Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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food in transit, temperatures in storage, or cooking. Strips “change” colors when the temperature
rises above a certain point.
• Color-change alarm labels are self-adhesive labels that change from white to black when
a threshold temperature is reached. They are used for testing the dishwasher water temperature
for 160°F to 190°F (71°C to 88°C), depending on the equipment and the sanitizers used. A selfadhesive
label attaches to the inside or outside of a container to provide a visual assurance of
the quality of the product. The liquid in the bulb changes colors to alert staff that the temperature
has changed.
• A time-over-temperature alarm point is a small adhesive label containing three windows
that change colors in various windows, depending on the time that the product temperature
was higher than the alarm temperature.
• Pop-up timers are commonly used in turkey and chicken roasting. The pop-up device is
constructed from a food-approved nylon. The inside contains a stainless steel spring and firing
material. The firing material is made of an organic salt compound or an alloy of metals commonly
used in other thermal sensing devices. The tip of the stem is embedded in the firing material
until it melts, releasing the stem, which is then “popped up” by means of the spring. This
indicates that the food has reached the final temperature for safety and doneness.
• Oven thermometers can be left in an oven to verify that the oven is heating to the desired
temperature. These bimetallic-coil thermometers can measure temperatures from 100°F to
600°F (38°C to 316°C). Table 13.5 provides the internal cooking temperatures suggested by
the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (http://www.fsis.usda.gov).
• T-Stick disposal thermometers are single-use, cardboard thermometers that indicate a
temperature of 160°F (71°C). The white indicator on the stick changes to black when the product
reaches 160°F. T-Stick is used in measuring the internal temperature of hamburgers and
other foods and eliminates cross-contamination.
Temperature Logs
The temperature of food, equipment, ambient air, water, and equipment should be recorded as
outlined in the food service operation procedure manual. This is a standard of the Joint
Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and of most health
departments. Temperature logs should be filed. Any deviation in temperature from the standard
and how the problem was corrected should be recorded on the log.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
The HACCP is a process or system for control of food safety. The process can be used to control
any point in the food production process or system where a hazard or critical situation may
occur. These hazards or critical situations may result from pathogenic microorganisms; chemical
residue; physical objects; employees; or adulteration or cross-contamination at any point
during the distribution, storage, or preparation system.
The HACCP processor system was developed in the 1960s by NASA and the U.S. Army
Natick Research Laboratories. In 1971, the Pillsbury Company, in cooperation with NASA and
Natick Research Laboratories, improved the process as Pillsbury was developing food for the
space program. It was vital that the food be pure, wholesome, and noncrumbling. (Crumbling
could contaminate the atmosphere in the zero gravity inside the space capsule.) After extensive
evaluation, Pillsbury concluded that the only way to develop food as nearly as possible 100 percent
free of pathogens, toxins, or other hazards was to have control over the entire process—
the raw materials, the environment, and the people.
Pillsbury continued to refine this process and, in cooperation with other agencies, recommended
and endorsed the HACCP process or system as a “rational and effective approach to
ensuring food safety.”