ServSafe Chapter 5 & 6

describe what to look for when rejecting or accepting food for quality

1. appearance: reject food that is moldy or has an abnormal color. Food that is moist when it should be dry, such as salami, should also be rejected. Do not accept any food item that shows signs of pests or pest damage. 2. texture: reject meat, fish or poultry that is slimy, sticky or dry. Also reject if it has soft flesh that leaves an imprint when you touch it. 3. odor: reject food with an abnormal or unpleasant odor.

Temperature at which different foods can be received

1. cold TCS food, unless otherwise specified: 41ºF 2. live shellfish: air temperature of 45ºF with an internal temperature no greater than 50ºF. Once received, the shellfish must be cooled to 41ºF or lower in four hours. 3. shucked shellfish: receive at 45ºF or lower. Cool to 41ºF or lower in four hours. 4. milk: receive at 45ºF or lower. Cool milk to 41ºF or lower in four hours. 5. shell eggs: receive at an air temperature of 45ºF or lower. 6. hot food: receive hot TCS food at 135ºF or higher. 7. frozen food: should be frozen solid when received.

4 steps in food rotation

1. identify the food item's use by or expiration date 2. store items with the earliest use by or expiration dates in front of items with later dates 3. once shelved, use those items stored in front first 4. throw out food that has passed its manufacturer's use by or expiration date

Checking temperature of delivered cold foods

1. meat/poultry/fish: insert the thermometer stem or probe directly into the thickest part of the food. The center is usually the the thickest part. 2. ROP foods (vacuum packed): insert the thermometer stem or probe between two packages. If the package allows, fold it around the thermometer stem or probe. Be careful NOT to puncture the package. 3. other packaged foods like milk cartons: open the package and insert the thermometer stem or probe into the food. The sensing area must be fully immersed in the food. The stem or probe must NOT touch the package.

what should be on labels for food for use on site?

All items not in original containers must be labeled. Food labels should include the common name of the food or a statement that clearly and accurately identifies it. It is not necessary to label food it it clearly will not be mistaken for another item. The food must be easily identified by sight.

what should be on labels for food that is packaged for retail sale?

Common name of the food, quantity of the food, list of ingredients and sun ingredients in descending order by weight, list of artificial colors and flavors in the food, name and place of business of manufacturer, source of each major food allergen contained in the food.

children's menus

FDA advises against offering raw or undercooked meat, chicken, seafood or eggs

What are the steps to follow for an item recall?

Identify the recalled food item by matching information from the recall notice to this item. Remove the item from inventory and place it in a secure and appropriate location. Label the item in a way that will prevent it from being placed back in inventory. Refer to the vendor's notification or recall notice for what to do with the item.

When should food deliveries be made?

It is from an approved source, it was placed in the correct storage location to maintain the required temperature, it was protected from contamination in storage, it has not been contaminated, and it is honestly presented.

What must you receive from the delivery person if you reject an item?

Make sure you get a signed adjustment or credit slip before giving the item back to the delivery person.

Key Drop Deliveries

Some food service operations receive food after-hours when they are closed for business. This is often referred to as a key drop delivery. Products are placed in coolers, freezers, and dry-storage areas.

variance

a variance is a document issued by your regulatory authority that allows a regulatory authority requirement to be waived or changed.

165ºF

chicken, turkey, duck, stuffing made with fish, meat or chicken, stuffed meat, seafood, chicken or pasta, dishes that include previously cooked TCS ingredients

cooking food in microwave

cover the food to prevent its surface from drying out, rotate or stir it halfway through the cooking process so the heat reaches the food more evenly, the the covered food stand for at least two minutes after cooking to let the food temperature even out, check the temperature in at least two places to make sure that the food is cooked through.

documents to keep for fish & how long

fish that will be eaten raw or partially cooked must be also received with the correct documentation. these documents must indicate the fish was correctly frozen before you received it. keep documents for 90 days.

135ºF

fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, beans

155ºF

ground meat (beef, pork, other meat), injected meat (brined ham and flavor injected roasts), mechanically tenderized meat, ratites (ostrich and emu), ground seafood, shell eggs that will be hot-held for service

where to put thermometers in refrigerators

hang the thermometer

What should you look for in packaging when accepting or rejecting foods?

items should be delivered in their original packaging with a manufacturer's label. The packaging should be intact, clean and protect food and food-contact surfaces from contamination. Reject food and nonfood items if packaging has: damage such as tears, holes or punctures, liquids with leaks, dampness or stains, and food with the correct dates.

ice

make ice from water that is safe to drink. never use ice as an ingredient if it was used to keep food cold. use clean and sanitized containers and ice scoops to transfer ice from an ice machine to other containers. store ice scoops outside of the ice machine in a clean, protected location. never hold or carry ice in containers that have held raw meat, chicken or seafood or chemicals. never touch ice with hands or use a glass to scoop ice.

general practices for preventing cross contamination

make sure workstations, cutting boards and utensils are clean and sanitized. only remove as much food from the cooler as you can prep in a short amount of time. return prepped food to the cooler or cook it as quickly as possible.

storage location

never store food in locker rooms or dressing rooms, restrooms or garbage rooms, mechanical rooms, under unshielded sewer lines or leaking water lines or under stair wells

high risk population

nursing homes or day-care centers cannot serve certain items. never serve raw seeds sprouts or raw or undercooked eggs, meat, or seafood. example: over easy eggs, raw oysters on the half shell and rare hamburgers

what you need a variance

packaging fresh juice on-site for sale at a later time, smoking food as a way to preserve it, using food additives or adding components such as vinegar to preserve it or alter the food, curing food, custom processing animals for personal use, packaging food using a reduced-oxygen packaging (ROP) method, sprouting seeds or beans, offering live shellfish from a display tank.

how to check temperatures

pick a thermometer with a probe that is the correct size for the food, check the temperature in the thickest part of the food.

circumstances in which to reject food

reject frozen food for: fluids or water stains in the bottom of the case or on packages or there are ice crystals on frozen liquids on the food or packaging. This may be evidence of thawing and refreezing, which shows the food has been time-temperature abused.

145ºF for 4 minutes

roasts, dense meats

145ºF for 15 seconds

seafood, steaks, chops of pork, chops of beef, chops of veal, chops of lamb, commercially raised game, shell eggs that will be served immediately

documents to keep for shellfish & how long

shellfish must be received with shell stock identification tags. these tags indicate when and where the shellfish were harvested. they must be kept on file for 90 days from the date the last shellfish was used from its delivery container.

temperatures to store TCS foods

store TCS food at an internal temp of 41 or lower or 135 or higher. store frozen food at temps that keep it frozen.

how to date mark ready-to-eat TCS food

the count begins on the day the food was prepared or the date the food was prepped on the label. use a "use by" date

how to store food to prevent cross contamination

wrap or cover food. store raw meat, poultry and seafood separately from ready-to-eat food. If that's not possible, store ready-to-eat food above raw meat, poultry and seafood. raw meat, chicken and seafood can be stored with or above ready-to-eat food in a freezer if all of the items have been commercially processed and packaged. 1. ready to eat food 2. seafood (145º) 3. whole cuts or beef and pork (145º 15 seconds, 4 min for roasts) 4. ground meats (155º) 5. all chicken (165º)