Foodborne Illness and Safety Practices

Foodborne Illness

• Foodborne illness results from contaminated food, causing symptoms like stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting, and potentially death.
• A foodborne illness outbreak involves more cases than anticipated in a specific area or group over a set period.
• Outbreaks can lead to lawsuits, financial losses, and business closures.
• Following food safety practices significantly reduces foodborne illness risks.

Food Safety Practices

• Proper handwashing and personal hygiene are crucial for preventing foodborne illness.
• Wash hands thoroughly for 10-15 seconds with soap and warm water. Scrub between fingers, backs of hands, thumbs, wrists, fingertips, and under nails.
• Wash hands after touching the face, scratching, handling raw meat, raw meat surfaces, cleaning trash/dirty dishes, putting on gloves, touching animals, using chemicals, smoking/taking breaks, and sneezing/coughing.
• Wash hands at the designated sink in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Do not wash utensils or food in the handwashing sink.
• Adhere to good manufacturing practices when handling food.
• Use utensils or gloves to handle ready-to-eat foods, avoiding bare-hand contact.
• Wash hands before and after glove changes and when changing tasks.
• Hair/beard nets, aprons, and gloves are essential to reduce cross-contamination.
• Remove gloves before restrooms and change them after touching raw animal products.
• Avoid artificial nails, bracelets, and rings with stones.
• Always wash hands after scratching.
• Clean and cover cuts and abrasions.
• Never attempt to catch a falling knife.

Sick Employees

• Ill employees can spread germs to customers.
• Employees with vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, fever with a sore throat, or infected hand/arm wounds should not handle food.
• Stay out of food preparation areas for at least 24 hours after symptoms subside.

Food Facility Standards

• Food establishments need sanitary design and layout, ensuring appropriate product flow.
• Facilities must be clean, organized, and with functioning restrooms and hand sinks.
• Designate separate food preparation areas and controlled access zones to avoid cross-contamination.
• Smoking is prohibited inside, restricted to designated outdoor areas separate from food operations.

Equipment Maintenance

• Maintain equipment regularly to prevent malfunctions.
• Refrigerators must maintain internal temperatures at 41°F.
• Freezers must maintain foods frozen solid.
• Heat-sanitizing dish machines should have water at 180°F, reaching 160°F on surfaces.
• Ensure proper sanitizer levels in low-temperature dish machines.
• Employees must check equipment functionality.
• Sanitizer buckets, towels, and handwashing sinks should always be accessible.
• Keep clean and dirty equipment/utensils separate.

Food Handler Cards

• Food handler cards are compulsory, kept readily available.
• Employees without cards cannot handle food or drinks, even hosts who don't serve.

Teamwork

• Respectful interactions promote a positive workplace and teamwork.
• Restaurants operate like machines with coordinated parts.
• Report issues, questions, or concerns to relevant staff members.

Food Temperature Verification

• Thermometers are essential for accurate food temperature checks.
• Probe thermometers are ideal for measuring food's internal temperature.
• Verify and calibrate thermometers regularly and after any drops.
• Use the ice point method to verify thermometer accuracy:
  • Fill a container with crushed ice and tap water.
  • Once the mixture stabilizes, insert the probe.
  • Maintain for 30 seconds. The reading should be 32°F.
• Recalibrate or discard any thermometer not reading between 30°F and 34°F .

Food Quality and Storage

• Serve safe food to consumers.
• Use food within its expiration date.
• Rotate food storage to first use or discard oldest food products.
• Check food temperatures, keeping them outside the danger zone.
• Refrigerate or hot hold TCS foods.
• Maintain TCS foods at or below 41°F during transport and storage (exceptions exist).
• Ensure frozen foods' arrival and storage is maintained frozen.
• Handle beverages and ice correctly.
• Receive and store newly received foods immediately and correctly, inspecting and documenting.
• Reject food above target temperatures, and those damaged, dented, moldy, expired, unlabeled, or infested.
• Store food on shelves at least 6 inches off the floor.
• Provide coolers and refrigerators with visible and accessible internal thermometers, positioned in the warmest area.
• Place raw animal products below or away from ready-to-eat foods.
• Properly date-mark ready-to-eat food, prepared on-site, when it will be stored for over 24 hours.
• Consume or discard these foods within 7 days from preparation date.
• Ready-to-eat products like cooked rice, deli meats, chicken/tuna salad, cooked vegetables, and soups should be stored at 41°F or less for no more than 7 days.

TCS Foods and the Temperature Danger Zone

• TCS foods require refrigeration for safety until use.
• Discard expired, improperly cooled, or improperly handled TCS foods.
• Know the temperature danger zone (41°F to 135°F).
• Bacteria grow rapidly in this range.
• Foodborne illness can result from inadequate cooking temperatures.
• Maintain vigilance during cooking, cooling, thawing, and chilling.
• TCS foods include raw/cooked meats, poultry, dairy, eggs, cut produce, and prepared foods.

Cooking and Handling Foods

• Proper cooking eliminates most harmful microbes.
• Cook raw animal products to specific internal temperatures:
  • Chicken: 165°F for 1 second
  • Ground/cut meats: 155°F for 17 seconds
  • Steak, pork, fish, eggs: 145°F for 15 seconds
• Handle cooked foods safely, avoiding bare-hand contact and cross-contamination.
• Avoid placing cooked foods adjacent to raw animal products.
• Consumer advisory notices are permitted for undercooked foods (rare meats, sunny-side-up eggs, raw oysters).

Holding Foods at Proper Temperature

• Keep hot foods hotter than 135°F.
• Regularly check and stir hot foods.
• Maintain cold foods below 41°F.

Cooling and Reheating Foods

• Cooling and reheating pose risks, requiring temperature monitoring.
• Cool foods from 135°F to 70°F in 2 hours, and from 70°F to 41°F in 4 hours.
• Cool foods efficiently with shallow pans, ice baths, ice paddles, or blast chillers.
• Quickly reheat cooled foods to 165°F within 2 hours.
• Do not use hot holding equipment to reheat.
• Reheat foods optimally with stoves, ovens, or microwaves.
• Do not thaw frozen foods at room temperature.
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave.

Cross-Contamination

• Cross-contamination spreads germs from one surface/food to another.
• Germs can spread via utensils, cutting boards, and handler hands.
• Prevent cross-contamination by using separate:
  • Utensils for raw and cooked foods
  • Cutting boards for raw meats/vegetables
  • Keeping raw and cooked foods apart
  • Use color-coded cutting boards
  • Use separated utensils
  • Clean and sanitize surfaces promptly.

Food Hazards

• Food hazards include biological (germs), physical (objects), and chemical (chemicals).
• Biological hazards can be found in raw meats and unwashed produce.
• Improper handwashing and handling spread germs.
• Physical hazards include naturally occurring objects (bones), foreign elements (hair, jewelry).
• Chemical hazards involve chemical spills or splashes on food.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

• Cleaning removes food particles and grease.
• Sanitizing reduces germ numbers.
• Equipment and utensils require cleaning and sanitizing.
  • Follow manufacturer instructions for machine operation, temperature/chemical usage, and checking tools.
• Use test strips to ensure proper chemical concentration.
  • A three-compartment sink process: Pre-wash, wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry.
  • Ensure sanitizer concentration & temperature specifications.
• Manual washing should follow the steps: pre-wash, wash, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry.

Cleaning and Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces

• Surfaces (tables, equipment) need a wash, rinse, and sanitize approach.
• Keep sanitizing buckets readily available.
  • Maintain correct sanitizer concentration using test strips.
  • Use cloth for wiping surfaces.
• Use and store cleaners and sanitizers appropriately.
  • Store away from food preparation areas.

Pest Control

• Pest-free workplaces are crucial.
• Prevent pests by restricting food sources and hiding places.
• Address pest evidence promptly.
• Consult licensed pest control professionals for infestations.
• Do not use household pesticides for pest control.

Food Truck Vendors

• Adhere to health district food safety rules and regulations.
• Verify vehicle and driver licenses.
• Ensure food handlers have necessary licenses.
• Properly sanitize and separate food service equipment and utensils.
• Monitor temperatures, especially when receiving food.
• Ensure refrigerators maintain compliant temperatures.
• Ensure non-food contact surfaces are cleanable and non-absorbent.
• Dedicated handwashing and food preparation sinks are required.
• Appropriate fresh/wastewater tank dimensions are based on volume.
• Proper truck ventilation and clean air filters are essential.
• Functional backup generators are crucial.

Catering and Restaurant Food Safety

• Prioritize food safety in catering.
• Adhere to health district regulations.
• Ensure food handlers have certifications.
• Maintain critical temperatures during storage and handling.
• Transportation of foods uses appropriate containers that maintain proper temperatures.
• Raw foods use designated containers to avoid cross-contamination.
• Regularly check food temperatures as needed.
• Use consumer advisories where appropriate.
• Clean, sanitize, and store equipment and utensils correctly.
• Ensure functioning power sources and generators. Maintain the cleanliness of all surfaces that come into contact with food.

This quiz covers essential information about foodborne illnesses, their causes, symptoms, and the importance of food safety practices. Learn about effective handwashing techniques and how to prevent outbreaks. Understanding these concepts is crucial for ensuring health and safety in food preparation.