Zweigle’s Inc., a Rochester, N.Y., establishment, is recalling approximately 6,082 pounds of ready-to-eat olive loaf pork products due to sodium nitrite levels in excess of the regulatory limit

Zweigle’s Inc. Recalls Olive Loaf Pork Products due to Sodium Nitrite Levels in Excess of Regulatory Limit

When it comes to practicing proper personal hygiene for food safety, proper handwashing (which I discussed in a previous lesson), is only part of the program. A good personal hygiene program would also take into account: Maintaining personal cleanliness, wearing clean and appropriate uniforms and following dress codes, avoiding certain habits and actions, maintaining good health, and reporting illnesses.

Food handlers should keep their fingernails short, clean, and free from polish or false nails (as these could chip or fall into food being prepared). In addition, wounds and cuts should be covered with a bandage and then covered with either a finger cot (small finger only cover) or a glove.

When working with or around food, it is imperative that the food handler wear proper attire. This includes a clean hat or other hair restraint such as a hair net and clean clothing. The food handler, if wearing an apron, should remove and properly store the apron when leaving the food preparation area. All jewelry must be removed from the hands and arms when working with or around food, as the jewelry may contain microorganisms (a plain wedding band is the only exception to this). In addition to food safety, jewelry can also pose a safety hazard if worn while working with certain equipment in the kitchen.

Food handlers should not eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum or tobacco while working in or around food preparation areas. During these activities, it is possible for saliva to pass to the food handlers hands and directly to the food that the employee is working with. It must be pointed out that some health departments DO allow drinking in the food area, provided that the drink is covered and a straw is used. Doing taste tests of the foods being prepared requires the product be placed in a container for tasting, and then the utensil and container be removed from the area.

Foodhandlers must be encouraged to report health problems to the manager. There are several instances when a foodhandler must either be restricted from working with or around food or if they must be excluded from working within the facility. For instance:

1. If the foodhandler has a sore throat with fever:

Restrict them from working with or around food, or

Exclude them from the operation if you serve a high-risk population (elderly, pregnant women, children, immunocompromised)

2. If the foodhandler has one of the following: vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice:

Exclude them from the operation, and before returning to work, the foodhandler with vomiting &/or diarrhea must either have been symptom free for at least 24 hours or have a written release from a medical practitioner. IF the foodhandler has jaundice, then the written release is required before they may return to the facility.

3. If the food handler has been diagnosed with an illness caused by one of the following pathogens: Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Hepatitis A, or Norovirus:

Exclude the foodhandler from the operation and notify the local regulatory agency.

The local regulatory agency and the foodhanders medical practitioner will decide when the foodhandler is able to go back to work.

Ultimately, it is the managements responsibility to ensure that proper personal hygiene is implemented and followed by all employees.

If you have any questions about anything that I present in these lessons, or have a question about anything regarding food safety, please feel free to contact me.

Tomorrows lesson: Choosing the right thermometer and how to ensure they are calibrated properly.

Cargill Meat Solutions, a Fort Morgan, Colo. establishment, is recalling approximately 132,606 pounds of ground beef products made from the chuck portion of the carcass that may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O26,

Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. Coli O26 Contamination

When I go to restaurants, I always look at what the employees are doing, especially if I can see the kitchen. For some places (fast food) it is easy, for others (sit down restaurants), it is a bit more difficult or impossible. I always wonder why restaurants don’t want their customers to see the food being prepared. Some may say it is because of trade secrets, others may say it is because they don’t want the employees to get nervous about people watching them. Personally, I think it may have more to do with possible health violations, but then, that may just be my expertise in food safety making me a bit paranoid on the subject.

I will admit that I go to fast food locations more than I should, being a chef and able to cook just about anything I want; however, sometimes I just want something quick and easy. I have begun to notice that a lot more of the fast food locations have started having their employees wear gloves when preparing the foods for service. In the case of food safety requirements, some locations require that the establishment either require gloves for handling foods that will not undergo any further cooking, or to have a strict handwashing schedule to ensure that the hands are continually cleaned. Seeing an employee that is wearing gloves, touch their face, hair, or dirty apron and then go immediately back to working with food, is not appropriate behavior weather the employees is wearing gloves or not.

For example, when I managed Burger King in Las Vegas, Nevada, we had a very specific requirement for handwashing, which allowed our employees to use bare hand contact with the food. We were required to have our employees wash their hands ever 30 minutes, and this was strictly adhered to at all locations. A timer would go off every 30 minutes as a reminder to wash your hands.

Those without strict handwashing procedures like ours were given the option to wear gloves when preparing food. If you have been to a Subway shop, you may have noticed, as I have, that the employees will wash their hands and then put on gloves to make sandwiches. Again, either way is allowable (check your location on the actual health codes regarding glove usage); however, you must use the gloves properly, otherwise it could be just as bad as not washing your hands. For today’s lesson, I will discuss the proper ways you use gloves to ensure that you are practicing proper food safety.

The main thing to remember when using gloves for food safety, is that they are NOT foolproof, and gloves are not a substitute for washing hands. As a customer, you should not automatically assume that because a person is wearing gloves while making your food, that they are using them correctly. In other words, don’t let gloves lead you into a false sense of security just because you see them being used.

When using gloves in food service, keep the following items in mind:

1. Gloves should be disposable: the gloves should be single use, never washed and reused

2. Have gloves for different tasks: Long gloves for mixing items such as coleslaw, short gloves for other tasks. You can even get color coded gloves such as red for meats, green for vegetables, etc.

3. Provide different glove sizes: you don’t want gloves that are too small or too large for your employees. Too large and they won’t stay on the hands, too small and they can rip & tear more easily.

4. Consider latex alternative gloves: in case an employee has a sensitivity to latex.

5. Focus on safety, durability, and cleanliness: gloves for food service should be labeled with the NSF international mark .

Food handlers should change their gloves whenever:

1. They become soiled or torn.

2. Before beginning a different task

3. At least every four hours during continual use, and more often when necessary.

4. After handling raw meat and before handling ready to eat foods.

When changing or getting a new pair of gloves, it is important to remember that your hands MUST be washed properly before putting on a new pair of gloves.

If you have any questions about anything that I present in these lessons, or have a question about anything regarding food safety, please feel free to contact me.

Tomorrows lesson: Proper personal hygiene practices for food safety.

When it comes to cooking food safely, there are several factors to take into consideration. First, what type of item is being cooked, how is it being served, what is the flavor profile I am wishing to impart to my guests…the list can go on. Suffice to say, food service establishments are required to adhere to certain temperature requirements when cooking foods for the public.

Depending on the regulations for the area in which the food is being prepared, the temperature danger zone is either set at a high temperature of either 135 degrees F (57C) or 140 degrees F (60C) (Illinois is 135, Minnesota is 140, as an example). This sets the absolute minimum that food can be held at for service. If the food item drops below this temperature, it must be reheated (per proper reheating standards) up to 165 degrees F, if you wish to continue serving the product; however, that will be a topic for a later date.

For the minimum internal cooking temperature of most items, the temperature is fairly straightforward. These are:

Poultry (whole or ground: duck, turkey, or chicken): 165 degrees F (74C) for 15 seconds.

Stuffing and stuffed meat, fish, poultry, and pasta: 165 degrees for 15 seconds. This means that the stuffing and the meat that was stuffed both must have the temperature checked and both must register 165 degrees F (74C) for 15 seconds.

Items that are considered Temperature Controlled for Safety (TCS) foods that are cooked in a Microwave, whether it be eggs, poultry, fish, and meat: 165 degrees F (74C).

Ground Meat (beef, pork, and other meats): 155 degrees F (68C) for 15 seconds

Injected meats (including brined ham and flavor injected roasts) 155 degrees F (68C) for 15 seconds.

Pork, beef, veal, & Lamb:

Steaks & Chops: 145 degrees F (63C) for 15 seconds

Roasts: 145 degrees F (63C) for 4 minutes; this means the temperature must be checked and it must hold at or above 145 for four minutes.

Seafood (including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans): 145 degrees F (63C) for 15 seconds.

Shell eggs for immediate service: 145 degrees F (63C) for 15 seconds.

Commercially processed, ready-to-eat food: (hot held for service): 135 degrees F (57C). Examples include cheese sticks, deep fried vegetables, etc.

While the above mentioned temperatures are the requirements for the different food items, there are also “alternative” minimum internal cooking temperatures that can be utilized for certain food items.

For example, beef and pork roasts have an alternate cooking endpoint that allows for slow roasting of the product. The following temperatures and time periods represent the minimum internal temperatures and the amount of time that the item must maintain at or above that temperature to be considered safe for human consumption.

130 F (54C) – 112 minutes

131 F (55C) – 89 minutes

133 F (56C) – 56 minutes

135 F (57C) – 36 minutes

136 F (58C) – 28 minutes

138 F (59C) – 18 minutes

140 F (60C) – 12 minutes

142 F (61C) – 8 minutes

144 F (62C) – 5 minutes

145 F (63C) – 4 minutes

Additionally, there are alternative minimum internal temperatures for ground and injected meats. This is the best way to ensure that your hamburger is safe and can still enjoy it when cooked medium rare. These times and temperatures are:

145 F (63C) – 3 minutes

150 F (66C) – 1 minute

155 F (68C) – 15 seconds

158 F (70C) – < 1 second

If you have any questions about anything that I present in these lessons, or have a question about anything regarding food safety, please feel free to contact me.

Tomorrows lesson: What foodborne contaminants need to grow.

Continuing yesterdays lesson on the proper thawing of foods, I will now discuss the proper methods for cooling foods. The main process behind the proper cooling of cooked foods, is to get the temperature through the temperature danger zone as quickly as possible to minimize the chance of bacteria growing on the food.

I am sure many of us remember, and have done ourselves, the leaving of food out on the counter to cool before being placed in the refrigerator. This is mainly done, however incorrectly, to keep the temperature of the fridge from rising by placing hot or warm food inside. A refrigerator is the perfect place to keep cold food cold, but it is not very efficient at rapidly cooling foods.

As previously stated, the object of cooling foods, is to get the items through the temperature danger zone quickly enough to keep bacteria from growing to unsafe levels. According to the FDA, this can be done by cooling the items from above 135 degrees F (57C) down to 70 degrees F (21C) within the first two (2) hours, then cooling the item to below 41 degrees F (5C) in the next four (4) hours. As a side note, if the food cannot be cooled to 70 degrees within two (2) hours, it must either be discarded or reheated and cooled again.

To aid in getting the food items to cool properly within the allotted time periods, there are several ways to assist in reaching the desired goals. Some are designed for the food service industry, however others can easily be adapted for home use.

1. First, reduce the size of the food for quicker cooling. This can be done by dividing the items into smaller containers for faster cooling.

2. Place item in an ice water bath. As far as I know, everyone that boils eggs uses an ice water bath to rapidly cool the eggs after they are done cooking. The same principle applies to other items as well. For items that are liquid (or semi liquid) and can be stirred (frequently), placing the pan in an ice water bath in the sink and stirring will help speed up the cooling process of the item.

3. Stir food with an Ice Paddle. In some food service establishments, you can find a plastic paddle, that was filled with water and frozen. For large amounts of liquid items, the paddle can be used the cool the center portion of the item by stirring with the paddle. In a home, this can be accomplished by purchasing a smaller paddle, or simply using a plastic bottle filled with water and frozen and using it as a paddle to stir the food item.

4. Placing food in a blast or tumble chiller. This is mainly for food service operations, as these devices are not currently designed for home use. The object of this item is as it sounds, it is like a super powered fridge that will super cool food items very quickly.

5. Adding ice or cold water as an ingredient. This cooling technique works for liquid items that require more liquid to be added at the end of the cooking process. Instead of adding hot water (or even a hot broth), use very cold water or ice to speed the cooling process. If you add broth as a final ingredient, it is possible to chill the broth or freeze it into cubes just like you would regular water to speed the cooling process of the food item.

If you have any questions about anything that I present in these lessons, or have a question about anything regarding food safety, please feel free to contact me.

Tomorrows lesson: Proper reheating of previously cooked & properly cooled foods.

Getting back to the temperature danger zone, it is imperative that foods either stay hot or cold. So how do you thaw foods to ensure that they thaw properly without entering the temperature danger zone for too long.

There are only four (4) methods for thawing foods properly. They are: in a fridge for 24 hours or more, under cool running water, in a microwave (if to be used immediately after thawing), or as part of the actual cooking process. Lets break each of these down properly.

1. In a fridge: The optimal way to defrost frozen foods in in a refrigerator , which maintains the temperature of the product outside the temperature danger zone. Planning should be made to insure that you have plenty of time to defrost the item before using. The biggest drawback is ensuring that you have enough fridge space to do this properly.

2. Under cool running water: if you happened to forget to pull the frozen item out of the freezer and get it thawing, you can always place the item under cool running water. Some have adapted this to think that they can just set the item in cool standing water for a few hours to allow it to thaw. The issue comes when the frozen item starts to freeze the water, so the running water keeps it from forming an ice block around the item being thawed, and allows for any ice crystals that do form to be removed by the moving of the water. The water should be cool, as hot water would cause parts of the item to get into the temperature danger zone and stay there longer than acceptable.

3. In a Microwave (if to be used immediately after thawing): Microwaves have been a great item for thawing and cooking foods. Unfortunately, the fact that they are not very good at cooking or thawing evenly throughout the food item, is the main reason that the food must be used immediately after thawing. Parts of the food item may have entered the temperature danger zone during the defrosting process, so the best thing to do is finish the cooking process immediately upon thawing.

4. As part of the actual cooking process: Many people have used this method without realizing it is actually an excellent method for keeping food out of the temperature danger zone. In this method, the food item goes directly from the freezer to the cooking process and is cooked in a minimal amount of time. Some examples of this are: frozen hamburgers that are placed in a skillet, frozen shrimp (or meatballs) thrown into a sauce for pasta.

By using these methods, you will help ensure that you are maintaining safe food for those you feed.

Tomorrow’s lesson: Proper cooling of cooked foods.