Food handling procedures

• Refrigeration

  Temperature 0C to 5C

  Store foods such as dairy, raw meats, poultry, eggs, cooked meats and fish.
• Freezer

  ❖ For maintaining the safety and quality of the food store at or below -18ºC.

  ❖ Only freeze good quality food; food that has started to spoil will not improve

  by freezing.

  ❖ Check and record the temperature of your freezer regularly (Food Safety

  Program).

  ❖ Never refreeze thawed food.
• Dry storeroom

  ❖ Store dry foods in a clean, dry and ventilated room.

  ❖ Dry storeroom should be well lit but not have direct sunlight.

  ❖ Dry storeroom is designed for protection from pests and insects.

  ❖ Food to be placed in sealed containers.

  ❖ Store dirty vegetables such as potatoes away from other foods.

  ❖ Inspect cans for leaks, dints or fractures when you receive them and when you

  use them.

  ❖ Check that all products are sealed when you receive them.

  ❖ Check for evidence of mice or cockroaches or other pests.
• Rules for cooling food

  ❖ Transfer food into shallow containers as it cools faster.

  ❖ Transfer large quantities of food to multiple containers to cool as smaller

  quantities cool faster.

  ❖ Stir food regularly to help cooling.

  ❖ Stand the containers in ice or cold water.

  ❖ Aim to cool food as fast as possible.

  ❖ Follow Food Standards Code guidelines:

  o Cool food to 21ºC in 2 hours then

  to 5ºC in another 4 hours.
• Rules for defrosting food

  ❖ Always defrost foods in the refrigerator.

  ❖ Use cold running water if in a hurry but do not use warm or hot water.

  ❖ Do not defrost foods on the kitchen bench.

  ❖ Do not defrost in warm places.

  ❖ If you defrost the food in a microwave, you must cook the food immediately.
• eheating procedures

  Just like when food is cooled, it is important for food that is being reheated to pass

  through the danger zone as quickly as possible.

  Reheat food as quickly as possible.

  Reheat in small quantities.

  Stir food to heat faster and prevent burning.

  Use a thermometer to check food has reached at least 75ºC in the centre.

  Use care when using a microwave so you reach the temperature needed.

  Do not freeze food that has been reheated.
• Rules for keeping food hot

  Always reheat food to above 75ºC before placing food in a Bain Marie.

  Check and record the temperature of food to make sure food is kept above

  60ºC.

  Throw away leftovers.

  Do not mix fresh food with old food.

  Do not put large quantities of food in a Bain Marie.

  Always preheat the Bain Marie before placing hot food into it.
• The 2-hour/4-hour rule

  Food Standards Code guidelines state:

  Any ready-to-eat is potentially hazardous food if it has been at temperatures

  between 5°C and 60°C:

  LESS THAN 2 HOURS: FOOD MUST BE USED OR REFRIGERATED EMMIDIATELY

  BETWEEN 2 AND 4 HOURS: FOOD MUST BE USED IMMEDIATELY

  4OR MORE HOURS:

  FOOD MUST BE THROWN OUT
• The prevailing golden rule is ‘rotate stock’. This means that the oldest stock will be

  used first (first in, first out).
• Food Labels

  Some food such as cans, milk and packets of food already have food labels and use-

  by dates on the food. However, when you prepare food in a kitchen is usually no

  longer has the original labels to show you a use-by or production date.
• Eggs

  Unfortunately, the use of raw eggs in food production is a regular source of food

  poisoning in food. It can also be an issue where an egg may be cooked but at a low

  temperature and may not fully cook the whole egg in the process, such as eggs sauces

  like hollandaise and béarnaise
• A food allergy is quite different to intolerance as it is

  caused by the body producing anti bodies to some

  food proteins. The most dangerous foods for this

  group of people include the following:

  peanuts

  ❖ tree nuts

  ❖ shellfish

  ❖ fish

  ❖ milk

  ❖ sesame seeds

  ❖ soy

  ❖ eggs
• Medical diets and intolerances:

  Gluten free

  Coeliac disease is a lifelong dietary intolerance to the gluten in wheat starch resulting

  in damage to the lining of the intestine so that food is not absorbed properly.

  Lactose Intolerance

  Lactose is the sugar in milk

  Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot make proper use of carbohydrates,

  such as sugar and starch.

  Fructose malabsorption

  Fructose is a sugar found in many foods such as onions, apples, honey, dried fruits,

  garlic,
• Food Law

  Australia has a national ‘Food Standards Code’. This code has been produced by Food

  Standards Australia New Zealand known as FSANZ and can be found at:
• Environmental health officers (EHO)

  Local governments in Australia employ inspectors to visit and inspect food

  businesses; these inspectors are called ‘Health Inspectors’ or ‘Environmental Health

  Officers (EHO)’

  .
• Hygiene policies and procedures

  Larger hospitality organisations, such as five-star hotels and large catering

  organisations, will have written policies and procedures for things such as food

  handling, receiving deliveries and personal hygiene. If the business has a ‘HACCP

  Food Safety Program’, these policies and procedures would form the basis of best

  practice within the organisation.
• Food Safety Programs

  A ‘Food Safety Program’ is a system, which identifies, evaluates, monitors and

  controls hazards or risks, which may affect the safety of food.
• HACCP

  What is HACCP? – HACCP stands for ‘Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point’ and is

  an international food safety system.

  It involves looking at how you handle food, thinking about all the things that can go

  wrong and developing a plan to ensure that you control the processes so that things

  do not go wrong. It also involves monitoring procedures to show you have processes

  under control.
• Pest control in the workplace

  Pests in the workplace can damage the stock, spread disease, contaminate food and

  damage premises. They must be controlled. Some common pests include: