III. 4 STEPS to FOOD SAFETY TO PREVENT FOODBORNE ILLNESS  

• CLEAN  
• SEPARATE  
• COOK  
• CHILL 

 "Four Steps to Food Safety"  

The 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines give 4 "Key Recommendations" for food safety. This can be found at the following website:

 http:/www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/recommendations.htm

 A.      CLEAN

 

 In this section, we will cover:  

• Hand Washing and Personal Hygiene 
• Utensils and Surfaces 
• Disinfect Solution  
• Fruits and Vegetables

Step #1: CLEAN. This means clean:  

• Hands 
• Utensils  
• Surfaces  
• Fruits and Vegetables  

Do not wash or rinse meat or poultry as this could spread bacteria to other foods.

Clean fruits and vegetables:

• Wash with cold running water
  
• Scrub the outside with a CLEAN vegetable brush

Do NOT use soap or other cleaners

 What is the difference between CLEAN and SANITARY?  

CLEAN is removing soil from the surfaces hands, equipment and utensils. Clean is free from surface dirt. 

SANITARY is reducing the number of disease-causing organisms on hands, and on the surface of equipment and utensils to safe levels. Sanitary is 99% free from microbial pathogens.

Good Personal Hygiene is essential for people who work with foods.  

Good personal hygiene requires:

• Clean clothing
• Tie back hair or wear hat or hair net
• No smoking and/or eating in food preparation and washing areas
• No jewelry

Wash your hands. Hand washing is the most effective way to stop the spread of illness.

 

 

 Know how to wash your hands.  

• Wet hands with warm water and apply soap
• Rub hands for 20 seconds
• Rub between fingers and rub forearms
• Rinse; use single-use towel to dry
• Turn off the water with towel; then discard towel.

 When does one wash hands?

• Before handling food 
• After using the toilet or changing diapers
• After coughing, sneezing or blowing one's nose
• After handling pets After touching a cut or sore
• After touching one's hair, face or other body parts
• After wiping counters, handling non-food items or emptying garbage
• Whenever hands become contaminated

Are chemical hand sanitizers acceptable replacement for hand washing?

No

How can one make a sanitizing solution to use for cleaning most surfaces? For most cleaning:

Add 1 Tablespoon of chlorine bleach to 1 quart water

 

If you are serving samples and are in a location that does not have running water, here are instructions on how to build an easy portable handwashing sink. Note that this type of sink is not adequate for serving meals and perishable foods.

Equipment needed to set up a portable hand washing station:

• Water jug with spout
• Bottle of pump soap
• Roll of paper towels
• Bucket
• Bag for used paper towels

For the jug with a spout, a 2-gallon water jug from the grocery store will work. To make a towel holder, take a pants hanger and replace the cardboard roll with the towels and hang on the water jug. Place the bucket under the water spout to catch the water.

      B.   SEPARATE

In this section, we will cover:

-How to prevent Cross Contamination 

-Microbial 

• Cutting boards
• Raw meat containers
• Storage

Step #2: SEPARATE raw, cooked and ready-to-eat foods when shopping, preparing or storing foods.  

Bacteria are hitchhikers!

What is cross-contamination?

Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful substances to one food from another by way of hands, utensils, equipment, or directly by splash and drippage.

• Use different cutting boards.
• Use one cutting board for fresh produce.
• Use a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
• Replace cutting boards if they become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves.
• Use clean plates.

NEVER serve food on a plate that held raw meat, poultry or seafood.

First WASH the plate in hot, soapy water, and rinse before reusing.

How does one avoid cross contamination with utensils?

Clean and sanitize utensils and surfaces:

• After working with raw foods 
• Before working with ready-to-eat foods

How can one avoid cross contamination in storage?

• Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat and cooked foods  
• Store raw foods below ready-to-eat and cooked foods  
  

What about sick people? 

          Sick people should not prepare, cook or serve food. 

How sick is too sick?

• Colds
• Coughs 
• Sore throat
• Symptoms of intestinal illness (vomiting, diarrhea, fever)  

      C.   COOK

 In this section, we will cover:

• Danger zone
• Cooking, freezing and microbes
• Thermometers
• Is it done yet? Temperatures for safety.
• Microwave cooking 

 Step #3: Cook foods to a safe temperature to kill microorganisms.

What is the danger zone?

Bacteria like warm temperatures.  The temperature zone in which bacteria multiply rapidly is between 40°F and 140°F. Keep food out of this danger zone by keeping cold food cold and hot food hot.  

 Freezing slows. High temperatures kill.  

The ONLY way to know if food has been cooked to a safe internal temperature is to use an accurate FOOD THERMOMETER!

Common food thermometers are:

Dial instant-read (available in kitchen stores)

Digital instant-read (available in kitchen stores)

Disposable temperature indicator (single-use) 

Additional information is available at the following website:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/food_safety_education/Types_of_Food_Thermometers/index.asp

A thermometer should be calibrated. Calibrating is checking the thermometer for accuracy against a standard (such as ice water) to determine if it is currently giving a correct reading. This is done because thermometers can easily get off mark, which would then give an incorrect reading.

 When should a thermometer be calibrated?

• on a routine basis to assure accuracy
• after measuring extremely hot and cold temperatures  
• when the thermometer is dropped
• before the first use

The Ice Point Method is one way to calibrate a thermometer:

Fill a large glass with crushed ice. Add clean tap water until the glass is full and stir well.

Put the thermometer stem or probe in the ice water mixture so that the entire sensing area is submerged. Do not let the stem of the thermometer or probe touch the sides or bottom of the glass. Wait at least 30 seconds or until indicator stops moving.

      With the stem of the thermometer or probe still in the ice water mixture, use a wrench to turn the adjusting nut until the thermometer reads 32°F (0°C). If calibrating a digital thermometer, press the reset button to automatically calibrate the thermometer. 

 

Is it done yet?  

You can't tell by LOOKING. Use a FOOD THERMOMETER to be sure.

• 165°F whole poultry 
• 165°F chicken breasts  
• 160°F egg dishes
• 160°F ground beef
• 160°F pork
• 145°F fish
• 145°F steaks/roasts 

 Using a food thermometer:   

1. Place in thickest part of food.
2. Do NOT touch bone, fat or gristle.
3. Begin checking temperature toward the end of cooking, but before food is expected to be "done"
4. For irregularly shaped food, such as beef roast, check temperature in several places
5. Clean thermometer in hot soapy water before and after EACH use.

What is the best way to cook food in a microwave oven?   

• Cook to temperature of 165°F  
• Cover, rotate and stir  
• Allow food to stand after cooking  

 D. CHILL

Step #4—Chill (refrigerate) perishable food promptly and defrost food properly.

In this section, we will cover:

• Factors affecting foodborne illness
• Bacterial multiplication
• Cooling hot foods
• Thawing in the refrigerator
• Refrigerator temperature/thermometers

What are the causes of foodborne illness?

4%       Use of leftovers
7%       Improper cleaning
7%       Cross contamination
11%     Contaminated raw food
12%      Inadequate reheating
16%      Improper hot storage
16%      Inadequate cooking
20%      Infected persons touching food
21%      Time between preparing and serving
40%      Improper cooling of foods

A Multiplication Quiz

How many bacteria can result if 1 BACTERIUM is left at room termperature for 7 hours?

Answer: 2,097,152!

Refrigerate perishable food quickly!

What is the best way to cool food?

• Cool food in shallow containers
• Food should be no more than 2" deep
• Stirring periodically speeds up the cooling process

What else?

• It's OK to refrigerate foods while they are still warm.
• Leave container open until the food has cooled.

The following chart demonstrates that the best way to cool food is in shallow containers in the refrigerator:

 

TIME (Began at 12:15p.m.)	CONTAINER  #1      Shallow and at Room Temperature Not Recommended	CONTAINER #2     Shallow and in Refrigerator Best Practice	CONTAINER #3            Deep and in Refrigerator Not Recommended
12:50 p.m.	90°	82°	110°
1:10 p.m.	80°	70°	92°
2:15 p.m.	60°	50°	62°
2:30 p.m.	60°	44°	58°
3:05 p.m.	60°	40°	52°

Notice how container #2, shallow and in the refrigerator, reached a safe temperature within the recommended 2 hours, much more quickly than the other two.

 

Pass food through the DANGER ZONE quickly and as few times as possible.

• Thaw foods in the refrigerator
• Cook foods to correct temperature
• Reheat food to at least 165°F
• Reheat gravies, sauces and soups to a boil
• Cool foods from 140°F to 40°F quickly
• Bacteria will grow on cut fruits and vegetables
• Keep cut fruits and vegetables cold
• Do not leave out of refrigeration more than two hours

What is the Thaw Law?

• Plan ahead to defrost foods
• The SAFEST way to thaw foods is in the refrigerator
• What are the recommended refrigerator and freezer temperatures?
• Set refrigerator at 33°F to 40°F
• Set freezer at 0° F or lower
• Use thermometers in refrigerators and freezers. Place them in an easy to read place in front locations and check temperatures weekly.

Click on the link below for the next section:

-Cooking for Groups