Thank you for following my blog for the month of September, as we discussed food safety issues and how to keep food safe.

Please feel free to continue following this blog as I occasionally report on food safety issues here in the United States, and regular report on food safety recalls. Again, I thank you for reading.

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

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

COVID-19 is the designation of the Novel Coronavirus that has caused a major pandemic this year. Every health department in the United States (Local, county, state), has created guidance and protocols for restaurants and food establishments to follow to ensure a safe dining experience (if allowed to be open for business).

On this blog, I will discuss issues that need to be taken care of during this pandemic to ensure that you are taking care of your guests and your employees during this unusual time.

Before the outbreak, restaurants were required to keep a clean and sanitary establishment for the guests. Now, it has taken on more of a necessity to keep people safe.

With an illness causing virus that can spread from person to person the way that COVID-19 does, it is imperative that food establishments create a cleaning and sanitation protocol to keep employees and guests safe, while still being able to provide a good experience and a meal free from contamination.

The use of approved cleaning and sanitation supplies is one of the most important elements to keep the restaurant safe. Constant cleaning is essential as well; however, it remains to be seen if food establishments have added constant cleaning to restrooms to keep Coronavirus from spreading in that location. Today’s discussion is about glove use by servers.

Servers have a great many functions depending on the establishment. In some restaurants, Darden restaurants for instance, servers are responsible for serving guests and have very little work outside that goal; however, many other restaurants require their servers to restock supplies, roll silverware inside the napkins, in addition to the serving of guests. Whichever situation, the main goal of the server is to be the focal point of service for the guest, and I will take you through a basic view of what it takes to serve just one table.

For this example, it should be understood that the server is wearing a face mask and gloves as part of the restaurant appeal to keep their guests safe. After the guests are seated, the server would greet the guests, talk about the menu, offer specials, and so on. They may take just a drink order or they many take the entire food and beverage order, depending on the readiness of the guests. In our example they will go ahead and take the full order and remove the menus. After, and depending on the establishment, they would go to the register system and enter the order for the kitchen and and bar drinks (if available).

They would then proceed to the beverage station to make drinks and take them and any other items to the table as required (salads, bread, etc). As the guests try to enjoy themselves, the server will also be taking care of other guests and other tables depending on the number of tables they are required to take care of during their shift. Food is then brought out when ready, desserts may or may not be ordered along with after dinner drinks, and finally the final check arrives.

What I just described to you is the basics of being a server at a restaurant. There is a LOT of work involved that may or may not change the above scenario, but suffice to say, this is the basic situation. So I ask you, when during that scenario did the server change their gloves? When did they wash their hands?

However you answer the questions I just posed, odds are a majority of you will be incorrect. So lets start with the regulations regarding glove use. The FDA food code, which is the basis for almost every state and local health code states that:

“…SINGLE-USE gloves shall be used for only one task such as working with READY-TO-EAT FOOD or with raw animal FOOD, used for no other purpose, and discarded when damaged or soiled, or when interruptions occur in the operation”.

(FDA Food Code 2013 pg 74 & 2017 pg 77)

There are also other times when a glove is “required” to be worn, such as if their is an injury or contaminant (i.e. boil or puss producing item) located on the individuals hand. Gloves are designed to be single use, used for the task at hand, then removed. Under this regulation, each task that the server does, requires them to change their gloves. So in the above example, gloves needed to be changed after each individual task. To break down when gloves would require to be changed:

1. The server takes the full order and removes the menus.
2. go to the register system and enter the order for the kitchen and bar drinks (if available).
3. They would then proceed to the beverage station to make drinks and take them and any other items to the table as required (salads, bread, etc).
   1. If the server makes the salads, that would be a separate task as well.
4. As the guests try to enjoy themselves, the server will also be taking care of other guests and other tables depending on the number of tables they are required to take care of during their shift.
5. Food is then brought out when ready
6. desserts may or may not be ordered along with after dinner drinks
7. finally the final check arrives.

So as you can see, just for this example of “ONE” table, the server should, by regulations, be changing gloves at least seven to eight times.

What about handwashing? If you think that changing the gloves will keep the employee from washing hands, that would be incorrect. Food Safety regulations state that hands MUST be washed before putting on a pair of gloves. (FDA Food code 2013 pg 48 & 2017 pg 50) This means that each time the server is required to be changing gloves, they are also required to be washing their hands. That is a great deal of time for handwashing and changing gloves.

By the way, if you ever see someone blow into a glove to open it up to make it easier to put on, realize they just contaminated the glove and would need to start over with washing their hands.

So with all this information, what should be considered the best practices in this situation. In this situation, and in my professional opinion, is that gloves SHOULD NOT be used by servers; however, the servers should practice and be more diligent in handwashing.

In “SOME’ jurisdictions around the country, it MAY be possible to use hand sanitizer when the hands are not actually soiled (physical visible contamination). The restaurant should check with the local regulating agency to see if this is an acceptable alternative to handwashing as depicted in the above example. Because this particular solution is not currently approved nationwide, I cannot provide this as an actual solution to keeping guests safe; however, I would gladly offer my services to speak with local health officials if you or your restaurant would like to utilize me as an expert.

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

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

USDA inspection and grading of meat and poultry are two separate programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The following information comes from the U.S.D.A. website on the differences between inspection & grading of meat items: (some minor editing for readability on this blog) https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/production-and-inspection/inspection-and-grading-of-meat-and-poultry-what-are-the-differences_/inspection-and-grading-differences

USDA Inspection & Grading of Meat and Poultry: What Are the Differences?

Inspection is for wholesomeness and is mandatory. It is paid for with public funds. Grading is for quality and is voluntary. This service is requested and paid for by meat and poultry producers/processors.

Mandatory Federal Inspection

American consumers can be confident that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health agency in the USDA, ensures that meat and poultry products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act , FSIS inspects all raw meat and poultry sold in interstate and foreign commerce, including imported products. The Agency monitors meat and poultry products after they leave federally inspected plants.

In addition, FSIS monitors State inspection programs , which inspect meat and poultry products sold only within the State in which they were produced. The 1967 Wholesome Meat Act and the 1968 Wholesome Poultry Products Act require State inspection programs to be “at least equal to” the Federal inspection program. In states that choose to end their inspection program or cannot maintain this standard, FSIS must assume responsibility for inspection within that State.

FSIS does allow under a final rule State-inspected establishments with 25 or fewer employees to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce because of a new voluntary cooperative agreement program. Meat and poultry products produced under the program that have been inspected and passed by designated State personnel will bear an official Federal mark of inspection and will be permitted to be distributed in interstate commerce. FSIS will provide oversight and enforcement of the program.

In these efforts to protect the safety and integrity of meat and poultry products, FSIS works with many other agencies, including other agencies within the USDA, State inspection programs, the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Since the Federal inspection program began at the turn of the twentieth century, the meat and poultry industries have grown and changed significantly. In the early 1900’s, most meat came from local slaughter plants and was used locally. Further processing was limited to simple products such as sausages. Today, however, a wide variety of meat and poultry products are on the market. Animals are slaughtered and meat is processed in sophisticated, high-volume plants. The meat is often shipped great distances to reach consumers.

As the industry changed, FSIS began changing inspection. In earlier days, the primary concern of the inspectors was animal diseases, and they relied almost exclusively on visual inspection of animals, products, and plant operations. However, refinements in animal production reduced disease and created a more homogeneous animal population. Thus, the concerns of today’s inspectors are broader and include unseen hazards such as microbiological and chemical contamination.

The requirements in the “Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems” final rule are designed to minimize the likelihood of harmful bacteria contaminating raw meat and poultry products. However, some bacteria could be present and might become a problem if meat and poultry are not handled safely. To assist food handlers, the USDA requires that safe handling instructions be put on all packages of raw and not fully cooked meat and poultry.

FSIS’s HACCP Systems mandate measures to target and reduce the presence of pathogenic organisms in meat and poultry products. These measures include FSIS testing to verify pathogen reduction performance standards are being met; plant microbial testing to verify process control for fecal contamination; written sanitation standard operating procedures (SOPs); and a mandatory HACCP system in all meat and poultry plants. The implementation of HACCP by FSIS helps ensure the safety of the meat, poultry, and egg products supply. To learn more, visit FSIS’s Web page on HACCP.

Every establishment is required to reassess the adequacy of its HACCP plan at least annually and whenever any changes occur that could affect its hazard analysis or alter its HACCP plan. The establishment may reassess its HACCP plan, or plans, any time during the calendar year to meet the annual reassessment requirement.

Meat that has been federally inspected and passed for wholesomeness is stamped with a round purple mark. The dye used to stamp the grade and inspection marks onto a meat carcass is made from a food-grade vegetable dye and is not harmful. (The exact formula is proprietary/owned by the maker of the dye.) The mark is put on carcasses and major cuts. After trimming, the mark might not appear on retail cuts such as roasts and steaks. However, meat that is packaged in an inspected facility will have an inspection mark which identifies the plant on the label.

	Inspection mark on raw meat
	Inspection mark on raw poultry
	Inspection mark on processed products

Voluntary Federal inspection for animals not covered under mandatory inspection (i.e., buffalo, rabbit, reindeer, elk, deer, antelope) is handled under the Agricultural Marketing Act. This Act gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to take whatever steps are necessary to make the product marketable. The FSIS inspector must have knowledge about that particular species and the carcass must fit available equipment in the plant. Businesses that request voluntary inspection must pay an hourly fee for the service whereas mandatory inspection is funded by tax dollars.

For voluntary inspection, the mark of inspection (as referenced in 9 CFR 352.7-Marking Inspected Products) illustrates the mark to be the shape of a triangle for exotic species.

For application to exotic animal carcasses, primal parts and cuts therefrom, exotic animal livers, exotic animal tongues, and exotic animal hearts.

The establishment number of the official exotic animal establishment where the product is prepared shall be used in lieu thereof.

For the inspection of rabbits, as per 9 CFR 354.63 the mark of inspection is the same as the inspection mark for raw poultry.

Grading

After meat and poultry are inspected for wholesomeness, producers and processors may request that they have products graded for quality by a licensed Federal grader. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (http://www.ams.usda.gov) is the agency responsible for grading meat and poultry. Those who request grading must pay for the service. Grading for quality means the evaluation of traits related to tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of meat; and, for poultry, a normal shape that is fully fleshed and meaty and free of defects.

USDA grades are based on nationally uniform Federal standards of quality. No matter where or when a consumer purchases graded meat or poultry, it must have met the same grade criteria. The grade is stamped on the carcass or side of beef and is usually not visible on retail cuts. However, retail packages of beef, as well as poultry, will show the U.S. grade mark if they have been officially graded.

The grade symbol and wording are no longer copyrighted; however, according to the Truth in Labeling Law, it is illegal to mislead or misrepresent the shield or wording.

USDA Grades for Meat and Poultry

Beef

Beef is graded as whole carcasses in two ways:

• quality grades – for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor; and
• yield grades – for the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass. There are eight quality grades for beef. Quality grades are based on the amount of marbling (flecks of fat within the lean), color, and maturity.

Quality Grades:

• Prime grade is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking (broiling, roasting, or grilling).
• Choice grade is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such cuts will be most tender if “braised” — roasted, or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.
• Select grade is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or braised to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.
• Standard and Commercial grades are frequently sold as ungraded or as “store brand” meat.
• Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products.

Note: Grades such as Prime, Choice and Select are not acceptable terms for raw cuts of pork or poultry.

Yield grades

range from “1” to “5” and indicate the amount of usable meat from a carcass. Yield grade 1 is the highest grade and denotes the greatest ratio of lean to fat; yield grade 5 is the lowest yield ratio. Though yield grades are not something consumers normally see, they are most useful when purchasing a side or carcass of beef for the freezer.

Veal/Calf

There are five grades for Veal/Calf: prime, choice, good, standard, and utility.

• Prime and choice grades are juicier and more flavorful than the lower grades. Because of the young age of the animals, the meat will be a light grayish-pink to light pink, fairly firm, and velvety. The bones are small, soft, and quite red. Cuts such as chops can be cooked by the dry-heat methods of roasting, grilling or broiling.

Lamb

There are five grades for lamb. Normally only two grades are found at the retail level — prime and choice. Lower grades of lamb and mutton (meat from older sheep) — good, utility, and cull — are seldom marked with the grade. Lamb is produced from animals less than a year old. Since the quality of lamb varies according to the age of the animal, it is advisable to buy lamb that has been USDA graded.

• Prime grade is very high in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Its marbling enhances both flavor and juiciness.
• Choice grade has slightly less marbling than prime, but still is of very high quality. Most cuts of prime and choice grade lamb (chops, roasts, shoulder cuts, and leg) are tender and can be cooked by the dry-heat methods (broiling, roasting, or grilling). The less tender cuts — breast, riblets, neck, and shank — can be braised to make them more tender.

Pork

Pork is not graded with USDA quality grades as it is generally produced from young animals that have been bred and fed to produce more uniformly tender meat. Appearance is an important guide in buying fresh pork. Look for cuts with a relatively small amount of fat over the outside and with meat that is firm and grayish pink in color. For best flavor and tenderness, meat should have a small amount of marbling.

Pork’s consistency makes it suitable for a variety of cooking styles. Chops can be prepared by pan broiling, grilling, baking, braising, or sautéing. Ribs can be braised, roasted, or grilled. Slow cooking yields the most tender and flavorful results. Tenderloins are considered to be the most tender and tasty cut of pork.

Poultry

The USDA grades for poultry are A, B, and C.

• Grade A is the highest quality and the only grade that is likely to be seen at the retail level. This grade indicates that the poultry products are virtually free from defects such as bruises, discolorations, and feathers. Bone-in products have no broken bones. For whole birds and parts with the skin on, there are no tears in the skin or exposed flesh that could dry out during cooking, and a good covering of fat under the skin. Also, whole birds and parts will be fully fleshed and meaty.
  
  The U.S. grade shield for poultry may be found on the following chilled or frozen ready-to-cook poultry products: whole carcasses and parts, as well as roasts, tenderloins, and other boneless and/or skinless poultry products that are being marketed. There are no grade standards for necks, wing tips, tails, giblets, or ground poultry.
  
• Grades B and C poultry are usually used in further-processed products where the poultry meat is cut up, chopped, or ground. If sold at retail, they are usually not grade identified.

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

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: COVID-19 and the impact on food safety.

Chemical Sanitizers are designed to eliminate or reduce microbial contamination to safe levels. When used properly, they can be very effective. When it comes to cleaning in a foodservice establishment, we hear a lot about sanitizing, but not much is known about what constitutes an approved sanitizer or how they work.

In a foodservice establishment, there are three approved sanitizers, they are Chlorine, Iodine, and Quats (also referred to as Quaternary Ammonium). Each of these sanitizers work to reduce pathogens on surfaces to safe levels, and must be used properly to avoid the possibility of a chemical contamination.

All sanitizers should be used according to the manufacturers instructions but here are a few basics of each one.

Chlorine sanitizer: Works well in warm water or hot water if the water is more alkaline. Should be at a concentration of 50 – 99 ppm and must maintain contact with the area for at least 7 seconds or longer.

Iodine: Works well in a water temperature of about 68 degrees F (20 degrees C), should be at a concentration of 12.5 to 25 ppm, and must maintain contact with the area for at least 30 seconds or longer.

Quats: Works well in a water temperature of 75 degrees F, ppm is dictated by the type and manufacturer of the sanitizer, and must maintain contact with the area for at least 30 seconds or longer.

In the industry it is fairly rare to find chlorine or iodine as a sanitizer, as they are generally a bit more expensive and harder to work work. Quats are generally used by all foodservice establishments for their ease of use.

There are several factors that relate to the effectiveness of chemical sanitizers. The most critical are the sanitizers concentration, temperature of the water, contact time, and the hardness and pH of the water.

For concentration, too much sanitizer can corrode metal, cause chemical burns on hands, and will leave a residue that could result in a chemical contamination in food if the food touches the area affected. Too little sanitizer and you are basically just wiping with water.

Water temperature too hot or too cold impacts the effectiveness by increasing or decreasing the ppm of the product. Some chemicals do not work well under very hot or very cold conditions and thus break down easily.

The contact time that the sanitizer has with the surface impacts its effectiveness. Too little time in the sanitizer water makes the process useless.

Finally, it should be noted that you should avoid, at all costs, getting detergent in the sanitizing solution. When detergent comes in contact with most chemical sanitizers, the detergent deactivates the sanitizing chemicals, rendering them useless.

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

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows Lesson: The difference between USDA inspections and USDA grading of meat items.

Three-compartment dish washing is actually very simple, as long as you know which way to move through the sink stations. It doesn’t matter if you go left to right or right to left, just as long as you are consistent to ensure that the clean dishes are not contaminated after drying.

The first of thee sinks will be for washing, and should be filled with detergent and water at least 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).

The second sink is for rinsing and should be filled with clean water. Some jurisdictions allow for the use of running water for rinsing, check your local health code or department.

The third sink is designed for sanitizing and should be filled with water and an approved sanitizer.

Here are the steps involved with using a three-compartment sink for dish washing.

• Step 1: Scrape items before washing them.If necessary, items can be rinsed or soaked.
• Step 2: Wash items in the first sink. Use a brush, cloth towel, or nylon scrub pad to loosen dirt. Change the water and detergent when the suds are gone or the water is dirty.
• Step 3: Rinse items in the second sink. Spray the items with water or dip them in it. Make sure you remove all traces of food and detergent from the items being rinsed. If dipping the items, change the rinse water when it becomes dirty or full of suds.
• Step 4: Sanitize items in the third sink. Change the sanitizing solution when the temperature of the water or the sanitizer concentration falls below requirements. Never rinse items after sanitizing them. This could contaminate their surfaces.
• Step 5: Air-dry items on a clean and sanitized surface. Place items upside down so they will drain.NEVERuse a towel to dry items, as it could contaminate them.

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

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: What are the approved sanitizers and how does sanitizing work?

TCS in relation to food safety, stands for Time & Temperature Control for Safety. This designation is given to foods that are considered more susceptible to foodborne illness cause bacteria and thus must be carefully monitored to ensure that they remain safe. This designation has replaced the previous designation of PHF, which stands for Potentially Hazardous Foods. (personally, I still use and prefer the designation PHF).

There are 12 food groups that are considered TCS foods, and are listed as thus:

Milk & Dairy products

Shell Eggs (except those treated to eliminate nontyphodial Salmonella)

Meat: such as beef, pork, and lamb

Poultry

Fish

Shellfish & crustaceans

Baked potatoes

Heat-treated plant foods, such as cooked rice, beans, and vegatables

Tofu or other soy protein & synthetic ingredients such as textured soy protein in meat alternatives

Sprouts and sprout seeds

Sliced melons, cut tomatoes, & cut leafy greans

Untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures

The main commonality of these items is that pathogens grow well in each of them. Controlling the time – temperatures of each will help reduce the chance of harmful pathogens growing on each of these.

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.

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: How to set up a three-compartment dish washing station.

High Risk Populations are those individuals who are more susceptible to harmful bacteria than other individuals. The following is a list of individuals that are considered “High Risk populations” for foodborne illnesses.

Elderly people      As we age, our immune systems begin to weaken. In this weakened state, we become more susceptible to foodborne illnesses.

Preschool-age children      Immune systems in the very young may not have strengthened to a point where they can successfully fight a foodborne illness.

People with compromised immune systems      These can include people on certain medications and people that are dealing with certain medical conditions, which can weaken an individuals immune system. Some of these conditions include but are not limited to: individuals with cancer or having chemotherapy, individuals with HIV or AIDS, and transplant patients.

Special care should be taken for each of these types of individuals, and especially if you are dealing specifically with these populations as a whole, such as at retirement homes, preschools, and hospitals or hospices.

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.

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: What are TCS foods and what does TCS stand for?

Risk factors are the situations that cause food to become unsafe. After yesterdays advanced food safety lesson, I decided to give everyone a break and provide you a more simpler lesson for today.

There have been identified five (5) of the most common risk factors that cause foodborne illnesses. They are:

1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources

2. Failing to cook food adequately

3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures

4. Using contaminated equipment

5. Poor Personal hygiene

Lets break each of these down on how they impact food safety.

1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources

Since food can become contaminated at any point within the food supply chain, it is important that food be purchased from approved reputable suppliers. An approved supplier is one that has been inspected and meets all applicable local, state, and federal laws.

2. Failing to cook food adequately

By not cooking foods to their required minimal internal temperatures, it is impossible to know if any contaminates have been destroyed in the cooking process. Back in 1993, this was the cause of the E.coli outbreak within the Jack-in-the-Box restaurants. The employees felt that cooking to the required temperature dried out the burgers too much, so they cooked to a lower temperature, which did not destroy the E.coli bacteria. This resulted in numerous illnesses and approximately 171 hospitalizations, and four children died. (more information available on this outbreak at:http://www.marlerclark.com/case_news/view/jack-in-the-box-e-coli-outbreak-western-states 3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures

This gets back to the conversation about the temperature danger zone. If you don’t hold the product above 135 degrees or below 41 degrees bacteria will grow and result in foodborne illnesses from the products.

4. Using contaminated equipment

Making sure that the equipment you use to prepare food is washed, rinsed, and sanitized before using it will help prevent cross contamination of equipment. Ensuring that you use a new/clean knife or cutting board for each item, will also reduce the chance of cross contamination.

5. Poor Personal hygiene

Ensuring that the employees follow proper hygiene procedures is very important in keeping food safe. This includes washing hands properly and at the proper times. Not coming to work sick, and ensuring that other personal hygiene requirements are followed.

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.

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: Who are more at risk of getting foodborne illnesses?

H.A.C.C.P. (pronounced as Hassip), stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, and is designed to allow the food service establishment to study the flow of food through the operation and determine where and how to make corrective actions to ensure that proper food safety procedures are being followed. H.A.C.C.P. was was originally designed when NASA asked the Pillsbury company to manufacture food for space flights (link opens a .pdf from NASA titled ““From Farm to Fork”: How Space Food Standards Impacted the Food industry and Changed Food Safety Standards“

H.A.C.C.P. plan

A H.A.C.C.P. plan is designed around seven principles:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis

2. Determine critical control points (CCPs)

3. Establish critical limits

4. Establish monitoring procedures

5. Identify corrective actions

6. Verify that the system works

7. Establish procedures for record keeping and documentation

Lets take an example and run through these seven principles to better understand how they work.

The Principles

Step 1. Conduct a hazard analysis

When looking at your menu items, look for how the items are processed within the facility. The most popular processes are: Preparing and serving without cooking (salads, cold sandwiches, etc), preparing and cooking for the same-day service (grilled chicken sandwiches, steaks, hamburgers, etc), and preparing, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, and serving (chili, soups, some pasta dishes, etc). Next, it is important to determine which foods are considered Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods, and determine where food safety hazards are likely to appear for each food item, and determine what type of hazard could occur (physical, chemical, biological).

For example, I do my Dr. Ed’s Insane Chicken Sandwich, where I get the chicken delivered the same day as I will be cooking it. I have determined that bacteria (biological) is the most likely hazard that I would be dealing with.

Step 2. Determine critical control points (CCPs)

Now that we have the menu items separated by process and potential hazard, It is time to find the locations in the process where the hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels. Depending on the process involved with preparing a certain food item, there may be more than one CCP.

In my chicken sandwich example, I have identified that it must be handled safely throughout the process of removing excess fat and marinating; however, cooking is the only time in which bacteria would be “prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels”, So cooking will be my CCP.

Step 3. Establish critical limits

For each CCP that is determined for each item, you must establish a minimum or maximum limit that must be met in order to “prevented, eliminate, or reduced to safe levels”.

In my example of the chicken sandwich, and as stated in one of the previous lessons, chicken needs to be cooked to a minimum 165 degrees F (74C) for 15 seconds. As this is the standard for food safety, I have adopted it as my critical limit for cooking my chicken sandwiches.

Step 4. Establish monitoring procedures

Once the critical limit has been established, you must then determine how that critical limit will be measured, when it will be measured, and how often it will be measured.

For my chicken sandwich, when I cook each chicken breast on the grill, I will check the internal temperature with a bimetallic stemmed thermometer (I would love a thermocouple or thermistor, but the Merou Grotto is a non-profit and they are rather pricey). I would insert the stem of the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to determine the current temperature.

Step 5. Identify corrective actions

After you establish a monitoring procedure, you must then have a procedure in place that determines what you need to do if the critical limit is not met.

Again, as we discuss my insane chicken sandwiches, if the thermometer reveals that the breast is not above 165 degrees F, then I am to continue cooking the breast until it has reached the required temperature. A log is kept to notate this and all other corrective actions that are taken on the different food items.

Step 6. Verify that the system works

By using a temperature log to record that the critical limits are either being met or not, is how to determine if you are successfully “preventing, eliminating, or reducing to safe levels”, the possibility of foodborne contaminants.

These logs can help determine if, as with some suppliers, changes are being made to the products without your knowledge. An example of this would be a review of the temperature log and determining that more corrective actions are needed on certain days versus others. As with one company, it was found that on certain days they were receiving chicken breasts that were 6 ounces versus the standard 4 ounces that they normally received. This caused more corrective actions to be listed based on a thicker chicken breast.

Step 7. Establish procedures for record keeping and documentation

The entire H.A.C.C.P. plan works as long as you keep records of: monitoring activities, taking corrective actions, validating equipment to ensure proper working conditions), and working with suppliers (shelf life studies, invoices, specifications, etc).

At the Merou Grotto, I keep my temperature logs for three months and my invoices are electronic, so they are kept until I delete them (I used to keep paper copies for 60 days).

While the steps of the H.A.C.C.P. plan appears to be daunting, the procedures actually happen very quickly when you are working the system. Understanding where it is possible for food to become contaminated allows you to be better able to “prevent, eliminate, or reduce to safe levels” the possibility of causing a foodborne illness outbreaks.

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.

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: How foods become unsafe.

Kitchen Thermometers are a major tool for providing safe food. Choosing the right thermometer to check the temperature of your food, as there are several different types to choose from. From depending on how often you plan to use them, what temperature zone you are looking to check (hot or cold), whether you want internal temperature, air temperature, surface temperature, etc.

Kitchen Thermometers: Types

Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometer

The most popular type of thermometer, is the bimetallic stemmed thermometer (left side of picture). It has an indicator head, calibration nut, stem, and then a sensing area that would be just below a dimple in the stem. The standard scale for this type is from 0 degrees F (-18C) to 220 degrees F (104C). This allows for a wide range of temperature measures. To calibrate this thermometer, the easiest option is to place the thermometer in a glass of ice water. After at least 30 seconds, if the thermometer does not measure 32 degrees F (0C), then you just turn the calibration nut until it reads 32 degrees F.

Thermocouples & Thermistors

Another type of thermometers are thermocouples and thermistors (shown middle in picture). These are generally described as digital thermometers that come in a wide range or styles and sizes. These thermometers can have interchangeable probes to check the temperatures through immersion, surface, penetration, and air. Because these thermometers are digital and have different probes that can be used, calibrations on this type usually needs to be done by a service company; however, some may have an internal reset button, and others may have a calibrate button that is pushed when you place the probe in ice water the same way you would calibrate a bimetallic stemmed thermometer.

Infrared Thermometers

Infrared (Laser) Thermometers are used to get accurate temperatures of food and equipment surfaces. Since the thermometer doesn’t need to come in contact with the food or equipment, it helps reduce the possibility of contamination. Calibration of this type of thermometer is completed by a service company.

Time-Temperature indicators

Time-temperature indicators (see below image) are single use items that help determine if a food item has entered the temperature danger zone and will register how long it has been in the danger zone. Food suppliers have attached these thermometers to food being shipped, in case there is an issue with delivery trucks. These time-temperature indicators change color and it provides an irreversible record of any incidents that may occur.

Kitchen Thermometers: Things to consider

when it comes to taking the temperature of food, the following information should be taken into account:

1. Keep thermometers and their storage containers clean.

2. Calibrate thermometers regularly to ensure accuracy.

3. Never use a glass thermometer to monitor the temperature of food.

4. Measure internal temperatures of food by inserting the thermometer stem or prove into the thickest part of the product.

5. Wait for the thermometer reading to steady before recording the temperature of a 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.

Check Dr. Mc Keown’s blog daily to see what information we have to share during September, the #National #Foodsafety #Education Month, #NFSM.

Tomorrows lesson: Understanding H.A.C.C.P. for food safety.