handle food or drinks.

Teamwork and Communication

• Treat everyone with respect.
• View the restaurant as a unified machine, with each person as a part.
• Communicate problems, questions, or concerns to the PIC or fellow employees.

Thermometers

• Proper thermometer function is important for food safety.
• Probe thermometers are commonly used and must be used for measuring internal food temperature.
• Routinely calibrate thermometers after any impact.

Thermometer Calibration

• Use the ice point method to verify probe thermometers.
• Fill a container with crushed ice and tap water.
• Submerge the probe for 30 seconds, avoiding sides and bottom.
• The thermometer should read 32°F.
• Recalibrate or discard thermometers if readings are outside 30°F-34°F.

Food Quality, Storage, and Rotation

• Ensure food served to customers is safe.
• Food products should meet quality standards and be stored properly.
• Refrigerate items requiring refrigeration.
• Food products must come from approved sources and be within their expiration dates.
• Use FIFO (First-In, First-Out) storage method.

Temperature Control

• Measure food temperatures to ensure they are not in the temperature danger zone.
• TCS foods require refrigeration or hot holding.
• TCS foods must be received and stored at 41°F, with exceptions:
  • Eggs may be received at 45°F.
  • Live shellfish may be received at 45°F.
• Frozen foods must be received and kept frozen.

Food Rejection

• Reject foods received above appropriate temperatures.
• Additional rejection criteria includes:
  • Swollen, expanded, or dented cans
  • Water-marked cardboard boxes indicating thawed frozen food
  • Frozen food with water crystals displaying thawing and refreezing
  • Spoiled food (moldy cheese, bread, sour milk)
  • Expired food
  • Food without labels
  • Food or packaging with signs of pests (holes, rust)

Food Storage

• Store food properly to prevent cross-contamination.
• Store food six inches off the floor.
• Ensure coolers and refrigerators have accessible internal thermometers in warmest areas.
• Store raw animal products below or separate from ready-to-eat foods.
• Label ready-to-eat foods prepared in-house and refrigerated for more than 24 hours for consumption within seven days.

TCS Foods

• TCS foods have specific shelf lives and require refrigeration.
• Discard expired or improperly stored TCS foods.
• Understand the temperature danger zone (41°F to 135°F) where bacteria grow rapidly.
• Improperly cooked food can cause foodborne illness.
• Common TCS foods include:
  • Raw animal products (beef, pork, fish, seafood, poultry)
  • Dairy products (milk, sour cream, ice cream, some cheeses)
  • Eggs
  • Garlic in oil
  • Cut foods (melons, tomatoes, leafy greens)
  • Cooked rice, potatoes, beans, vegetables, and grains

Food Cooking

• Proper cooking is essential for food safety.
• Cooking kills most foodborne illness-causing microorganisms.
• Cook raw animal products to these internal temperatures:
  • Chicken: 165°F for 1 second
  • Ground/cut-up meats: 155°F for 17 seconds
  • Steak, pork, fish, and eggs: 145°F for 15 seconds
• Handle cooked foods safely to prevent cross-contamination.
• Never store cooked products next to raw animal products.
• Undercooked food requests require menu disclaimers.

Food Holding Temperatures

• Hot foods: Hold at 135°F or higher.
• Cold foods: Hold at 41°F or below.
• Regularly check and stir foods to maintain consistent temperatures.

Cooling Food

• Cooling and reheating pose risks due to the temperature danger zone.
• Monitor cooling and reheating times carefully.
• Foods must cool from 135°F to 70°F within two hours, and to 41°F or below within six hours.
• Cooling methods include:
  • Placing uncovered food in shallow pans
  • Using ice water baths
  • Using ice paddles
  • Using blast chillers

Reheating Food

• Reheat cooled foods to 165°F within two hours.
• Avoid using hot holding equipment for reheating.
• Reheating methods include:
  • Stovetop
  • Oven
  • Microwave

Thawing Food

• Do not thaw food at room temperature; use refrigerator, cold water, or microwave (if immediately cooking).

Cross-Contamination

• Cross-contamination occurs when germs transfer between items.
• Germs can travel on utensils, cutting boards, and food handlers' hands.
• Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw and cooked foods separate, using color-coded cutting boards (meat, vegetables, cooked meats, poultry, seafood, cheese, bread), separate utensils, and sanitizing surfaces.

Food Hazards

• Three types of food hazards:
  • Biological (bacteria, viruses)
  • Physical (bones, hair, jewelry, equipment parts)
  • Chemical (kitchen chemicals)

Cleaning and Sanitizing

• Cleaning and sanitizing are critical for dirty dishes and utensils.
• Cleaning removes grease and debris.
• Sanitizing reduces germs to safe levels.

Dishwashing Machine Operation and Verification

• Review dishwashing machine data plates for proper operation.
• Measure sanitizer temperature or chemical used for sanitizing.
• Check temperature using waterproof memory thermometers or temperature-sensitive tape.
• Check sanitizer strength with test strips.

Manual Dishwashing

• Pre-wash or scrape equipment to remove debris.
• Wash in hot soapy water (110°F) in the first basin.
• Rinse with clean water in the second basin.
• Sanitize in the third basin using a chemical sanitizer (bleach or quat).
• Soak for recommended contact time.
• Air dry sanitized items on a clean drain board.
• Do not rinse after sanitizing or dry with a towel.
• Wash hands in the handwashing sink after handling dirty dishes before clean dishes.

Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces

• Follow wash-rinse-sanitize procedure for surfaces not in three-compartment sinks.
• Use sanitizer buckets and cloths to wipe down surfaces with open food.
• Verify sanitizer concentration and prepare fresh sanitizer when concentration is low or liquid dirty.

Storing and Handling Chemicals

• Store and use cleaning and sanitizing chemicals safely.
• Do not let chemicals contaminate food.
• Label and store chemicals away from food preparation areas.

Pest Prevention

• Prevent pests from entering the workplace.
• Deny pests access to food, water, and shelter.
• Take action on pest findings (mouse droppings, dead roaches, chew marks).
• Report pest activity to the PIC.

Pest Control

• Do not use household pesticides.
• Consult with a licensed pest control company for approved products.

Food Truck Safety

• Food trucks must follow good manufacturing practices and health district regulations.
• Follow the same rules as in other modules.
• Trucks and drivers must be properly licensed; food handler cards must be available.

Equipment and Utensils

• Sanitize and segregate equipment and utensils based on product type and state.
• Store items appropriately.

Temperature Control

• Monitor temperatures, especially when receiving food products.
• Verify thermometers before use.
• Refrigerators must function at compliant temperatures to prevent TCS food spoilage.

Non-Food Contact Surfaces

• Non-food contact surfaces must be smooth, non-absorbent, and easy to clean.

Handwashing and Food Preparation

• Dedicated handwashing and food preparation sinks are required.

Fresh and Wastewater Tanks

• Tanks must have dimensions suitable for daily food preparation volume.

Ventilation and Air Filters

• Trucks must have proper ventilation.
• Keep air filters clean and well-maintained.

Backup Generators

• Ensure backup generators are functional.

Catering and Restaurant Food Safety

• Caterers prioritize food safety and follow health district guidelines.
• Food handlers must have food handler safety cards.
• Adhere to critical temperature requirements during storage and preparation.

Food Transportation

• Transport food in appropriate containers maintaining proper temperatures.
• Use dedicated containers for raw animal products to prevent cross-contamination.

Time as a Public Health Control

• Regularly check food temperatures to ensure they remain outside the temperature danger zone, especially when not using a written time-based safety plan.
• Include consumer advisories on menus as needed.

Equipment and Utensil Maintenance

• Clean and sanitize equipment/utensils for food storage/serving.
• Store equipment/utensils properly.

Caterer Responsibilities

• Verify functional power sources/generators.
• Maintain clean and well-maintained food contact surfaces.

This quiz covers important aspects of food safety and the implications of foodborne illnesses. Learn about the common causes, symptoms, and the responsibilities of food handlers in maintaining hygiene standards. Test your knowledge on practices that prevent outbreaks and ensure consumer safety.