1 | Time & Temperature Control
Know what foods are safe at room temperature, what foods should be refrigerated and for how long are very important. Always keep cold foods below 40 degrees and hot foods above 140 degrees. All foods need to be refrigerated after a certain amount of time out on a counter. Get familiar with the Time and Temperature requirements associated with the foods that you are serving.
COMMON TIME AND TEMPERATURE MISTAKES
- Frozen meats or fish left out to thaw on counters (must be thawed in the refrigerator, in running cold water, or in the microwave)
- Unattended foods or ingredients not in use (any foods taken out of cold storage must be prepped, cooked, or placed back in cold storage)
- Time-controlled foods with no time/temperature labels (foods that are being served or displayed with no temperature control need to be labeled and monitored
2 | Poor Personal Hygiene
Avoid bad behaviors like touching your face while working, coughing over food. Teach your employees how to wash their hands. Show them these scientific reasons for 20 second handwashing from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, your cooks should always wear clean uniforms daily and since the pandemic, the additional PPE requirements must be followed.
COMMON HYGIENE RELATED VIOLATIONS
- Not wearing hairnets (food handlers must wear a cap or hairnet when preparing food)
- Not washing hands correctly (employees must use soap, warm water, and wash hands for at least 20 seconds)
- Washing hands at the wrong sink (handwashing must be performed at a handwashing sink designated by a sign or poster )
- Open employee beverages in work areas (employee beverages must be covered by a lid and only placed in designated areas)
- Wearing rings, bracelets, or watches on duty (food handlers may only wear a plain metal ring)
- Not following correct face mask requirements (check state and local requirements for face mask guidelines in your area control need to be labeled and monitored
3 | Improper Food Storage
Cross contamination is your enemy. If your food storage isn’t controlled well, you will violate the health code. Any foods that are not being prepped or cooked must be stored properly to maintain food safety. The correct food storage procedure vary by the types of food containers used, the application of date and identification labels, and the order and location of how products are stored on the shelves.
COMMON FOOD STORAGE VIOATIONS
- Storing refrigerated foods in the wrong order (raw chicken can never be stored on the shelf above other foods)
- Storing food containers on the walk-in floor (food boxes and containers should never be stored on the floor)
- No labels or dates on stored foods (any foods not in their original containers must be labeled)
- Using food containers that are not food-safe (never use residential food containers for commercial use)
4 | Cross Contamination
This can happen in more areas than food storage. Always use different cutting boards for raw meat and veggies and have hand-wash stations available. Follow the FDA’s guidance: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill
COMMON CROSS CONTAMINATION VIOATIONS
- Using the same cutting board or knives to cut chicken and vegetables (any surface that has come into contact with raw chicken should be sanitized)
- Storing the ice scoop in the ice machine (any object stored inside an ice bin can become a source of contamination)
- Using glassware to scoop ice (using a glass to scoop ice is a major health hazard because it could cause glass chips to contaminate the ice)
- Picking up glasses or serving plates by the rim (servers should never touch the surfaces that come into contact with food or beverages)
- Not storing cleaning towels in sanitizer solution (cleaning towels must be sanitized between uses to prevent cross-contamination)
5 | Storage and Use of Chemicals
What are you using to clean your kitchen surfaces? Check this list of approved sanitizers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Are your staff reusing cloths? Are they trained on your particular cleaning chemicals and the proper ratios? Where are they being stored? Your health inspector has very specific rules on these. Make sure your team knows how to sanitize a surface the right way and then store the chemicals (hint: not near food).
COMMON CHEMICAL USE AND STORAGE MISTAKES
- Storing cleaning chemicals near food (do not store chemicals on shelves above food or anywhere near food in your kitchen)
- Storing toxic chemicals in unlabeled bottles (all spray bottles and containers must be labeled to identify the chemicals inside)
- Not using the correct concentration of sanitizer (your sanitizing solutions must contain the correct strength and concentration to kill germs)
6 | Poor Kitchen Sanitation
The overall cleanliness of your kitchen requires that work surfaces and equipment are wiped down and sanitized regularly. This includes all the visible surfaces and the not-so-obvious surfaces that are hidden from view. Avoid a sanitation violation by instituting a restaurant cleaning checklist. Train your staff to observe cleaning protocols on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Make sure to place a special emphasis on the areas that are often neglected, like your ice machine bin, hood baffles, deep fryers and kitchen floors
COMMON KITCHEN SANITATION MISTAKES
- Mold or slime in the bottom of the ice bin (ice machine bins must be cleaned regularly to prevent mold growth)
- Unclean soda fountain nozzles (all soda nozzles should be taken apart and cleaned daily to prevent bacteria growth)
- Food debris and buildup beneath equipment (sweep and clean the areas beneath your equipment daily)
- Grease buildup on equipment (empty grease traps frequently and use degreaser on equipment)
7 | Storage of Plates, Glasses and Silverware
Do not store these items near cooking nor food preparation areas. In addition, all plates and glasses must be stored upside down. Silverware must be stored covered. Instruct your staff to only store the handles, rims, and stems.
