Are You In Compliance?

The 2001 Food Code will remain thru 2005, when it will be revised by the FDA. In 2003 an update was issued which brought several changes, including lowering the minimum hot holding from 140° to 135°F. Other changes include greater emphasis on the when, where and how of hand-washing.

Hand-Washing:Code revisions set the minimum temperature on hand-washing stations at 100°F. The code also clarifies and strictly enforces that hands must be washed for 20 seconds and only in an easily accessible hand-washing sink in the kitchen. No hand-washing should occur in food prep or three compartment sinks. Also, the code clarifies that hands must be washed before donning gloves, and alcohol gels are not suitable for proper hand-washing.

Bare Hand Contact: There is some confusion about gloves and bare hand contact. The regulation prohibits bare hand contact, but does not dictate gloves in all instances. The regulation reads: “Except when washing fruits and vegetables, food employees may not contact exposed ready-to- eat foods with their bare hands and shall use suitable utensils such as deli tissue, spatulas, tongs, single use gloves or dispensing equipment.” For example, a fry cook would not be required to wear gloves as gloves can become contaminated and lead to cross-contamination just as hands. Check with your local health department for regulations regarding bare hand contact.

Date Marking and Storage Time Limits: All potentially hazardous food prepared and held for more than 24 hours should be clearly marked to indicate the date or day by which the food shall be consumed or discarded. If the food is in a manufacturer’s sealed package, the manufacturer’s use- by date is sufficient. Once opened, that date must be replaced by a label with a date assigned by the kitchen. The maximum time shall be seven days if the food is kept at a temperature of 41°F or below the entire time. If food is taken in and out of the refrigerator, that time span must be shortened. You must not, however, exceed the manufacturer’s use by date. It is the manufacturer’s use-by date or up to seven days, whichever comes first. Day one of the seven-day period starts with the prep date of the oldest ingredient. For example, if you prepare potatoes for a salad on Sunday, but actually make the salad on Monday, day one would be Sunday.

Thermometers: The new regulations require you to have proper equipment to measure temperatures accurately. Calibrated bimetallic stem thermometers are good for certain applications but do not register temperatures instantly. Therefore, the use of thermocouples may be required in certain situations. Buffets, for example, must be checked at least every two hours and an instant reading thermocouple would be needed to accurately check each station. The code also requires a thin probe to measure items such as meat patties. Thin probes are available for use with certain thermocouples.

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