c. Observe all or part of the operations judged to be potentially hazardous,
noting the hygienic practices of the workers and methods of cleaning equipment. Use
the following criteria to help decide which operations to evaluate:
(1) Potentially hazardous status of the food items.
(b) Opportunity for survival of pathogens.
(c) Likelihood of microbial growth during food operations.
(d) Whether or not food is cooked prior to serving.
(e) Susceptibility of consumers to infectious agents/toxins.
(2) Volume prepared at one time.
(3) Length of processing time and complication of preparation.
(4) The food's epidemiological history as a vehicle of foodborne disease.
d. Based on the previous steps, make a diagram of the food flow.
(1) Codes and symbols are used to provide the details about actual or
potential contamination, time-temperature exposures, and survival or growth of
pathogenic foodborne microorganisms.
(2) Observe the food operation as it occurs routinely, noting the start time,
quantities used, employees handling the food, and work location.
(3) During the preparation period, record the temperatures of potentially
hazardous foods along with the time and food location of each entry. It may be
necessary to note the number and size of containers used.
(a) It is important to take temperatures at the surface and geometric
center at one-half hour intervals during any process in which the product temperature
will fluctuate into the danger zone between 45 and 140 F.
(b) Since improper cooling is the most frequent factor to foodborne
disease outbreaks, it is imperative to continue surveillance of time and temperature
measurements during the cooling period.
(c) Later, the time-temperature relationships will be graphed to better
evaluate any potentially dangerous periods.
MD0182
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