FOOD SERVICE

Food Service

General rules for holding food

Check the internal temperature of food using a thermometer.-The temperature gauge on a holding unit may not provide an accurate indication of a foods internal temperature. Therefore, it is critical to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food.

Check the temperature of the food at least every 4 hours.-Throw out food that is not at 135°F (5°C) or higher or at 41°F (5°C) or lower.

Establish a policy to ensure that food being held for service will be discarded after a predetermined amount of time-Example: a policy state that a pan of veal on a buffet can be replenished all day as long as it is discarded at the end of the day.

Cover food and install sneeze guards to protect food from contaminants-Covers also help maintain the internal temperature of food.

Prepare food in small batches so it will be used faster-Do not prepare food any further in advance than necessary to minimize the potential for time-temperature abuse.

Cold food Hot food

Hot food

Potentially hazardous hot food must be held at an internal temperature of 135° F (57° C) or higher.

Only use hot-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature.

Never use hot-holding equipment to reheat food if it is not designated to do so.-Most hot-holding equipment is not designated to pass food through the temperature danger zone quickly enough. Food should be reheated, and then transferred to the holding unit.

Stir food at regular intervals to distribute heat evenly

Cold food

Potentially hazardous cold food must be held at an internal temperature of 41° F (5° C) or lower.

Only use cold-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature

Do not store food directly on ice.-Whole fruit and vegetables and raw, cut vegetables are the only exceptions. Place all other food in pans or on plates first.

Holding food without Temperature Control

Ready to eat, potentially hazardous food can be displayed or held for service without temperature control under certain conditions.

Cold food

Cold food can be held without temperature control for up to six hours if: It was held at 41° F (5° C) or lower prior to removing it from refrigeration.

It does not exceed 70° F (21° C) during the six hour.-throw out any food that exceeds this temperature.

It contains a label that specifies both the time it was remove from refrigeration and the time it must be thrown out.-The label must indicate a discard time that is six hours from the point the food was removed from refrigeration. If salad was remove from refrigeration at 1:00 a.m., the discard time on the label should indicate7:00 p.m., which is 6 hours from the time it was remove from refrigeration.

It is sold, served, or discarded within 6 hours.

Hot food

Hot food can be held without temperature control for up to four hours if:

It was at 135° F (57° C) or higher prior to removing it from temperature control.

It contains a label that specifies when the item must be thrown out.

It is sold, served, or discarded within 4 hours.

Serving food safely

Flow of Food

Kitchen staff

Train kitchen staff to follow these procedures for serving food safely.

Use clean and sanitize utensils for serving-Use separate utensils for each food items, and properly clean and sanitize them after each serving task. Utensils should be cleaned and sanitized at least once every 4 hours during continuous use.

Use serving utensils with long handle-Long-handled utensils keep the server’s hands away from food.

Store serving utensils properly-Serving utensils can be stored in the food, with the handle extended above the rim of the container. They can also be placed on a clean, sanitized food- contact surface. Spoons or scoops used to serve food such as ice cream or mashed potatoes can be stored under running water.

Minimize bare-hand contact with food that is cooked or ready to eat-Handle foods with tongs, deli sheets, or gloves. Bare hand contact is allowed in some jurisdiction if the establishment has written policies and procedures on employee healt, handwashing, and other hygiene practices.

Practice good personal hygiene-Proper hand washing is essential to keep food safe.

Servers

Food servers need to be as careful as kitchen staff. If they are not careful, they can contaminare food simply by handling the food-contact surfaces of glassware, dishes, and utensils.Servers should use the following guidelines to serve food safely.

Glassware and dishes should be handled properly-The food-contact areas of plates, bowls, glasses, or cups should not to be touched. Dishes should be held by the bottom or the edge. Cups should be held by their handles, and glasswares should be held by the middl, bottom, ar stem.

Glassware and dishes should not be stacked when serving-The rim or surface of one item can be contaminated by the one above it. Stacking china and glassware also can cause them to chip or bkeak.

Flat ware and utensils should be held at the handle-Store flatware so servers grasp handles, not food-contact surfaces.

Minimize bare-hand contact with food that is cooked or ready to eat

Use ice scoops or tongs to get ice-Servers should never scoop ice with their bare hands or use a glass since it may hip or brake. Ice scoops should always be stored in a sanitary location- not in the ice bin.

Practice good personal hygiene -Servers should avoid touching their body when serving food. They should also refrain from habits such as chewing fingernails or licking their fingers.

Never use cloths meant for cleaning food spills for any other purpose-When tables are cleaned between guests seating, spills should be wiped up with a disposable, dry cloth. The table should then be cleaned with a moist cloth that has been stored in a fresh sanitizer solution.

Re-serving Food Safety

Servers and kitchen staff should also know the rules about re-serving food previously served to a costomer.

Menu items returned by one customer cannot be re-served to another customer.

Never re-served plate garnishes, such as fruits or pickles, to another customer -Served but unused garnishes must be discarded.

Never re-served uncovered condiments-Do not combine leftovers with fresh food. Opened portions of salsa, mayonnaise, mustard, butter, and other condiments should be thrown away after being served to customes.

Do not re-served uneaten bread or rolls to other customers-Linens used to line bread baskets must be change after each customer.

In general, only unopened, prepackage food,such as condiments packets, wrapped crakers, or wrapped breadsticks, can be re-served.

Self-Service Area

Buffets and food bars can be contaminated easily. To prevent contamination, these areas should be monitored closely by employees trained in food safety.

Protect food on display with sneeze guards or food shields-Sneeze guards should be located fourteen inches (36 cm) above the food counter, and shields should extend seven inces (18cm) beyond the food.

Identify all food items-Label containers on the food bars. Place the name of salad dressings on ladle handles.

Maintain proper food temperatures-Keep hot food hot- 135° F (57°C) or higher, and cold food cold- 41° F (5°C) or lower.

Replenish food on a tiny basis-Stock and replenish small amount at a time. Practice the first in, first out (FIFO) method of product rotation.

Keepp raw meat, fish, and poultry separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food-Used separate displays or food bars for raw and cooked food (for example, a mongolian bbq.) to reduce the chance of cross-contamination.

Do not let customers refill soiled plates or used soiledsilverware at the food bar-Assign a staff member to hand out fresh plates for return visitors. Post signs with polite tips about food-bar etiquette. Customers can use glassware for refills as long as beverage-dispensing equipment does not come in contact with the rim or interior of the glass.

Off- Site Service

Delivery

Establishment such as schools, hospitals, caterere,and even restaurants may prepared foods at one location and then deliver it to remote sites. The greater the time and distance from the point of preparation to the point of consumption, the greater the risk that food will be exposed to contamination or time-temperature abuse.

Used rigid, insulted food containers capable of maintaining food temperature at 135° F (57°C) or higher, or at41° F (5°C) or lower-containers should be sectioned so food does not mix, leak, or spill. They must also allow air circulation to keep temperature even and should be keptClean and sanitized.

Clean the inside delivery vehicles regularly

Practice good personal hygiene when distributing food

Check internal food temperatures regularly-Take corrective action if food is not at the proper temperature. If containers or delivery vehicles are not maintaining proper food temperatures, reevaluate the length of the delivery route or the efficiency of the equipment being used.

Label food with storage, self life, and reheating instructions for employees at off-sites locations

Consider providing food safety guidelines for consumers

Catering

Caterers either bring prepared food to a client’s site, or they cook food on site in a mobile unit, a temporery unit, or customers own kitchen.

Make sure safe drinking water is availabe for cooking, dishwashing, and handwashing

Ensure that edequet power is available for cooking and holding equipment

Use insulated containers to hold potentially hazardous food-Raw meat should be wrapped and stored on ice. Deliver milk and dairy products in a refrigerated vehicle or on ice.

Serve cold food in containers on ice or in chilled, gel-filled containers-If that is not desirable, the food may be held without temperature control according to the guidelines specified in the section.

Store raw food and ready-to-eat items separately-For example, raw chicken should be stored separately from ready-to-eat salads.

Use single-use items-Make sure customers get a new set of disposable tableware for refills.

If leftovers are given to customers, provide instructions on how they should be handled-Information such as a discard date and the food’s storage and reheating instructions should be clearly labeled on the container.

Place garbage-disposal containers away from food-preparation and serving areas

Vending Machines

Food prepared and pakaged for vending machines shoukld be handled with the same care as any other food served to a customer. Vending operators also should protect food from contamination and time-temperature abuse during transport, delivery, and service.

Keep potentially hazardous food at the right temperature-It should be held at 135° F (57°C) or higher, or at 41° F (5°C) or lower

Equip vending machines with automatic-shutoff control-These controls prevent food from being dispensed if the tem[eratures stays in the danger zone for a specified amount of time.

Check productshelf life daily-If a food item’s code date has expired, distract it immediately. Refrigerated food not used within seven days of preparation must be discarded.

Dispense potentially hazardous food in its original container

Fresh fruits with edible peels should be washed and wrapped before being put in a machine.