Food Booth Safety Keep Food Safe at the Food Booth: A training for Adults Module designed by Bridget Curley, Program Assistant, and Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist edited for Ingham County MI

The Need for Safe Food Training  Serving food to the public is a large responsibility, but can be an enjoyable experience.  Whether you are setting up a small food stand or volunteering at a larger, temporary stand, the following simple rules and regulations will help ensure safe food is served to customers.

Question Time  When working at a temporary food stand you should: a) Have fun b) Serve safe food to customers c) Remember food safety guidelines d) All of the above  Click to see answer. The answer is d. We hope the experience is fun and safe for those who have the chance to help out.  When working at a temporary food stand you should: a) Have fun b) Serve safe food to customers c) Remember food safety guidelines d) All of the above

Basic Kitchen Safety Rules  Do not lift heavy objects.  Be careful if you work with sharp objects, such as knives.  Clean up spills to avoid slipping.  Be careful around stoves or other hot equipment.  Take care when handling hot foods.  Wear closed-toe, nonslip shoes (such as tennis shoes) to protect your feet.

Know the Potentially Hazardous Foods  Preparing and serving safe food is important to your customers.  Be careful when you work with and prepare foods that are “potentially hazardous.” These are foods that have been linked to foodborne illness  Examples of potentially hazardous foods are:  Meat, poultry and fish  Milk and egg products  Salads and sandwiches made with meat  Sliced melons and sprouts  Cooked vegetables, cooked rice or beans

You are responsible for identifying “potentially hazardous” foods. PotentiallyHazardous PotentiallyHazardous PotentiallyHazardous

Keep Your Area Safe and Clean  Reduce the risk of spreading germs, such as bacteria.  These microorganisms can cause foodborne illness and make people sick. People at a higher risk are young children, elderly adults, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.

Four Steps to Food Safety Clean Separate Cook Chill  When food causes people to be sick, it usually is because of something that went wrong in one of these areas.

True or False  The important steps to food safety are clean, separate, cook and chill. True or False

Step One:

Cleaning and Sanitizing  Keep work areas, equipment and dishes clean and sanitized.  Clean counters and dishes carefully to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria that can make people sick.  Keep walkways clear.  Pick objects off the floor to prevent people from tripping.

 Inspect areas where food is prepared, eaten and served and identify areas that need to be cleaned. Dirty Dirty Dirty

Washing and Sanitizing  When you wash dishes and utensils, scrape off excess food and then wash with warm, soapy water.  After washing, rinse off soap with hot water and then sanitize dishes in an appropriate solution.  You only need about 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach per gallon of warm water to make a sanitizing solution for dishes.

 Just because something looks clean does not mean it is sanitized or safe to use Sanitizing reduces the amount of germs on each item.  Allow time for dishes to air dry completely This is the safest way to keep dishes clean because dishtowels can spread bacteria from dish to dish.

 You have been assigned to help wash dishes. What is the correct order to clean dishes and utensils properly? Scrape Sanitize Air dry Rinse Wash

 Clean surfaces such as counters and tables by wiping them with paper towels and sanitizer solution.  Homemade sanitizer solutions can be made by mixing 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of water.  Do not use sponges or cloth towels to clean up spills.

 A homemade sanitizer solution can be created from_____. a) 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach b) 1 gallon of water and 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach c) 1 quart of water and 3 tablespoons of chlorine bleach  A homemade sanitizer solution can be created from_____. a) 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach b) 1 gallon of water and 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach c) 1 quart of water and 3 tablespoons of chlorine bleach

Volunteer Health and Hygiene  Don’t forget to wash your hands before starting to work and many times during your shift.  Wash hands in warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.  After your hands are clean, dry them using a paper towel and discard the towel in the garbage.

20 Seconds?!  Is that a long time? How do you know when the 20 seconds are up? a) Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to yourself b) Slowly count 20 Mississippis c) Hum the “ABC” song to yourself d) All are good ideas All these ideas help you make sure you wash your hands long enough to get them clean.  Is that a long time? How do you know when the 20 seconds are up? a) Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to yourself b) Slowly count 20 Mississippis c) Hum the “ABC” song to yourself d) All are good ideas

 Wash your hands after: you touch food touching your face going to the bathroom or doing anything else that could spread bacteria from your hands to the customers and their food  Always have clean hands before handling any food.

Glove Safety  Everyone should have disposable gloves at his or her station to use if touching food is necessary.  These gloves should be put on after you wash your hands.  If your gloves become dirty or torn, change them.  Also, if you switch jobs, you will need to change gloves. For example, if you are making hamburger patties and then start serving cookies, change your gloves to prevent contamination.

True or False  Wear gloves or use deli paper instead of touching ready-to-eat food with your hands. True or False

Handling Money  If you handle money, wash your hands before touching any food or clean surfaces.  Money can be covered in germs, which you should not spread to food.  If you touch money while wearing gloves, you need to change them before touching any food.

Personal Appearance  Before starting your shift, be sure you have a clean appearance and an apron to keep your clothes from becoming soiled.  Tie back long hair or wear a hair restraint so your hair is away from your face and will not come in contact with food. Do you know anyone who likes his or her food served with a “side of hair”?

You are about to start your shift.  Which of the following should you do before starting? Not Important  Click to reveal the answer.

Step Two:

Biological Contamination and Foodborne Illness  Keep foods separate to reduce the risk of transferring germs from one food to another through cross-contamination.  This could happen if you touch food to a surface that has not been cleaned and sanitized properly.  Also, never allow a raw food to come in contact with a cooked or ready-to-serve food.

Before you start your shift  Be sure you have the correct supplies available.  Have serving utensils, such as tongs, ladles and scoops, ready.  Have utensils available for each different food. For example, you do not want to use the hot dog tongs to grab a cookie. If you touch “ready-to-eat” food, such as buns or cookies, be sure to wear disposable gloves or use tongs or deli paper.

 Match the following foods with the proper serving utensils you should use: 1. Hot doga. Gloved hand 2. Mashed potatoesb. Ladle 3. Soupc. Scoop 4. Nacho chipsd. Tongs 1. Hot dogd. Tongs 2. Mashed potatoesc. Scoop 3. Soupb. Ladle 4. Nacho chipsa. Gloved hand  Click and the correct answers will appear.

 If you are running low on a hot food, such as taco meat, do not add meat from the fridge to the meat you already are using.  Instead, heat a new batch of meat to replace the other dwindling amount and serve that instead.  Adding new foods to old foods is a contamination risk.

Step Three:

Preparing, cooking and serving food  When cooking and serving food, keep out of the temperature “danger zone.” This is the temperature from 41 F to 140 F. At this temperature, germs and bacteria can grow quickly.  Check food temperatures with a thermometer. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold!

You noticed some of the equipment is not heating foods correctly.  Pick out the foods in the temperature danger zone. Poultry should be heated to 165F not 65F

Check Temperatures Often  Check foods with a stem thermometer frequently.  Measure the temperature in the center or the thickest part of the food.  Clean and sanitize the thermometer after use.  At the end of this module, you will find an on-line temperature handout that you can print for reference.

Keep “Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold”  When reheating meat, always use a powerful source of heat, such as a microwave or oven/stove. Allow standing time and stir midway through the reheating process when using a microwave oven. Reheat foods to an internal temperature of 165 F.  Do not use a slow cooker, hot plate or other small appliance to heat foods. Heat foods (such as taco meat) to an appropriate temperature before hot-holding it in a small appliance, such as a slow cooker.  To reduce the amount of food wasted, only heat small amounts when needed.

 If your food stand uses refrigerators or freezers to store foods and ice cream, be sure the doors are labeled with the contents. This will reduce the amount of time the door has to be open if people need to get something.  Also, if using coolers to keep foods cold, be sure they are full of ice and kept closed as much as possible. Keep these labeled as well, and have separate coolers for raw and ready-to-serve foods.

Serving Dishes  For easy sanitation use disposable dishes, such as paper plates, plastic foam-type cups and plastic silverware, when serving food to customers.  When handing plates to customers, only touch the outer edge of the plate  Hold only the bottom half of the cup; never touch the part that will come in contact with a person’s mouth.  Only touch the handle end of forks, spoons and knives.  If customers ask you to carry items for them, take only what you can transfer safely.

Serving Food Safely

 If you will be working in an area unfamiliar to you and/or you do not have experience using the equipment at your station, be sure to ask the manager for instructions before you start working.

Step Four:

Storing Foods  Store food in appropriate containers so the food is safe for later use.  When putting food away, choose an appropriate container.  Use shallow containers to store foods Thick foods, such as sloppy joe meat or chili, should be chilled in a container no more than 2 inches deep. Other foods, such as a thin soup, can be stored 3 inches deep.

True or False  The shallower the food in a container, the quicker it will chill to a safe temperature. True or False

Storing Food  When putting food away, cover it with a lid or plastic wrap.  Label the container with the date, time and contents. This will allow the next person to identify the contents without taking it out and uncovering it. This will tell the next person when it was prepared.

Which containers are labeled correctly? A. B. A. The date and contents are both listed

Ice Safety  Food safety rules apply to ice used to keep foods or beverages cool. Remember that ice touches food and customers can consume it.  Do not touch ice with your hands; instead, use a metal scoop when serving it with drinks or filling coolers.

Role Recommendation  As an adult, set a good example for younger helpers, and follow and reinforce food safety guidelines.  Creating a safe and healthy environment will make the job of youth helpers easier and more enjoyable.

 While supervising the food booth, you are responsible for monitoring the other workers.  This can include delegating responsibilities, helping with money issues and handling customer service situations.  You are responsible for checking temperatures regularly and ensuring clean and sanitized workspaces are maintained.

Thank you! Your willingness to volunteer is greatly appreciated! Let’s make the best better and have fun!