1. NS205 Food Safety & Microbiology
Seminar 5 – The Flow of Food: Service

2. Getting to Know You
Let’s spend a few minutes getting to know one another a little bit better at the beginning of each seminar
Those of you who have birthdays in July and August – tell us one unique thing about yourself

3. Reminders You have a project due at the end of this unit
Any questions?

4. The Flow of Food: Service
Storing 3
Receiving
Preparing 2 4
Purchasing 1
Cooking 5
The Flow of Food
During this term, we have been discussing the different parts of the flow of food process
So far we have covered purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, cooling and reheating
The last step in this process is service, which we are going to discuss in this seminar
As we have learned, each of these steps are extremely important in protecting food from food borne illnesses
After the food has been handled safely and cooked properly, we need to continue with good food safety practices to prevent contamination during serving
There are typically 2 different sets of people that are involved with the serving of food – the kitchen staff and the servers
Let’s start by discussing how the kitchen staff can help serve food safely
What are some different things you think kitchen staff need to be trained on to serve food safetly?
Serving 9
Holding
Reheating
Cooling 6 8 7

5. Serving Food Safely: Kitchen Staff
Use clean and sanitized utensils for serving
Store serving utensils properly
Minimize bare hand contact with ready to eat foods
Practice good personal hygiene
Obviously we want the kitchen staff to use clean and sanitized utensils when serving food.
Separate utensils should be used for each food item
Utensils need to be cleaned and sanitized at least once every 4 hours during use
While serving the food, there are a couple of ways the serving utensils can be stored – How do you think you should store utensils when serving?
The can be stored in the food with the handle extended above the rim or they can be stored on a clean sanitized surface
It is also important to minimize bare hand contact with ready to eat food
In some states, bare hand contact is allowed, so you would need to check with your local health department to find out what is allowed in your community
But it is always better to serve ready to eat foods with tongs, deli sheets, or gloves
And lastly, I am sure we all know by now the importance of proper handwashing and good personal hygiene
Any questions about the kitchen staff?
Now let’s discuss the food servers
There are many different ways servers can contaminate foods
There are some guidelines servers should follow when serving food – Let’s look at some different scenarios as we walk through these guidelines
I will give you a scenario and I want you to tell me if the server is serving the food correctly or not

6. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Is this server serving food correctly? Server Judy serves the dinner plate with her thumb touching the food contact area
Here is your first scenario
No, the server is not serving the food correctly – Why is that?

7. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Guideline 1:
Glassware & dishes should be handled properly
The food contact area of serving ware should not be touched
Hold dishes by the bottom or edge
Hold cups by their handle and
glasses by the middle, bottom, or stem

8. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Is this server serving correctly? Server Judy is carrying glasses stacked on each other to the drink station
Here is your next scenario
No, the server is not serving correctly – Why is that?

9. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Guideline 2:
Glassware and dishes should not be stacked when serving
The rim or surface of one item can contaminate the one above it
Glasses need to be carried on a tray or in a rack

10. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Is this server serving correctly? Server Judy hands the customer their flatware by the handle of the flatware
Here is your next scenario
Yes, the server is serving correctly

11. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Guideline 3: Utensils & flatware should be held by the handle, not food contact surfaces
All flatware and utensils should be held by the handle, never the food contact surface

12. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Is this server serving correctly? Server Judy serves the customer a bagel using tongs
Here is your next scenario
Yes, the server is serving correctly

13. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Guideline 4: Minimize bare hand contact with food that is ready to eat
As we said with the kitchen staff, it is important to minimize bare hand contact with ready to eat foods
So using tongs is a perfect example of how to do that

14. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Is this server serving correctly? Server Judy puts ice in a glass using another glass to scoop up the ice
Here is your last scenario
No, the server is not serving correctly – Why is that?

15. Serving Food Safely: Servers
Guideline 5: Use ice scoops or tongs to get ice
Also, never scoop ice with glass since the glass could break off or chip into the customers drink
Never scoop ice with bare hands
Always use an ice scoop or tongs to scoop ice
Can the ice scoop be stored in the ice bin?
No, never store the ice scoop in the ice bin – they need to be store in a sanitary location
Any questions?
So we have covered basic guidelines for the kitchen staff and servers to serve food safely
Now I have a question for you – is it ever okay to reserve food previously served to the customer, like plate garnishes or condiments?

16. Re-serving Food
Yes No
Unopened, prepackaged foods (condiment packets, wrapped crackers)
Bottles of ketchup, mustard, and other condiments
Menu items
Plate garnishes
Uncovered condiments
Uneaten bread or rolls
Generally speaking, any unopened or prepackaged foods, such as condiments packets or wrapped crackers can be reserved
Also, bottles of ketchup, mustard, and other condiments can be reserved
You never want to reserve other customers menu items, plate garnishes, uncovered condiments, or uneaten bread or rolls

17. Questions?? Any questions so far?
Now let’s discuss various ways to serve food and how to do so safely
We’ll start with self service areas
Many customers like self service areas, or food bars, but the customers can unknowingly serve themselves in ways that can put them and the other customers in danger
Can you think of anyways customers can unknowingly contaminate food?
You can see there are many different ways t his can happen
It is very important to have a trained employee closely monitor the self service areas
What do you think would be guidelines employees need to be trained on regarding self service areas?

18. Self Service Areas (Food Bars)
Maintain proper food temperatures
Keep raw meat, seafood, and poultry separate from ready to eat foods
Use sneeze guards or food shields
Label all food items
Do not let customers refill used plates
or utensils
Ice used to keep foods cold should never
be used as ice for beverages
The first rule is to make sure foods are kept at the proper temperatures
What temperature should hot food be kept? 135 or higher
What temperature should cold food be kept? 41 or lower
To prevent cross contamination, it is important to keep raw meat, seafood, and poultry away from ready to eat foods
Food should be protected with sneeze guards and they should be 14 inches above the food counter and extend 7 inches beyond the food
It is also important to make sure all foods are clearly labeled
Many times I have seen customers take their used plate back to the self service area for a refill – is this okay?
No, customers should always get a new clean plate for refills. It is a good idea to have a sign politely informing customers of this
Any questions about self service areas?
Now let’s discuss some of the various ways to serve food off site

19. Off Site Services Delivery Catering Mobile Units Temporary Units
Vending Machines
There are many various ways to serve food off site
We are going to discuss delivery, catering, mobile units, temporary units, and vending machines
Each of these must follow the same food safety rules as permanent establishments
Let’s take a look at delivery services first
Delivery service is when an establishment, usually a restaurant, hospital, or school prepare food at one location and deliver it to another
Do you think that delivering food causes an greater risk of food contamination? Why?
The greater the time & distance between preparation and delivery, the greater the risk the food is exposed to contamination
It is important to follow certain safety procedures when delivering foods
Can you help us point out some of the safety procedures that need to be used when delivering foods?

20. Off Site Service - Delivery
Use insulated food containers that keep food out of the temperature danger zone
Clean inside of the vehicle regularly
Practice good personal hygiene when distributing food
Check internal temperatures regularly
Label food
Consider providing food safety guidelines for the consumers
These are some of the food safety procedures that need to be followed when delivering food
It is important that you use insulated food containers that keep the food out of the temperature danger zone
Who remembers what the temperature danger zone is? 41 – 135
Too keep foods out of the temperature danger zone, it is also important to check the internal temperature of the foods regularly
The vehicle you are using to transport the food needs to be cleaned regularly
Good personal hygiene needs to be practiced when distributing the food
All of the food needs to be clearly labeled
What do you think needs to be included on the label?
The label needs to include a use by date and time, reheating and service instructions
And its always a good idea to provide the consumers with food safety guidelines to cover your bases
The next type of off site service we need to discuss is catering
Caterers must follow the same food safety rules as permanent establishments
And often times, they are delivering their food products, so they need to follow the same guidelines we just discussed about delivery
Can you think of any other guidelines caterers should following when serving food off site?

21. Off Site Services - Catering
Use insulated containers to hold foods
Serve cold food in containers on ice or in chilled gel filled containers
Store raw & ready to eat products separately
If leftovers are given to customers, provide instructions on how they should be handled
Place garbage containers away from food preparation and serving areas
These are some of the basic guidelines
To ensure foods stay at the proper temperatures, use insulated containers to hold foods
It is important to keep cold foods cold, and this can be done by serving cold food in containers on ice or in chilled gel filled containers
We also need to remember to store raw & ready to eat products separately
If leftovers are given to customers, provide instructions on how they should be handled
Place garbage containers away from food preparation and serving areas
Any questions?

22. Questions?? Any questions so far?
The next off site service area we need to discuss are mobile units and temporary units
Can you think of any examples of these? Concession vans, field kitchens, food units at fairs

23. Off Site Services – Mobile & Temporary Units
Mobile Units
Concession vans, elaborate field kitchens
Temporary Units
One location for less than 14 days
Serve pre-packaged foods or foods requiring limited preparation

24. Off Site Services – Mobile & Temporary Units
Must follow same guidelines as permanent establishments
They must have adequate equipment, cold storage, hot holding units, dishwashing & hand washing sinks with hot and cold potable water
These usually require a special permit or license from the local regulatory agency
Mobile & temporary units must follow same guidelines as permanent establishments
They must have adequate equipment, cold storage, hot holding units, dishwashing & hand washing sinks with hot and cold potable water
These usually require a special permit or license from the local regulatory agency
Questions?
The last type of off site service is vending machines
Do you think foods in vending machines need protection from food contamination?
What are some special considerations vending units need to consider?

25. Off Site Services – Vending Machines
TCS Foods
Keep at proper temps : Keep out of the temperature danger zone of 41 – 135 degrees F
Milk needs to be in original container
Fruit with edible peel should be washed & wrapped first

26. Off Site Services – Vending Machines
General
Check product shelf life daily – Discard expired food immediately
Keep machines away from garbage containers, sewage drains, and overhead pipes
Keep area clean & well lit
Clean & service machines regularly
Sanitize food contact surfaces in machines each time food is replenished
You probably never thought so much went into taking care of a vending machine did you!

27. Questions??
Any questions?

28. Game: What Went Wrong?? Let’s play a game called “What Went Wrong?”
I am going to give you a scenario related to an off-site service and I want you to tell me what went wrong in the scenario
Ready?

29. What Went Wrong??
Joe was delivering a catered lunch to a local firm. He brought in the sandwiches on an open tray and placed mayonnaise in a bowl beside the sandwiches. The salad was put on the table in a bowl with various salad dressings in separate bowls. None of the food was labeled.
The sandwiches should have been covered
Insulated containers were not used to keep the cold foods cold
Everything needs to be labeled
It would have been a good idea to also provide food safety guidelines for the consumers – Let them know which foods are perishable and when they need to be refrigerated

30. What Went Wrong??
You are at a local fair and are ready to grab a bite to eat. You choose a vendor and notice there is not a license or permit visible. You also notice that the floors are made of gravel and are not covered with mats.
All temporary & mobile units must have a license or permit visible – That way you can ensure they have passed inspection
Temporary units should be constructed to keep dirt & pests out. If floors are made of dirt or gravel, cover them with mats or platforms to control dust & mud

31. What Went Wrong??
Your place of employment has a cold food vending machine. You notice one day while it is being serviced that the vendor worker does not check expiration dates or sanitize the machine. You mention to the worker that the temperature has been at 140 degrees F, and they say the will look into it and leave.
Check product shelf life daily – Discard expired food immediately
Sanitize food contact surfaces in machines each time food is replenished
The temperature must be kept out of the danger zone – this should have been fixed immediatly

32. Questions??
Any questions?

33. References
National Restaurant Association. (2008). ServSafe Coursebook, 5th Edition.