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 135F (5C) or higher or at 41F (5C) 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 servers 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 (57C) or higher, and cold food cold- 41 F
(5C) 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-toeat 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 (57C) or higher, or at41 F (5C) 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 kept
Clean 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 clients 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 foods 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 (57C) or higher, or at 41 F (5C) 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 product
shelf life daily
-If a food items 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.