Lesson No.

4 Food and Kitchen Safety

What are the key steps to prevent food-borne

illnesses?
The key steps are:
1. Clean – keep yourself and work areas clean
2. Separate – keep raw meat and other raw animal
products away from other foods
3. Cook – always properly cook and prepare foods
4. Chill – store foods appropriately both before and
after cooking
Poor cleaning and personal hygiene habits/practices can
cause food contamination, food poisoning, and spread of
infection.

 Wash hands before performing the next job function after touching other food, and
after smoking, chewing tobacco, eating and drinking, taking out the garbage,
changing diapers, touching body parts such as the mouth or going to the washroom.
 Wash hands before and after handling raw food, especially meat and poultry.
 Report immediately any symptoms of illness or infection to your supervisor. It may
not be appropriate for you to handle food while you are sick.
 Cover any cuts with a bandage and wear clean gloves. However, do not wear rubber
or latex gloves near open flames or other heat sources. Gloves may melt or catch
fire. Change gloves if you touch anything that would normally require you to wash
your hands.
 Wear hair nets to help prevent loose hair from falling on food. The average person
loses about 50 hairs per day.
 Use tools or utensils to serve food whenever possible. Touch food with your hands
as little as possible.
 Use a clean spoon each time you taste or sample food.
 Touch only the handles of flatware/utensils when setting the table.
 Do NOT wear jewellery in food preparation areas, especially rings; they may collect
dirt or bacteria and make it harder to clean your hands. Similarly, keep nails trimmed
short and do not wear nail polish.
 Do NOT use aprons to dry your hands.
 Do NOT smoke in food preparation areas.

Use good cleaning and storage techniques to reduce the chance of food borne illnesses.
The highest levels of contamination are found in areas that are damp, such as kitchen
sponges, dishcloths, sink drains, and faucet handles.
 Maintain the general cleanliness of the kitchen by:
o Disposing of food scraps properly and removing crumbs
o Wiping counters clean with soap and water and sanitize with a disinfectant
o Sweeping and wet mopping floors to remove food
o Cleaning all surfaces, including counter tops, faucets, handles and knobs,
refrigerator handles, stoves/ovens, other appliances, etc.
 Do not store garbage in the food preparation area. If possible, store garbage in a cold
place to prevent bacteria growth and pest infestation.
 Inspect kitchen for signs of microbiological growth such as mould, slime, and fungi.
Clean the affected area appropriately.
 Inspect the kitchen for any plumbing leaks. Notify your supervisor to get it repaired.
 Choose an effective cleaning agent or disinfectant for the job. Most cleaning can be
done using water and soap. Some resources will recommend disinfecting with
 bleach. While bleach is an effective disinfectant, it must be used with care. See the
OSH Answers document “Working with Household/Chlorine Bleach” for more
information. To sanitize, clean with 5mL (1 tsp) of bleach in 750 mL (3 cups) of water
in a labelled spray bottle.
 Make sure that cleaning equipment and materials are conveniently located close to
where they are needed.
 Launder dishcloths, aprons and towels by using a washing machine.
 Clean the food storage area regularly where dry goods, pasta, rice, canned foods,
and cereals are stored to prevent buildup of crumbs and other pieces of food.
What are ways to keep foods separated?
To reduce the chances of cross contamination, you should also:
 Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat. Cutting boards of either plastic or
wood are acceptable. Plastic can be cleaned in a dishwasher. Both types should be
disinfected regularly.
 Wipe raw meat, fish or poultry juices using paper towels and then throw out these
paper towels. DO NOT REUSE wash cloths after wiping countertops, especially after
cleaning up raw meat juice until the cloths have been appropriately laundered.
 DO NOT REUSE any container or bowl that has held raw foods, especially raw meat
and poultry, until it has been thoroughly cleaned.
 Wash, rinse, and sanitize cutting boards, utensils, and food probe thermometers
before re-using.
 Wash the lids of canned foods before opening to keep dirt from getting into the
contents. Clean the can opener after each use.
 Store food packages on plates so that their juices do not drip on work surfaces or
other food. Place on lower shelves to prevent further contamination.
 Never put cooked food on a plate, cutting board, or a surface that was used for raw
meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs without having the surfaces cleaned first.

What are tips for cooking food and to make sure your cooked food is safe?
To reduce bacteria growth:
 Thaw food by using the refrigerator, microwave, oven, or by placing sealed packages
in cold running water. Never thaw food on the kitchen counter. The outer layers will
warm before the inside thaws. Bacteria will grow in these conditions.
 Cook meats to the recommended temperature. Use a clean food probe thermometer.
 Wash fruits and vegetables in running water before preparing, cooking, or eating. It is
not necessary to use soap or specialty produce cleaners.
 Serve hot food while hot, or put it in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible once
cooled (within two hours of preparation).
 Never leave food out for more than two hours, including cut fruits and vegetables.
 Use clean dishes and utensils to serve food. Never use the same ones you used
when preparing raw food.
 Keep food on ice or serve it on platters from the refrigerator.
 Divide hot party food into smaller serving platters. Keep platters refrigerated until it's
time to warm them up for serving.
What are ways to chill and store food?
Always:
 Keep cooked food warmer than 60°C (140°F) or at 4°C (40°F) or cooler.
 Keep the refrigerator set at 4°C (40°F). If you are unsure of its temperature, use a
thermometer and adjust the temperature control as required.
 Keep frozen food at -18°C (0°F) or less. This temperature stops bacterial growth,
although it may not kill all bacteria already present before freezing.
Other food storage tips include:
 Put groceries that require refrigeration or freezing in the refrigerator or freezer away
as soon as possible after they are purchased.
 Consider using insulated bags during warmer months when transporting food.
 Clean the refrigerator and freezer regularly to remove spoiled foods that may transfer
bacteria or molds to other food.
 Do not keep foods too long. Use a dating system to make sure foods are used before
their expiry date.
 Do not overstock the refrigerator. Allow the air to circulate freely, which will help keep
food cool more effectively.
 Pack lunches in insulated carriers with a cold pack. Do not store the lunch container
in direct sun or on a warm radiator.
 If using a cooler (for example, at a picnic), keep the cooler cold by using ice or ice
packs. Keep the cooler out of direct sunlight. Open the cooler as little as possible. It
may be helpful to use a separate cooler for drinks if you will open the cooler for
drinks more often.

What are tips to help prevent pest infestations?

 Refuse shipments in which you find pests, such as cockroaches (their egg cases) or
mice.
 Remove garbage regularly and properly.
 Keep garbage tightly covered so it does not attract pests.
 Store recyclables as far from your building as local by-laws allow.
 Store all food and supplies away from walls and floors.
 Maintain food storage areas at 50 percent or less humidity. Low humidity helps keep
cockroach eggs from hatching.
 Refrigerate foods, such as cocoa, powdered milk, and nuts, that attract insects.
 Keep the equipment used for cleaning dry.
 Clean and sanitize your work area thoroughly after each use.
 Lesson No.5 Food Management

Food management is a broad process that involves

the proper oversight of food selection, preparation,
presentation, and preservation. The food
service industry relies heavily on a number of
different managers to supervise each aspect of the
process to ensure the quality, taste, and safety of any
food served or sold to the general public is healthy
and in compliance with local standards. Because of
the broad range of tasks involved with food management, there are many different career
options for anyone who is interested in working with food of any type.

When many people think of food management, their minds immediately turn to the
food service industry. Essentially, food service seeks to make sure that any food sold to
businesses or individual consumers meet strict quality regulations. Within this capacity, food
inspectors may be responsible for making sure preparation facilities are clean and free of
contamination, as well as make sure that both raw and packaged foods are stored in an area
that is safe and at the proper temperature as they await shipment to customers.
Food service inspectors labor in food processing plants to ensure all packaged foods
are prepared according to standards and are readied for shipment in a manner that will keep
the food fresh all the way to its destination. Upon delivery, other inspectors will go through
the delivered foods and make sure there was no damage during transport that could impact
the quality and freshness of the food.

The process of food management continues with the preparation of meals that are
served to the general public. An expert food manager will know how to organize a
commercial kitchen to best advantage, how to store foods properly, and how to determine if
food is not fresh enough to use in the preparation of any recipe. A manager in this capacity
may be a chef at a local restaurant, or be a member of the hospitality management team at
a hotel. To a degree all members of the kitchen staff are also considered part of the food
management team, as they work closely with the food and the preparation of menu items.
Along with hotel and restaurant jobs, food management also involves making sure that food
past its prime is not sold in supermarkets. Many packaged foods today are stamped with a
date that indicates when the product should be used by. It is not unusual for manufacturers
of items such as packaged cereals to routinely send quality inspectors around to make sure
their items do not remain on supermarket shelves past those dates. Doing so helps to
ensure that consumers have access to packaged food that is at its best in terms of freshness
and taste.
Anyone who works with food can be said to engage in the task of food management.
Even in the home, people who are tasked with preparing meals will evaluate the quality of
food on hand, discard items that are no longer fresh, and seek to prepare meals that are
tasty as well as visually appealing. In addition to minimizing the risks associated with
consuming foods that are past their prime, the attention to the actual preparation and
presentation also help to make consumption a more pleasant experience.