60 Chapter 9 Summary

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CHAPTER QUIZ:

What is the primary purpose of the FDA Food Code?
a) To regulate food prices
b) To safeguard public health and ensure food safety
c) To promote organic farming
d) To set nutritional guidelines for restaurants

What is the temperature danger zone according to the FDA Food Code?
a) 32°F to 140°F
b) 40°F to 140°F
c) 41°F to 135°F
d) 45°F to 130°F

Hot-holding equipment should NOT be used to:
a) Maintain the temperature of cooked foods
b) Reheat foods
c) Keep foods covered
d) All of the above

When using Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC) for cold foods under the 6-hour rule, what is the maximum temperature the food can reach?
a) 41°F (5°C)
b) 135°F (57°C)
c) 70°F (21°C)
d) 50°F (10°C)

According to the FDA Food Code, what is the maximum time food can be held without temperature control when using time as a public health control measure?
a) 2 hours
b) 4 hours
c) 6 hours
d) 8 hours

Short Answer Discussion Questions:

Explain the importance of using a food thermometer in hot and cold holding, and how often should you use it.

Describe the two options available for time limits when using Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC) and the key requirements for each.

Why is it crucial to avoid keeping foods in the temperature danger zone for extended periods, according to the FDA, USDA, and CDC?

What are the two things that foods under TPHC must be clearly marked or identified with?

Why is regular monitoring and documentation of food temperatures essential in food service establishments?

Exercises and Activities:

1. Temperature Danger Zone Exploration

Objective: Help students internalize the significance of the temperature danger zone and how it relates to food safety and foodborne illness.

Activity: “Hot, Cold, and the Danger Zone”

Assign groups to research what happens to bacteria at different temperatures (below 41°F, between 41°F–135°F, above 135°F).

Have students collect case studies or CDC outbreak reports where improper temperature control led to illness.

Each group presents their findings, highlighting invisible risks (i.e., food might look and smell normal but still be dangerous) and the importance of rapid cooling and reheating.

Discuss as a class: Why are these temperature boundaries critical for pathogen control?

2. TCS Foods Identification Challenge

Objective: Enable students to classify foods as TCS (time/temperature controlled for safety) and explain why.

Activity: “What’s on My Plate?” Analysis

Provide students with a list or images of foods (raw poultry, rice, cut melons, tofu, baked potatoes, etc.).

Teams must analyze each food and explain if it’s TCS, using the FDA Food Code criteria: animal/plant origin, high moisture, neutral pH, and protein content.

For each, discuss what conditions would make it unsafe, referencing outbreaks where TCS foods played a role.

Optional extension: Bring safe, packaged samples (no tasting) and have students classify in real time, documenting reasoning.

3. Simulation: Time-Temperature Abuse Detectives

Objective: Illustrate how improper handling can lead to time-temperature abuse and what corrective actions are necessary.

Activity: “Food Safety CSI” Case Study

Prepare case scenarios describing various food handling errors (e.g., hot food left out to cool slowly, cold food kept above 41°F, reheating leftovers improperly).

Students work in small groups, acting as food safety inspectors, to:

Identify each type of time-temperature abuse present

Suggest corrections and best practices

Estimate, based on guidelines, the time foods can safely remain out of temperature control

Each group shares solutions; as a class, rank corrective actions from most to least critical based on food safety impact.

4. Lab Exercise: Using Food Thermometers and Safe Holding

Objective: Gain hands-on experience in measuring food temperatures, hot- and cold-holding foods, and interpreting results.

Activity: “Lab: Safe Holding in the Kitchen”

In a food lab or simulated kitchen:

Assign students to measure the temperature of “hot-held” and “cold-held” food items with digital thermometers at regular intervals (every 2 hours, as per guidelines).

Have students monitor, log data, and make decisions on when foods should be discarded (e.g., hot food under 135°F for over 4 hours).

Discuss proper techniques for thermometer use (insertion, calibration) and why uneven temperature distribution is risky.

Debrief: How did time and temperature management affect safety? What would happen with poor controls?

5. Role Play: Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC)

Objective: Understand how written procedures and marking/monitoring are crucial for TPHC, and practice compliance under simulated restaurant conditions.

Activity: “TPHC Scenario Management”

Divide the class into groups and have each simulate a restaurant using TPHC. Assign roles: food handler, supervisor, inspector.

Using props (fake food containers/salads), role-play:

Marking foods with removal and discard times

Monitoring holding periods (e.g., 4-hour and 6-hour rules)

Enforcing discard of improperly marked/expired items

After simulation, discuss compliance, critical documentation, and common pitfalls, referencing real outbreak cases.

6. Debate: Single-Use vs. Multi-Use Utensils

Objective: Critically evaluate prevention of contamination through proper utensil handling as per the Food Code.

Activity: “Contamination Prevention Debate”

Divide the class: one side argues for increased use of single-use articles, the other supports meticulously managed multiuse utensils.

Each side must reference food safety principles, contamination risks, environmental impacts, and regulatory requirements.

After debate, the class produces a best-practice guide for handling kitchenware and tableware in a foodservice setting, referencing FDA code.

CHAPTER 9 GLOSSARY

Adulterated food: Food that contains any poisonous or deleterious substance, has been prepared under unsanitary conditions, or contains any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance.

Appliance Thermometer: A device used to monitor the internal temperature of refrigerators and freezers to ensure they maintain safe food storage temperatures.

Bare-Hand Contact: Direct contact between a food handler’s bare hands and ready-to-eat (RTE) food. The FDA Food Code discourages this practice to prevent the transmission of pathogens.

Catering: Food service operations that provide meals and snacks for single event-based services, often involving preparation, transportation, and serving of food at off-premise locations such as weddings, banquets, or corporate gatherings.

Cold Held TCS Food: Maintaining cold TCS foods at 41°F (5°C) or below to prevent bacterial growth.

Cold Holding Equipment: Refrigeration or cooling devices that keep perishable foods such as dairy, raw meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat meals at 41°F (5°C) or below.

Contamination: The presence of harmful substances or microorganisms in food or on food-contact surfaces. According to the CDC, contamination can lead to foodborne illnesses. Contaminants can be biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical (cleaning agents, pesticides), or physical (hair, dirt).

Cross-contamination: The unintentional transfer of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or other harmful substances, from one object to another. This can occur directly, when two objects come into physical contact or one drips onto another, or indirectly through intermediate vehicles like work surfaces, cooking utensils, or hands.

Disinfectants: Chemical agents applied to inanimate objects and surfaces to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. They are more potent than sanitizers and are often used in healthcare settings, as well as in specific situations in food establishments.

Dry wiping cloths: Clean linens free from food debris and visible soil, used for a single purpose (e.g., wiping customer tables and seats) and only used once until laundered.

EPA sanitizers: Only EPA-registered sanitizers can be used in food establishments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the primary regulatory authority for antimicrobial products like sanitizers used in retail food and foodservice establishments.

Flatware: A term used by the Food Code to reference Forks, knives, and spoons are considered flatware.

FDA Food Code: A model code published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that provides recommendations for safeguarding public health and ensuring food safety in retail and food service establishments. It is neither federal law nor regulation. It is offered for adoption by local, state, and federal governmental agencies.

Food-Contact Surfaces: Any surface of equipment or utensils with which food normally comes into contact, or from which food may drain, drip, or splash back onto surfaces normally in contact with food. Proper cleaning and sanitizing of these surfaces are critical to preventing contamination, as emphasized in the FDA Food Code.

Foodborne Illness: Also known as “food poisoning,” this is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food. The CDC estimates that millions of people get sick from foodborne illnesses each year.

Food safety culture: The combination of individual and group behavioral patterns, values, attitudes, and competencies that collectively drive corporate responsibility and commitment to food safety. This concept emphasizes the integration of food safety into every aspect of an organization’s operations, ensuring that it is not merely a set of procedures but a deeply ingrained mindset and practice at all levels of the organization.

Foodborne illness outbreak: An incident in which two or more people experience a similar illness after consuming a common food, and epidemiologic analysis implicates the food as the source of the illness.

Hand hygiene (HH): The practice of cleaning hands to prevent the spread of disease-causing organisms. In food service, this typically involves washing hands with soap and water or using an approved hand sanitizer.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies and controls potential hazards in the production process.

High-temperature sanitization: Minimum wash tank temperatures of 150°F-165°F, with final rinse temperatures reaching at least 180°F.

Highly susceptible population: Persons who are more likely than other people in the general population to experience foodborne disease because they are immunocompromised, preschool age children, or older adults.

Hollowware: A term used by the Food Code to reference bowls, cups, and serving dishes.

Hot Holding Equipment: Equipment designed to keep cooked or heated foods at a safe temperature of 135°F (57°C) or higher to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

Hot Holding Requirements: Maintaining hot TCS foods at 135°F (57°C) or above to prevent bacterial growth.

Ice water bath: A method of rapidly cooling food by placing the container in a mixture of ice and water while stirring the contents.

Line check: A regular inspection of food temperatures in a food service operation to ensure they are within safe ranges.

Kitchenware: Kitchenware refers to all multi-use utensils and equipment used in food preparation and service areas, excluding tableware. This category includes items such as pots, pans, cutting boards, mixing bowls, food processors, and other tools used in the kitchen for food handling, preparation, and storage.

Linens and napkins use limitation: Linens and napkins, including cloth napkins, are subject to specific use limitations in food service establishments as outlined in FDA Food Code section 3-304.13. These items should not come into direct contact with food, with one exception: they may be used to line containers for food service if replaced for each new customer.

Lockout: A warewashing lockout is a safety feature in commercial dishwashing machines that prevents operation when certain critical conditions are not met.

Mobile Servicing Area: An operating base location to which a mobile food establishment or transportation vehicle returns regularly for such things as vehicle and equipment cleaning, discharging liquid or solid wastes, refilling water tanks and ice bins, and boarding food.

Mobile Food Establishment (MFE): A food establishment that is readily moveable.

Multiuse utensils: These are items that undergo warewashing (cleaning and sanitizing) after use and before reuse. Examples include kitchenware, tableware, and multiuse gloves.

Person in Charge (PIC): The individual present at a food establishment who is responsible for its operation during all hours of activity, including preparation, service, and clean-up. This role is mandated by the FDA Food Code to ensure food safety and compliance with health regulations.

Personal hygiene: Clean and healthy practices regarding the body to prevent harboring and transmission of harmful microorganisms.

Pre-set tableware: Eating and drinking utensils, including plates, glasses, and cutlery, that are placed on a table in preparation for a meal before diners are seated.

Proper Waste Management: The systematic handling, storage, disposal, and diversion of waste materials in a manner that minimizes environmental impact, prevents contamination, and adheres to regulatory standards. This includes managing refuse, recyclables, sewage, and food waste in compliance with guidelines set forth by the FDA Food Code

Public health: Refers to the science and practice of protecting and improving the health of populations through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals

Rapid Cooling Equipment: Specialized equipment designed to quickly reduce the temperature of food to prevent bacterial growth during the cooling process.

Raw animal food: Animal food that is raw or undercooked, including eggs, meat, poultry, and seafood.

Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Food: Food that is in a form that is edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety, such as raw animal food that has been cooked, or fruits and vegetables that are washed.

Recontamination: The process by which a food product that has been previously cleaned, processed, or prepared becomes contaminated again with harmful microorganisms, chemicals, or physical hazards. This can occur through various means, including: cross-contamination from other foods, surfaces, or utensils; Improper handling; and by exposure to environmental contaminants.

Red Bucket Practice: A method used in food service establishments for storing and using sanitizing solutions. The red bucket typically contains a diluted chemical sanitizer solution used to clean and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils. This practice involves: using a red-colored bucket to visually distinguish it from other cleaning containers; filling the bucket with an appropriate sanitizing solution, such as chlorine or quaternary ammonium compounds; Storing cleaning cloths or wiping rags in the sanitizing solution between uses.

Re-service: The transfer of food that is unused and returned by a consumer after being served or sold and in the possession of the consumer. This applies to food that remains safe for consumption and has not been contaminated.

Sanitizer: A chemical agent or substance used to reduce the number of microorganisms on a clean surface or object to safe levels, as determined by public health standards. Sanitizers are typically applied to food-contact surfaces after cleaning and rinsing.

Self-service: A food service operation where consumers select and obtain food items directly from display units or serving stations without the assistance of food service employees. This includes operations such as buffets, salad bars, and certain types of vending machines.

Separation of Cloths: Cloths used for surfaces in contact with raw animal foods must be kept separate from those used for other purposes to prevent cross-contamination.

Shallow Pan Cooling Method: A recommended method for cooling food quickly by increasing the surface area exposed to cooling.

Single-Use Articles: Utensils and bulk food containers designed and constructed to be used once and discarded.

Single-Use Gloves: Gloves intended for one specific task that must be discarded after completion or if they become damaged, soiled, or if the food handling process is interrupted.

Single-Use Items: The CDC categorizes linen tablecloths and napkins as “single-use” items in their restaurant guidelines. This classification means these items must be replaced after each use to maintain hygiene standards.

Single use wipes: Wipes typically used for cleaning or sanitizing purposes and are not designed for reuse. They must not allow the migration of harmful substances, or impart colors, odors, or tastes to food.

Slash-Resistant Gloves: Gloves used for cutting operations but limited in their direct food contact to items that will be cooked subsequently.

Single-service utensils: These are items intended for one-time use and are discarded after use. Examples include disposable plates, spoons, and disposable gloves.

Sneeze Guards: Physical barriers used to protect food from contamination in self-service areas.

Specific item utensils: The definition also includes temperature sensing probes of food temperature measuring devices and probe-type price or identification tags used in contact with food.

Tableware: Eating, drinking, and serving utensils for table use such as flatware including forks, knives, and spoons; hollowware including bowls, cups, and serving dishes. This definition encompasses a wide range of items used for dining and serving food at the table.

Tableware Protection (FDA Food Code Section 4-904.13): This section of the FDA Food Code outlines the requirements for protecting preset tableware from contamination. Generally, tableware must be wrapped, covered, or inverted to prevent exposure to airborne particles, dust, and other potential contaminants.

Temperature Danger Zone: The temperature range between 41°F (5°C) and 135°F (57°C) in which harmful bacteria can rapidly multiply in food, potentially leading to foodborne illness. This range is considered dangerous because bacteria can double in number as quickly as every 20 minutes within this zone. Additionally, the risk of pathogen growth increases the longer food remains in this temperature range.

Temporary Food Establishment: A food establishment that operates for a period of no more than 14 consecutive days in conjunction with a single event or celebration. These establishments are typically transitory and have limited permanent physical and sanitary facilities.

Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC) – A provision in the FDA Food Code allows food establishments to use time alone, rather than time in conjunction with temperature, to control bacterial growth in certain foods.

Time Temperature Abuse: Allowing foods to remain in the temperature danger zone (41°F to 135°F) for an extended period, which can lead to rapid bacterial growth.

Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Foods: Foods that require strict time and temperature control to prevent the growth of harmful microorganisms.

Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Food Cooling Requirements:

The FDA Food Code mandates a two-stage cooling process for Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods to prevent pathogen growth and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. This process involves: (1) ‘Rapid Cool Stage’: Cooling from 135°F (57°C) to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours and (2) the ‘Final Cool Stage’: Further cooling from 70°F (21°C) to 41°F (5°C) or below within an additional 4 hours.

Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ): The range between 41°F and 135°F (5°C and 57°C) where bacteria grow most rapidly in food.

Temperature Threshold: This ensures potentially hazardous foods remain outside the “danger zone” where rapid microbial proliferation can occur.

TPHC Marking and Monitoring: Foods under TPHC must be clearly marked or identified to indicate the time when the food was removed from temperature control, and the discard time (4 or 6 hours later, depending on the chosen method).

Two-Step – 4- & 6-Hour Cooling Process: FDA Food Code requirement for cooling cooked TCS foods: Cool from 135°F to 70°F (57°C to 21°C) within 2 hours; Further cool from 70°F to 41°F (21°C to 5°C) or below within an additional 4 hours.

Unattended Food Establishment: An operation that provides packaged foods or whole fruit using an automated payment system and has controlled entry not accessible by the general public.

Untreated Egg Storage: Untreated eggs must be stored in refrigerated equipment maintaining an ambient air temperature of 7°C (45°F) or less.

Variance: An FDA Food Code requirement for establishments to obtain an exemption from certain Code requirements when using performance standards or conducting specialized processes.

Vending Machine: A self-service food establishment that, upon insertion of a coin, paper currency, token, card, or key, dispenses unit servings of food in bulk or in packages without the necessity of replenishing the device between each vending operation

Warewashing machines: A mechanical device used in food service establishments for cleaning and sanitizing utensils, dishes, and other food-contact surfaces. These machines are designed to automate the process of washing, rinsing, and sanitizing, ensuring compliance with food safety standards.

Warewashing Machine Training: Thorough training on correct use of warewashing machines, including temperature settings, chemical dosing, and cycle times.

Waste Management: Waste management in food service settings typically involves the proper handling, storage, and disposal of food waste and other refuse to prevent contamination and pest attraction

Wet Wiping Cloths: Cloths used for wiping counters and equipment surfaces must be stored in a chemical sanitizer solution between uses. This practice is often referred to as the ‘Red Bucket Practice’.

References:

Food and Drug Administration. (2013). Food Code Recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Service. https://www.fda.gov/media/87140/download

Food and Drug Administration. (2017). Food Code. https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2017

Food and Drug Administration. (May, 2018). Registration of Food Facilities: What You Need to Know About the FDA Regulation: Guidance for Industry. https://www.fda.gov/media/85098/download

Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Food Code. https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2022

Food and Drug Administration. Food Safety and Modernization Act (FMSA). (2017). https://www.travelers.com/resources/business-industries/transportation/4-best-practices-for-navigating-fsma-compliance

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Training Classes. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/PHV-Weeks-1-2-Notebook-08042022.pdf

U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (n.d.) Cooling Cooked Time/Temperature Control for Safety Foods and the FDA Food Code: for Food Employees. https://www.fda.gov/media/181882/download