Ground, chopped, or minced seafood should be cooked to what minimum internal temperature?

Explanation: Hot-held foods should remain at 135°F or higher. This is the upper limit of the Temperature Danger Zone. If the food falls below 135°F and into the Temperature Danger Zone for 4 hours, it must be served or thrown out.When receiving a shipment of hot TCS food, it must be received at a minimum temperature of 135°F. And if the food is lower than this temperature, the delivery should be rejected.

Explanation: The acronym FAT TOM refers to the conditions that are necessary for bacteria to grow. All of these conditions are present in TCS foods, except for time and temperature. So need to control time and temperature to prevent the bacteria from growing. Food: Bacteria can survive by consuming many of the same foods that we eat. Even a small drop of fluids or food particles on a countertop or cooking utensil is enough for bacteria to reproduce to unsafe levels. Acidity: This is measured with the pH scale which ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. A lower number is acidic and a higher number is the opposite - alkaline. Different types of bacteria prefer different levels of acidity. But no bacteria can survive in very high or very low numbers of pH. This is why pickled foods can be preserved for long periods of time - the acidity is too high. Temperature: Bacteria reproduce very slowly in temperatures below 41°F and stop completely at freezing temperatures. Also, they reproduce very slowly at temperatures above 135°F and are killed at even higher temperatures. This is why we hold foods below 41°F or above 135°F. Time: Bacteria need time to reproduce. But they can reproduce very quickly if all of the other conditions are present. This is why we limit the time that food is allowed to remain in the Temperature Danger Zone of 41°F to 135°F. Oxygen: Like us, bacteria also need oxygen to survive and reproduce. But bacteria are able to utilize oxygen even underwater or submerged fluids. Some foods are stored in ROP (Reduced Oxygen Packaging) and this can preserve them longer. Ever wonder why a bag of chips is filled with air or why some containers pop or hiss when opened? This is because the oxygen has been removed and replaced with carbon dioxide. Most bacteria cannot reproduce in these conditions. Moisture: Bacteria need moisture to thrive and reproduce. This is why foods with little or no moisture (such as bread or crackers) are not TCS foods. Also, dehydrating foods (such as jerky or fruits) can preserve them for much longer.

This is the correct process for cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces:
1) Scrape to remove any food or debris from the surface.
2) Use a cloth towel to wash the surface with a cleaning solution.
3) Rinse the surface with clean water.
4) Sanitize the surface with the correct concentration of the sanitizing agent. Allow at least 7 to 30 seconds for the sanitizer to work. (According to the manufacturer's recommendations)
5) Allow the surface too air-dry.

Explanation: Most cold TCS foods should be received at 41°F or lower. The exceptions to this rule are live shellfish, shucked shellfish, milk, and shell eggs. Live shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops) Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F and a maximum internal temperature of 50°F Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours Shucked Shellfish (removed from their shell) Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours Milk Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours Shell eggs (eggs in the shell) Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F May be stored at 45°F or lower

Hot TCS food should be cooled before being put into cold storage. Hot TCS food is held at 135°F or higher, but it must be brought down to 41°F or lower before being placed in the cooler. This range of temperatures is the Temperature Danger Zone, so we must be careful and do it quickly. The total amount of time for the cooling process should take no longer than 6 hours. The food should be brought down from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours. Then it should be brought down from 70°F to 41°F within 4 hours. The reason the food must be brought down through the range of 135°F to 70°F more quickly than the range of 70°F to 41°F is that bacteria grow the most rapidly within the temperature range of 70°F to 125°F.

Explanation: TCS food that is being hot-held for service should maintain a temperature of at least 135°F. And if the food falls below 135°F for 4 hours or more, it should be thrown out.Your operation should establish policies to check the temperature of hot-held foods at least every 4 hours. And if after checking the food every 4 hours it's found to be below 135°F it should be thrown out. This is because the food could have been below 135°F for the entire 4 hours.But if your operation chooses to check the temperature every 2 hours and it's found to be below 135°F, there is time for corrective action. The food could be quickly reheated back to 135°F and still be safe to eat.

Explanation: Cross-contamination is one of the biggest challenges to preventing foodborne illness. Here's a simple explanation of cross-contamination. It can occur in any of these scenarios: 1) Something that is dirty touches something that is clean. 2) Raw food that requires a lower temperature for cooking touches raw food that requires a higher temperature of cooking. 3) Raw food touches ready to eat food. 4) Food containing an allergen touches food that does not contain an allergen. 5) Any of the above examples also apply if a person or object touches one of them and then the same person or object touches another one of them (without being cleaned and sanitized between contact). Color-coded cutting boards and utensils help to prevent #5 from occurring. A common mistake is using the same cutting board or utensils on foods that should not come into contact with each other. It is wise for a food service establishment to have separate cutting boards and utensils for each type of food. These should be color-coded so that one color is only used for poultry, while another color is only used for ground meats, and so on.

Explanation: Hot food should be held at an internal temperature of at least 135°F while it's waiting to be served to customers. An example of this is a buffet line. Theoretically, food could be held at this temperature (or higher) forever and still be safe to eat. But most establishments will throw food out at the end of the day if it's been hot-held all day. This is for quality reasons and not for safety. For safety, hot food should never fall below 135°F for more than 4 hours and if it does, it should be thrown out. Your establishment should have policies for how often the internal temperature of hot-held food is taken. If the policy is that the temperature is taken every 4 hours and if the temperature falls below 135°F, you need to throw it out. This is because it could have been below 135°F for the entire 4 hours. However, if your establishment has the policy to check the temperature every 2 hours and it falls below, then corrective action can be taken. The food can be quickly heated back up to 135°F and still be safe to eat.

Explanation: Most pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites can easily be killed with high temperatures. But some viruses cannot. Viruses can be spread through food just like other pathogens, but cooking does not always kill it. This is another reason why food handlers must practice good personal hygiene and proper cleaning and sanitizing methods. Most of the responsibility of preventing viruses from entering the food supply begins with the producers of food. Livestock and produce farmers, as well as the processing facilities for them, are heavily monitored and inspected. They are the first line of defense against viruses. It is very important that your establishment purchases food from reputable suppliers for this reason. But even if your supplies come from excellent sources, a careless employee can easily spread viruses by not practicing good personal hygiene.

Explanation: Seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F for 15 seconds. Seafood includes both freshwater and saltwater fish, as well as shellfish and crustaceans.Other foods that should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds: Seafood — including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans Steaks/chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb Commercially raised game Shell eggs that will be served immediately

Temperature control is critical for food safety and that begins before the food enters your establishment. Receiving shipments of food is your first opportunity to affect the safety of food.
If food is not at the correct temperature when it is delivered, then it is impossible for you to determine with certainty how long the food has been stored at incorrect temperatures. This is why you should reject the delivery.

Explanation: The reason that we control the temperature of food is so that we can control the growth of the microorganisms within it. The microorganisms are what cause foodborne illness. Microorganisms multiply at a much slower rate in cold temperatures, but they still reproduce. Temperatures below freezing completely stop the growth of microorganisms, but it is not practical to keep all foods frozen all of the time. Science has determined that temperatures of 41°F and below slow down the growth of microorganisms enough to make it an ideal storage temperature. But because the microorganisms are still multiplying, the food should be served or thrown out within 7 days.

Explanation: A cold storage unit should be 41°F or lower at the warmest part of the unit.This is the lower limit of the Temperature Danger Zone (41°F - 135°F).Food that is being cold-held for service should also be held at this temperature or lower.And shipments of food should be received at this temperature or lower. Exceptions to this rule are shellfish, shell eggs, and milk which may be received at 45°F or lower.

Explanation: It is a good practice to wear single-use gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods. The gloves are called single-use because they should be changed between each task. And the same gloves should not be worn for more than 4 hours. If the glove becomes torn or damaged it should be replaced immediately. Use approved gloves for foodservice and never use them in place of handwashing. Some activities do not require wearing gloves. Some activities that do not require gloves are: *Handling food before it has been cooked *Washing food, dishes, or other equipment *Taking out the garbage