Safe Kitchen

Why all the fuss?

 Millions of people each year become

ill from germs in food

 Thousands die each year due to food

borne illness

 Food borne illness is a major cause of

- personal distress
- preventable death
- avoidable economic burden

Most illnesses are preventable!!

Why food safety?

 To protect:
- You, your friends, your family
- Your customers and fellow
employees
- Your company’s good reputation

 Food safety and quality are critical to

the bottom line

 It is a legal obligation
Food borne illness

 What is it?
- When someone gets sick (diarrhea,
stomach pains, vomiting ..) from eating
contaminated food
 Some people are at higher risk for food
borne illnesses:
- children
- elderly
- pregnant women
- patients
 Food borne illness is preventable:
- proper handling of food and good
hygiene can prevent it
 Most food borne illness is caused by
KEEP FOOD SAFE! harmful bacteria that gets into food:
- Keep bacteria out and kill what is there
by cooking thoroughly
The critical items

 (Cross) contamination

 Personal hygiene

 Time and temperature

 Cleaning & sanitising

(Cross) contamination

 Contamination:
- when harmful substances get into
food and can cause illness or injury
 Cross contamination:
- when contaminants are carried
from one food or utensil to another
by dirty hands, utensils, gloves,
equipment or food
 Contamination hazards:
- biological (micro-organisms)
- chemical (e.g., cleaning products)
- physical (foreign objects)
Micro-organisms

 Micro-organisms (bacteria, yeasts,

moulds, viruses) can be found
everywhere:
- some are useful (manufacture of
wine, beer, yogurt, cheese …)
- some are vital (digestion)
- few can cause illness (Salmonella,
Listeria, E.coli …)
 You can’t see them
 They don’t have legs and need help
to get from place to place

MAKE SURE YOU DON’T HELP THEM END UP IN THE FOOD!

Physical Contaminants

Accidental Introduction of Foreign Objects

Food Allergies

Some people are allergic to:

• Nitrites
• Sulfites
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Food Allergies

Keys to Protecting Guests

• ensure that all of you know recipe ingredients

• be truthful if unsure about possible recipe allergens

• make sure all cooking utensils and tableware are allergen-free

• serve menu items as simply as possible

Food Allergies

How food handlers Contaminate Food

• diagnosed with a foodborne illness

• show symptoms of gastrointestinal illness

• have infected lesions

• exposed to an ill person

• touch anything that may contaminate their hands

Personal hygiene

Be clean:
 Bath or shower daily
 Wear clean uniforms and aprons:
- remove all jewelry, watches
- do not carry personal items
- use hair restraints
 Keep fingernails clean, short and
unpolished
 Wash hands and forearms frequently
Wash your hands!

Wash your hands and forearms

frequently and always

- before work
- after using the toilet
- after a break
- after handling raw food
- after handling waste
- after cleaning
- whenever they are dirty
Wash your hands

How do you wash your hands?

1. Wet hands

2. Add soap and lather

3. Wash hands, forearms and between

fingers

4. Rinse thoroughly under warm

running water

5. Dry with single use towels

Proper Handwashing
Wash hands after
• using the restroom
• handling raw foods
• touching hair or body
• sneezing , coughing, using
handkerchief
• smoking, eating, drinking,
chewing tobacco or gum.
• using chemicals
• handling garbage
• clearing tables or bussing
dirty dishes
• touching aprons or clothing
• touching other unsanitized
surfaces
When to Change Gloves

• as soon as they become soiled

• before beginning a different task

• at least every four hours during continual use

• after handling raw meat and before handling cooked

or ready-to-eat foods
Personal hygiene

Be healthy:
 Do not prepare food when you are ill
 Report injury or illness
 Cover cuts or wounds with clean
waterproof dressings
 Coughs and sneezes spread
diseases: turn away!
 Avoid touching the food
 Use clean spoons for tasting, and
only once!
 Do not eat, drink or use tobacco in
food areas
Proper/Improper Attire

Proper

Hair restrained Clean, short Apron clean

fingernails, no jewelry
or nail polish

Hair not restrained Long fingernails, Apron dirty and

jewelry, nail polish stained
Illness & Injury

Handling illness and injury

• bandage and cover cuts, burns, sores and skin infections

• exclude Food Preparation Staff diagnosed with a foodborne

illness from the establishment

• exclude Food Preparation Staff from working with or around

food if they have the following symptoms:

• Fever • Sore throat

• Diarrhea • Jaundice
• Vomiting
Temperature control

Danger zone: 7 to 65oC (45 to 150oF)

 Keep food itself out of the danger

zone
- not just the container
 Germs multiply rapidly within the
danger zone
- one germ can become millions in
just hours
 Cold does not kill germs
- it only slows growth
 Heat kills germs
- make sure food is cooked and held
at proper temperatures
Temperature control

Cook food well!

Keep hot food HOT!

Keep cold food COLD!

Keep frozen food FROZEN!

or DON’T KEEP IT!

General Receiving Guides

• inspect immediately • Correct mistakes immediately

• receive one at a time • label for storage
• plan ahead • schedule during off-peak hours
• have information at hand • keep area clean
• have a backup menu plan
Receiving Fresh Meat

Receive at 41°F (5°C) or lower

Accept Reject
Receiving Poultry

Receive at 41°F (5°C) or lower

Accept Reject
Inspection vs. Grading

Inspection Stamps

Grading Stamps
Receiving Fresh Fish

Receive at 41°F (5°C) or lower

Accept Reject
Receiving Fresh Dairy
Receive at 41°F (5°C) or lower
(unless specified by law)
Accept
• Milk sweetish flavor
• Butter sweet flavor, uniform
color, firm texture
• Cheese Typical flavor and
texture, uniform colour
Reject
• Milk Sour, bitter or moldy
• Butter Sour, bitter or moldy
taste, uneven colour, soft
texture
• Cheese Unnatural mold,
uneven colour, abnormal
flavor or texture
Receiving Fresh Produce

Receiving temperature vary

Accept Reject
• Conditions vary • Odor unpleasant
depending on product • Condition: signs of insect
infestation, cuts, or
mushiness, discoloration,
wilting or dull appearance
Processed Foods

Refrigerated Processed Foods

Received at 41°F (5°C) or lower
(unless otherwise specified)

Accept Reject
• Packaging intact and in good • Packaging: torn/holes;
condition expired use-by-date

Frozen Processed Foods

Received frozen

Accept Reject
• Packaging intact and in good • Packaging: Large ice crystals
condition on product/package; water
stains/liquid on packaging,
abnormal color, dry texture
Refrigerated MAP, Vacuum packed

MAP, Vacuum-Packed, Sous Vide Foods

Receive at 41°F (51°C) or lower
(unless specified)

Accept Reject
• Packaging: Intact and in good • Packaging: Leaking, expired
condition code date
• Appearance: Unacceptable
product color, appears slimy
or bubbles
Canned Food

Reject if:

• swollen ends

• leaks and flawed seals

• rust and dents

• no labels
Receiving Dry Foods

Reject

Torn Bag Moisture Stain

Four Hour Rule

Four-Hour Rule
 Never let food remain in the
temperature danger zone for
more than four hours
Exposure Time
 Accumulates from receiving
through cooking
 Begins again when food is held,
cooled, and reheated
Food hygiene

Prevent contamination:

 Keep food covered

 Store correctly:
- keep raw and cooked food separate
- don’t leave at room temperature
- keep time between preparation and
consumption short
- label and date food properly

 Reheat and serve only once

 Use clean equipment

Methods of Preventing Cross
Contamination During Preparation

• use disposal or coloured cleaning cloths

• consider using gloves for food preparation and service

• practice good personal hygiene

Cotton towels approved

Chix towels approved

Terry towels not approved

 C.A.Y.G

• CLEAN AS YOU GO
1.Remove food and other types of soil from a
surface
• 2.Sanitizing
• Reduce the number of microorganisms on a
surface to safe levels
Cleaning vs Sanitizing

Cleaning vs Sanitizing

Sanitizing
Reducing the number of microorganisms on a
surface to safe levels
Cleaning and sanitizing

 All items and surfaces should be clean

 Pay special attention to food contact

points (cutting boards, containers,
utensils) and hand contact points (door
handles, taps…). These items should be
disinfected
 Clean between and after preparing
- raw and ready to eat food
- high risk foods

 After final use for the day

 Whenever contamination may have

occurred
What can you do?

 You are an important part of your

company’s food safety program
 You can help prevent food borne illness
by:
- understanding how to handle food
properly to keep it from becoming
dangerous

- following the proper procedures for

personal hygiene and maintaining the
cleanliness of your work area

- knowing what to do if something

happens!
What you can do now

 Check product deliveries

- check date coding and product
condition
- report unsatisfactory deliveries
- move all high risk foods into storage
within 30 minutes

 Cook food well

- make sure all food is cooked
thoroughly and all the way through
- core temperature must be at least
75oC (165ºF)
- check temperature with a clean,
disinfected thermometer
What you can do now

 Use safe food and safe water

- use pasteurised eggs in uncooked
foods
- use pasteurised milk instead of raw
milk
- use only potable water

 Keep hot food HOT and cold food

COLD
- don’t leave food to stand at room
temperature
- never reheat, thaw, freeze or
display foods more than once
- Keep cool storage below 7oC
(45ºF) and hot storage above 65oC
(150ºF)
What you can do now

 Prepare and store raw foods separately

from Ready-to-eat foods
- avoid contact between raw and
ready-to-use foods
- store ready-to-use foods above raw
foods, meats and fish
- always cover foods when stored

 If in doubt, throw it out!!

- label all stored foods
- check ‘use by’ dates
- rotate stock to use oldest stock first
What you can do now

 Keep animals and pests OUT

- keep doors and windows closed
- do not allow animals in food prep
areas
- clean up spillages
- clear away debris and waste

 Keep your kitchen clean

- wash and disinfect work areas and
utensils before, between and after
preparing food
- Follow all cleaning schedules and
instructions
- Don’t use towels or cloths to clean
- use only approved products to clean
What you can do now

 Keep yourself clean and healthy

- wash hands thoroughly before
preparing food
- wash hands after using the toilet,
eating or drinking
- cover cuts and wounds
- do not wear jewelry or watches
- wear clean protective clothing when
handling food
- do not prepare food when you are ill

Handling food safely is your responsibility

Do not be afraid to ask about the safety of food;
The life it saves could be yours!