Domain 1: Management of Food Safety Practices

Providing Safe Food

  • An illness is considered a CASE when it affects one person, an outbreak when:
    • Two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food
    • An investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities
    • The outbreak is confirmed by laboratory analysis
  • TCS Foods = Foods that are Time and Temperature Controlled for Safety
  • Milk and Dairy Products
  • Eggs
  • Meat: beef, pork, and lamb
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Seafood and Crustaceans
  • Baked Potatoes
  • Heat-treated plant food, such as cooked rice, beans, and vegetables
  • Tofu and soy proteins; synthetic proteins made from soy
  • Sprouts and sprouted seeds
  • Sliced melons, Cut tomatoes, cut leafy greens
  • Untreated garlic and oil mixtures
  • RTE = Ready To Eat foods (no more preparation, washing or cooking is needed).

If a food doesn’t need to be prepped, washed, or cooked to eat it, it is an RTE food.

  • Government Agencies
    • FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
      • Inspects all food not USDA’s job
      • Crosses state lines
      • Publishes and updates the US Food Code (as a recommendation for State and local authorities)
      • Certifies food processing plants as having GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
    • USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)
      • Inspects meat, poultry, and eggs
      • Across state lines
      • Certifies food processing plants as having GAP (Good Agricultural Practices)
    • CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and PHS (US Public Health Service)
      • Do not inspect.  Only do research and assist when there is an outbreak
    • State and Local Authorities (i.e.: Health Department)
      • Inspects and enforces locally
      • Investigates complaints
      • Issues license, permits and approves construction and HACCP plans
  • A manager, supervisor, or “person in charge” is recognized by law as “the individual present at a foodservice establishment who is responsible for the operation at the time of an inspection;” the person is RESPONSIBLE to makes sure employees
    • wash their hands
    • check foods to be sure they were purchased from approved suppliers and were not time/temperature abused
    • cook and cool foods properly
    • sanitize equipment before and after use
    • prevent cross contamination with gloves, utensils, deli paper, etc
    • are trained in food safety and allergen awareness
    • know what to do while at work, why they should do it, how what they do protects consumer health, the standards expected, and what their legal obligations are
  • A manager or supervisor must protect against DELIBERATE contamination of food by using the ALERT system
    • ALERT (prevention against terrorism and deliberate contamination of food)
      • Assure
      • Look
      • Employees
      • Reports
      • Threat

There are 11 icons published by the International Association for Food Protection; each icon represents an easily recognizable symbol that conveys a specific food safety message to food handlers of all nationalities.

  • Cook Foods Thoroughly
  • Avoid Cross Contamination
  • Wash your hands
  • Do not touch RTE foods with bare hands
  • Wash, rinse, and sanitize
  • Do not work if sick
  • TCS Foods
  • Hold cold food under 41*F
  • Hold hot food above 135*F
  • Cool below 41*F in 6 hours
  • Avoid the temperature danger zone
New International Food Safety Icons

Forms of Contamination

  • Three food contaminants:
    • Biological (LIVING – Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Fungi, naturally occuring poisons (shiga toxin), and mycotoxins from some molds) BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS ARE THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS.
    • Chemical (POISONING – including cleaners and sanitizers, machine oils, pesticides, dissolved metals)
    • Physical (CHOKING – including bones, broken glass, nuts and bolts, jewelry, hair, fingernails, dust and dirt, pests and their eggs)
  • Five ways foods become unsafe
    • Time-Temperature abuse
    • Cross Contamination
    • Personal Hygiene
    • Poor Cleaning and Sanitizing
    • Buying from Unapproved Sources
  • Common Symptoms of Foodborne Illness
    • Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, nausea or abdominal cramps
  • Big 6 (EXCLUDE people who have been diagnosed by a doctor from ALL work until they provide a doctor’s note saying that they are healthy again)
    • BACTERIA: Salmonella Typhi
      • Humans-only, in bloodstream and intestines
      • From RTE foods and beverages
      • Wash hands
      • Cook to proper temps
    • BACTERIA: Nontyphoidal Salmonella (more common)
      • Farm animals (poultry, eggs, meat, milk and dairy)
      • Produce
      • Prevent cross contamination and cook to proper temperatures
    • BACTERIA: Shigella Spp.
      • From flies and water contaminated by animals
      • Think flies at a picnic: Salads (potato, tuna, shrimp, macaroni, chicken)
      • Wash hands
      • Diarrhea
    • BACTERIA: E. coli
      • Ground beef (cattle) and produce
      • Cook to proper temps
      • Buy from approved suppliers
      • Prevent cross contamination
    • VIRUS: Hep A
      • RTE food and Shellfish
      • Wash hands
      • Jaundice
    • VIRUS: Norovirus
      • RTE food and shellfish
      • Wash hands
      • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Bacteria
    • single-celled microorganisms
    • Cannot be seen, smelled or tasted
    • Needs FATTOM:
      • Food
      • Acidity (little or no acid = 4.5-7 pH)
      • Temperature (Danger Zone = 41°F-135°F)
      • Time (more time in the Danger Zone = more change for bacterial growth)
      • Oxygen (some need it, some don’t)
      • Moisture (measured by water activity – aW – on a scale o 0.0 to 1.0; the more water = the more bacteria can grow)
  • Viruses
    • Cooking does not kill a virus
    • Do not grow in food but requires humans or animals to be transferred
  • Parasites
    • Not as common as bacteria and virus
    • Seafood, wild game, food processed with contaminated water
    • Cook properly
    • Buy from reputable supplier
  • Fungi
    • Yeasts, mold, mushrooms
    • Grows well in high acidic food with low moisture
  • Toxins
    • Can be produced in plants and mushrooms
    • Can be produced in seafood: tuna, bonito, mahi mahi.
    • Ciguatera Toxin: Barracuda, snapper, grouper, amberjack
    • Symptoms:
      • Diarrhea or vomiting
      • Tingling in extremities and hot/cold flashes
      • Flush in face / hives, difficulty breathing, heart racing
  • Chemical Contaminants
    • Pewter, copper, zinc cooking equipment
    • Cleaners, first aid items, beauty products, etc. (anything not food)
  • Physical Contaminants
    • Includes bones plus all obvious items (plastic, bandages, rocks, etc.)
  • ALERT (prevention against terrorism and deliberate contamination of food)
    • Assure
    • Look
    • Employees
    • Reports
    • Threat
  • Allergens
    • Symptoms very similar to toxin, but no tingling in extremities or hot / cold flashes
    • Big 8:
      • Milk and eggs
      • Fish and crustacean shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab)
      • Tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) and peanuts
      • Soy and wheat (gluten)
    • Don’t cross contaminate, do wash hands often, and always offer ingredients