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In general, food safety practices in the hospitality industry provide the same set of recommendations e.g. cooking meats at the right temperature to kill harmful pathogens, sanitizing food contact surfaces to lower the risk of contamination, etc.
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In general, food safety practices in the US hospitality industry provide the same set of recommendations. For example, cooking meats at the right temperature to kill harmful pathogens, sanitizing food contact surfaces to lower the risk of contamination, etc.
While food safety practices are clear cut, the specifics of food safety standards tend to vary for each state and locale.
For this reason, we will be focusing on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Code 2017 since it is relevant and applicable to businesses in the US hospitality industry regardless of state and location. You can access the FDA Food Code 2017 in the Briefcase of this course.
Ready? Let's begin...
Food Safety Standards in the US A compliance guide for food safety in the hospitality industry
Which of the following are public health interventions required by the FDA's Food Code 2017? There can be more than one answer.
Let's delve deeper into each public health intervention, starting with...
Demonstration of Knowledge
An establishment's food safety manager must demonstrate their knowledge and competence to food safety inspectors by...
Responding correctly to the food inspector's inquiries related to safe food establishment operations;
having no violations with Food Code compliance for the current inspection; and
providing proof of certification as a food protection manager.
What are the responsibilities of a food safety manager? There can be more than one correct answer.
Employee Health Controls
Food employees are required to disclose the following information to their food safety manager, so that the latter can make the necessary adjustments to minimize the risk of food contamination...
If they currently have a health condition officially diagnosed by a doctor, which may result in the contamination of food with harmful pathogens.
If they have been diagnosed with Typhoid fever within the past 3 months and have not received antibiotic therapy as determined by a doctor.
If they have symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, or if they have a lesion containing pus, unless it is covered by a dry, durable, tight-fitting bandage.
If they have been exposed to, or exposed to a suspected source of a confirmed disease outbreak involving Norovirus, E. Coli, Typhoid fever, or Hepatitis A.
Honest communication between the staff and the food safety manager is essential in complying with the FDA's food safety standards.
Controlling Hands as a Vehicle of Contamination
Your hands are one of the most effective vehicles for food contamination. For this reason, the Food Code requires the following safety measures to be taken...
Food employees are required to wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before handling or preparing dishes.
With the exception of washing fruits and vegetables, food employees should not make bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Utensils such as tongs, single-use gloves, deli tissue, spatulas, and other dispensing equipment should be used instead.
Food employees are only allowed bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food if they are not serving a highly susceptible population e.g. pregnant customers, young children, adults over 60 years old, and if the establishment has obtained prior approval from a regulatory authority.
There must also be written documentation that show food employees acknowledge they have received training in good hand hygiene practices.
Time and Temperature Parameters for Controlling Pathogens
Harmful pathogens commonly found in food struggle to survive in very high or very low temperatures.
This is why the FDA Food Code includes recommended time and temperature parameters for cooking, storing, and holding food to discourage bacterial growth.
Consumer Advisory
If a customer orders an animal food that is meant to be served raw, undercooked, and/or unprocessed to get rid of possible harmful pathogens, staff must make sure to inform the customer of the added risk of foodborne illness and get their approval before serving the dish.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the government-sanctioned body responsible for enforcing food safety regulations in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The FSA provides guidance on topics such as: Managing Food Safety Procedures Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Food Hygiene for your Business
This lesson employs a holistic approach to food safety standards in the UK based on the abovementioned FSA guidance material.
Let's get started!
Managing Food Safety Employing a HACCP System
Analyzing your food preparation process, and identifying scenarios where food safety may be compromised.
Identifying critical control points, sections in the food preparation process where control measures can be placed or improved to maintain food safety.
Implementing standardized response actions to protect food against common and foreseeable safety issues.
Ensuring that your set procedures are effective and consistently implemented.
Keeping records as proof that your set procedures are effective.
Select the HACCP steps There can be more than one answer.
Food Hygiene for your Business FSA Requirements and Recommendations
Food hygiene is the cornerstone of any food establishment.
While taste and quality may improve over time, food hygiene must be impeccable from the very beginning.
There are several time and temperature combinations which eliminate harmful pathogens from food. 60°C (140°F) for 45 minutes 65°C (149°F) for 10 minutes 70°C (158°F) for 2 minutes 75°C (167°F) for 30 seconds 80°C (176°F) for 6 seconds Note: You can use a clean internal temperature probe to verify the temperature of food.
Chilling Food Refrigerating to slow bacterial growth
The FSA's minimum fridge temperature requirement is 8°C (46.4°F), but they recommend setting the temperature to 5°C (41°F) for added security.
Leaving food in room temperature for too long can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria.
This is why foods with a use-by date, cooked dishes, and ready-to-eat foods must not be left standing in room temperature for more than 4 hours.
Important Reminders: Cool cooked food so they can be put in the fridge ASAP. Minimize the time chilled foods spend out of the fridge if you are preparing them for cooking Check the fridge's temperature at regular intervals to ensure that it stays constant at 8°C (46.4°F) or lower.
Safe Food Australia recommends a HACCP-based approach to food safety programs.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, often shortened to HACCP, is a flexible, systematic approach to food safety management.
No two HACCP plans are exactly the same since there are no fixed templates. Instead, HACCP-based food safety programs are based on five requirements.
In this lesson, you will learn about the five HACCP requirements and how they help create a food safety program that meets Safe Food Australia standards.
Ready? Let's begin.
Safe Food Australia: HACCP Food Safety Program Requirements
HACCP Requirement #1 Identify and monitor foreseeable food safety hazards in all food handling operations of the business.
Menu, staff size, and venue layout are variables that need to be considered when identifying and monitoring potential food safety hazards.
Being aware of how these factors interact will help you identify and monitor potential hazards in your food handling process.
Which statements contribute to identifying and monitoring potential food safety hazards? There can be more than one answer.
HACCP Requirement #2 Identify critical control points; these are parts of the process where control measures can be placed to prevent food safety hazards.
Some examples of critical control points are...
Cooling cooked foods from 60°C (140°F) to 21°C (69.8°F) within 2 hours so it can be refrigerated.
Never using the same set of plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods.
Washing your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before preparing any dish.
Simply put, identifying critical control points means being aware of what you can do to eliminate or minimize food safety hazards for your customers.
HACCP Requirement #3 Provide standardized corrective actions when set control measures fail to prevent food safety hazards.
Coming up with standard responses to common food safety hazards gives you consistent results, and helps improve accountability within your staff.
Ensuring that staff members are adequately trained to execute the standard responses also means they can act faster to prevent a potential food safety incident.
Most importantly, documenting your corrective responses is one of Safe Food Australia's requirements.
HACCP Requirement #4 Provide a regular review schedule to ensure that the food safety program meets the needs of the food establishment.
There are a number of good reasons to review your food safety program regularly. Let's take a look at some of them...
HACCP Requirement #5 Provide written documentation to prove that the food establishment's HACCP-based food safety program is effective and consistently implemented.
Since third-party auditors aren't always present during operations, establishments must document the day-to-day implementation of their food safety program as proof.
A simple log-sheet, whether physical or digital, can serve as a record of compliance with the food establishments documented food safety program.
What are the responsibilities of a food safety manager? There can be more than one answer.
Select the public health interventions required by the FDA's Food Code 2017. There can be more than one answer.
Select the HACCP steps There can be more than one answer.
Which statements contribute to identifying and monitoring potential food safety hazards? There can be more than one answer.
I learn alot about food