Food Safety Regulations: Risk Factors

Introduction

• The Southern Nevada Health District's food regulations focus on controlling foodborne illness risk factors in food establishments.
• Control of the five risk factors will prevent foodborne illness.
• The Person in Charge of a restaurant must understand the risk factors to train food handlers and ensure food safety.
• Continuous training emphasizes preventing foodborne illness.
• Food establishments should self-close and contact the Health District if there is a food safety risk, such as sewage backup or pest infestation.

Foodborne Illness Risk Factors

• Poor personal hygiene practices should be avoided.
• Improper hand washing should be avoided.
• Bare hand contact with ready-to-eat (RTE) foods can cause foodborne illness.
• Food handlers should not work while ill with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat with a fever, infected cuts on the hands, and jaundice.
• Make sure food is received from safe sources.
• Food from an unapproved source and/or prepared in unpermitted locations should be avoided.
• Receiving adulterated food should be avoided.
• Maintain proper cooking temperatures and methods.
• Improper cooking and reheating temperatures can cause issues.
• Freezing is a kill step to eliminate parasites in fish.
• Proper holding, time, and temperature is important for safety.
• Improper hot and cold holding of time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods is a risk factor.
• Improper use of time as a control is a risk factor.
• Improper cooling of TCS foods is a risk factor.
• Avoid contaminating food.
• The use of contaminated or improperly constructed equipment is a risk factor.
• Poor employee practices are a risk factor.
• Improper food storage and preparation is a risk factor.
• Exposure to chemicals is a risk factor.

Food Hazards

• Biological hazards involve microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness like bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
• Chemical hazards are chemicals not meant to be consumed.
• These include sanitizers, cleaning agents, or pest control products that must be separated from food.
• Physical hazards are foreign objects that can cause injury such as glass, metal, or bone.

Personal Hygiene

• Handwashing is a critical part of personal hygiene.
• Hands must be washed in a designated handwashing sink before food handling to prevent foodborne illness.
• This sink is for hand washing ONLY and should have liquid soap, paper towels, and a trash can.
• Hands must be wet with warm water (min. 100°F).
• Soap must be applied.
• Hands should be rubbed vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
• Hands must be rinsed and dried.
• The water should be turned off with a paper towel.
• Hands must be washed when entering the kitchen and after touching your face, hair, or skin.
• Hands must also be washed after using the restroom, handling raw animal products, taking out the trash or cleaning and after handling anything dirty.
• If you have a cut on your hand, wash your hands, put on a clean bandage, and wear gloves.
• It is important to not work with food if you can't wash your hands because of a wound, splint, bandage, or brace.
• Ready-to-eat foods cannot be handled with bare hands.
• Physical barriers must be used to prevent contamination from germs that have the potential to cause foodborne illness because these germs cannot be fully removed by proper handwashing alone.
• Ready-to-eat foods include cooked food, raw fruits and vegetables, baked goods, snack foods, and ice, use deli/wax paper, gloves, or utensils such as tongs, scoops, and spatulas.
• Proper uniforms are a must.
• Proper hair restraint is a must.
• Clothes must be neat and clean.
• All wounds must be covered.
• No wrist jewelry or ornate or jeweled rings should be worn.
• Plain band rings are okay.
• Nails must be short and clean; long, painted, and/or artificial nails are not okay.
• Symptoms of illness cannot be present, and cannot work until symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of medicine.
• All of those working that day must take care of their health to prevent foodborne illness.
• An employer must be told if a food handler has been diagnosed with Salmonella, Typhoid Fever, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hepatitis A, or Norovirus.

Approved Sources

• TCS foods require time and temperature control to limit pathogenic microorganism growth or toxin formation.
• An approved source is a reputable supplier that has been inspected and follows regulations.
• Foods should always checked before acceptance from the supplier.
• Food temperatures for receiving TCS food includes hot foods hot (above 135°F) and cold foods cold (below 41°F).
• Frozen foods must be frozen solid.
• When receiving eggs and live shellstock, they should be at 45°F.
• Food must NOT be slimy, sticky, off-color, or have a bad odor.
• Food must be identified as to what it is and where it came from.
• Shellfish tags must be kept on file for 90 days.
• Fish served undercooked or raw must have documents from the supplier explaining how the fish is frozen or raised

Proper Temperatures

• Cooking foods is the only way to reduce the number of germs to safe levels,
• TCS foods must be stored at correct temperatures for safety, or stay out of the temperature danger zone where bacteria grow the fastest.
• Hot foods must be kept hot and cold foods must be kept cold.
• DANGER ZONE temperature Between 41°F and 135°F.
• HOT HOLDING ZONE temperature 135°F
• COLD HOLDING ZONE temperature 41°F

Proper Thawing

• It is important to maintain foods 41°F or below when thawing (defrosting).
• Uses an approved thawing method.
• Plan ahead, maintain refrigeration at 41°F or less, large items may take several days to thaw when under refrigeration.
• Take directly from frozen to cooking if cooking is the method to use for thawing.
• Transfer immediately to a conventional cooking process or cook completely in the microwave when using a microwave to thaw.
• Ensure running water flows fast enough to both remove and float off any loose particles that may be present.
• Fully submerged food in the water, and the water shouldn't rise above 41F

Understanding and controlling foodborne illness risk factors in food establishments is crucial for preventing outbreaks. The Person in Charge must train food handlers on these risk factors and ensure food safety practices are followed. Continuous training and self-closure protocols are essential for maintaining a safe environment.