1. Chapter 2
Keeping Food Safe

2. What Is a Foodborne Illness?
All restaurant and foodservice operations must keep food safe. Every person in the operation must work toward this goal.
A foodborne illness is a disease transmitted to people by food.
A foodborne-illness outbreak is when two or more people get the same illness after eating the same food.
High-risk populations have a higher risk of getting a foodborne illness than others.
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

3. Forms of Contamination
To prevent foodborne illness, it is important to recognize the hazards that can make food unsafe.
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm.
In the preparation of food, hazards are divided into three categories: biological, chemical, and physical.
Food can become unsafe through:
Poor personal hygiene
Time-temperature abuse
Cross-contamination
Poor cleaning and sanitizing
Purchasing from unapproved suppliers
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

4. Biological Contamination
Microorganisms are small, living organisms that can be seen only through a microscope.
The four types of pathogens that can contaminate food and cause foodborne illness are:
Viruses
Bacteria
Parasites
Fungi
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5. Biological Contamination (cont.)
Pathogens need six conditions to grow. An easy way to remember these conditions is by remembering the phrase FAT TOM, for Food, Acidity, Temperature (FAT), Time, Oxygen, and Moisture (TOM).
Food that is most vulnerable for pathogen growth is food that needs time and temperature control for safety, or TCS food for short.
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

6. Chemical Contamination
Chemicals contaminants come from everyday items that are found in restaurant and foodservice operations and may cause foodborne illnesses.
Store chemicals in a separate area away from food, utensils, and equipment used for food.
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

7. Physical Contamination
Common physical contaminants include:
Metal shavings from cans
Glass from broken lightbulbs
Fingernails, hair, and bandages
Jewelry
Fruit pits
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

8. Allergens
A food allergy is the body’s negative reaction to a food protein.
Employees should be aware of major allergens and the menu items that contain them.
Cross-contact occurs when allergens are transferred from food containing an allergen to the food served to the customer.
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

9. Personal Cleanliness and Work Attire
All foodhandlers must bathe or shower before work and keep their hair clean.
Dirty clothing may carry pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses.
To avoid spreading foodborne illnesses, foodhandlers should:
Always cover their hair.
Remove aprons and store them in the right place when leaving prep areas.
Wear clean clothing every day.
Remove jewelry from hands and arms before preparing food or when working around prep areas.
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10. Handwashing Foodhandlers must also wash their hands after:
Handwashing is the most important part of personal hygiene. Foodhandlers must wash their hands before they start work.
Foodhandlers must also wash their hands after:
Using the restroom
Handling raw meat, poultry, or seafood
Touching the hair, face, or body
Sneezing, coughing, or using a tissue
Eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum or tobacco
Handling chemicals that might affect food safety
Taking out garbage
Clearing tables or busing dirty dishes
Touching clothing or aprons
Handling money
Touching anything else that may contaminate hands
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11. Bare-Hand Contact/ Illness Work Requirements
Using bare hands to handle ready-to-eat food can increase the risk of contaminating it.
Employees should be restricted from working in food contact positions if they have a sore throat and fever. If they are in a high-risk establishment, then they should be excluded.
Employees should be excluded from an establishment if they have diarrhea, vomiting, or a foodborne illness.
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Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe

12. Cross-Contamination
The spread of pathogens from one surface or food to another is called cross-contamination.
The steps that an operation takes to buy, store, prepare, cook, and serve food is known as the flow of food.
The most basic way to prevent cross-contamination is to separate raw food and ready-to-eat food.
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13. Time-Temperature Abuse
Most foodborne illnesses happen because TCS food has been time-temperature abused.
Food is time-temperature abused any time it is cooked to the wrong internal temperature, held at the wrong temperature, or cooled or reheated incorrectly.
Food has been time-temperature abused when it remains at 41˚F to 135˚F. This is called the temperature danger zone because pathogens grow in this range.
If food is held in this range for four or more hours, throw it out.
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14. Thermometers
Three types of thermometers are commonly used in operations—bimetallic stemmed, thermocouples, and thermistors.
A bimetallic stemmed thermometer can check temperatures from 0˚F to 220˚F.
Thermocouples and thermistors measure temperatures through a metal probe and display them digitally.
Infrared thermometers measure the temperatures of food and equipment surfaces.
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15. Purchasing
All the food used in a restaurant or foodservice operation should come from approved, reputable suppliers.
An approved food supplier is one that has been inspected by appropriate agencies and meets all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
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16. Receiving
To keep food safe during receiving, an operation needs to have enough trained staff available to receive, inspect, and store the food.
Use thermometers to check food temperatures during receiving.
The packaging of food and nonfood items should be intact and clean. Reject any items with packaging problems or with signs of pest damage or expired use-by dates.
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17. Storage
Food can become unsafe if stored improperly. Store all TCS food at 41°F or lower, or at 135°F or higher.
Rotate food in storage to use the oldest inventory first using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
Always store food to prevent cross-contamination. Store refrigerated raw meat, poultry, and seafood separately from ready-to-eat food.
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18. Preparation
Prepare food in small batches so that ingredients don’t sit out for too long in the temperature danger zone.
To reduce pathogen growth, never thaw food at room temperature.
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19. Cooking
Cooking food to the correct temperature is critical for keeping it safe.
Every type of TCS food has a minimum internal temperature that it must reach.
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20. Holding, Cooling, and Reheating
If cooked food isn’t served immediately, it must be kept out of the temperature danger zone by cooling it quickly, reheating it correctly, and/or holding it correctly.
To hold TCS food safely, hold hot food at 135°F or higher and hold cold food at 41°F or lower.
Cool TCS food from 135°F to 41°F or lower within six hours. First, cool food from 135°F to 70°F within two hours. Then cool it to 41°F or lower in the next four hours.
If foodhandlers plan to reheat leftover food, then it needs to go from storage temperature to 165°F within two hours and then stay at that temperature for 15 seconds.
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21. Serving Handle ready to eat food with tongs, deli sheets, or gloves
The biggest threat to food that is ready to be served is contamination.
Handle ready to eat food with tongs, deli sheets, or gloves
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22. Cleaning & Sanitizing Cleaning – Removing food or dirt from a surface.
Sanitizing – Reducing pathogens on a surface to safe levels.
Test all sanitizer solutions with sanitizer test strips.
All equipment and utensils in a foodservice establishment needs to be cleaned and sanitized. This will help prevent cross contamination and cross contact.
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23. Four Step Process 1 – Wash 2- Rinse 3- Sanitize 4 – Air dry 2.3
Chapter 2 | Keeping Food Safe