Wk 4 Food Safety: Food Handling and Flow of Foods

Week 4

What are the three major factors that make food unsafe?

Poorly trained food handlers, sick employees, and unconscious habits/non-adherence to food safety procedures.

Why are poorly trained food handlers dangerous?

They can contaminate food at every step of the flow of food.

Why shouldn’t managers assume employees “just know” safe practices?

because unconscious behaviors (like scratching or touching hair) can contaminate food.

What should managers do if unsafe behaviors are observed?

Consider corrective action.

What are the four components of creating a personal hygiene program?

• Create policies based on risk control points

• Train and retrain staff

• Supervise food safety practices

• Revise policies when laws/science change

Do antiseptics replace handwashing?

no

When must gloves be changed?

• Dirty or torn

• Before new tasks

• After interruptions

• After handling hazardous foods

• Before RTE foods

• After 4 hours of uninterrupted use

Why must gloves be changed every 4 hours?

A: Bacteria can begin growing due to time and temperature exposure.

Q: When is bare-hand contact with RTE food allowed?

A: Only if the food will be cooked as an ingredient.

Q: When should an employee be restricted from working with food?

• Uncovered wound/boil

• Sore throat with fever

• Sneezing/coughing/runny nose with discharge

Q: When must an employee be excluded from operations?

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Jaundice

• Diagnosed with Norovirus, Shigella, Nontyphoidal Salmonella, E. coli, Hep A, Salmonella Typhi

Q: How long must someone with vomiting/diarrhea be excluded?

A: Until 24 hours symptom-free.

Q: What must happen if an employee has jaundice?

A: It must be reported to regulatory authorities and requires medical release AND approval before return.

Q: What does OSHA require of employers?

A: To create a safe workplace and prevent injuries.

Q: List five common kitchen hazards.

• Slips/trips/falls

• Burns

• Cuts

• Back strain

• Chemical irritation

Q: What rights do employees have under OSHA?

A: Safe workplace, workers’ compensation, safe environment.

Q: What are manager responsibilities for safety?

A: Train, monitor, encourage safe behaviors, report injuries.

Q: What are the nine stages of the flow of food?

• Purchasing

• Receiving

• Storing

• Preparing

• Cooking

• Holding

• Cooling

• Reheating

• Serving

Q: What is the definition of flow of food?

A: Each stage food is handled from procurement to service.

Q: What is the flow in a conventional system?

A: Procurement → Production → Service

Q: What is the flow in a ready-prepared system?

A: Procurement → Production → Chilling → Storage → Bulk Reheating → Hot Holding → Meal Assembly → Service

Q: What are the three major hazards in the flow of food?

A: Cross-contamination, time-temperature abuse, poor personal hygiene.

Q: Why are hazards cumulative?

A: Bacteria proliferate and multiply at each abused stage.

Q: How can cross contamination be prevented?

• Separate equipment for raw and RTE foods

• Clean and sanitize before/after tasks

• Prep raw and RTE foods at different times

• Buy prepared food

Q: What are examples of time-temperature abuse?

• Cooking to wrong internal temp

• Holding at wrong temp

• Cooling/reheating incorrectly

Q: What is the temperature danger zone risk?

A: Food can enter it multiple times and risk is cumulative.

Q: What are methods to avoid time-temperature abuse?

A: Monitoring, recording, documenting, corrective actions, using thermometers.

Q: Name two probe types for thermocouples/thermistors.

A: Immersion probes and penetration probes.

Q: How often should thermometers be calibrated?

A: Daily (especially analog).

Q: What is a bimetallic thermometer?

A: An analog thermometer with two metals that bend when temperature changes.

Q: What does HACCP stand for?

A: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point.

Q: What does HACCP control?

A: Biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

Q: What is a Critical Control Point (CCP)?

A: A step where control can prevent, eliminate, or reduce a hazard to acceptable levels.

Q: What are the 7 steps of HACCP?

• Analyze hazards

• Identify CCPs

• Establish critical limits

• Monitoring procedures

• Corrective actions

• Verification

• Record keeping