EHA Group Food Safety and Epidemiology Blog

Proper Utensil Storage

Food safety Perspectives by Christine Testa - Regional Food Safety Specialist Lately, during food service operation inspections, I have noticed that foodservice employees have question about where and how to store the knives and other utensils.

Many times, I find soiled knives inside sanitizer buckets with soiled sanitizer solution and food particles. Other questions come up such as “Do you really have to clean and sanitize the knife after each?” “Can we use ice water to store coffee spoons? “ What exactly is the rule? According to the 2005 FDA food code, there are 4 acceptable methods to store “in-use” utensils for ready to eat food items such as at the sandwich and salad prep stations.

WHERE would YOU like me to stick this sanitizer bucket?

(Here Christine Testa comments on food safety observations during her time as a Health Department official in the state of Michigan.)

Most food service operations utilize sanitation buckets at every food prep area. The question remains for many operations – “Where can we legally stage them?” Simply, wipe cloths, used throughout the food prep and cooking areas, are required to be stored in a sanitizer solution to prevent harborage of bacteria and odor.

A sanitation bucket contains a recommended concentration of a chemical sanitizer, usually Quat or chlorine. These sanitizers are approved to reduce the number of microorganisms to safe limits. Low concentrations of chemicals are still considered to be chemicals and thus should never be stored above or next to foods in a manner that may encourage cross contamination.

What’s an air gap?

An air gap is a very complicated feat of engineering!

Essentially, the air gap on a food preparation sink provides a distance of twice the diameter of a sink drain discharge and the lip of the floor drain.

This provides sufficient space to prevent unsanitary water from flowing back into the sink, thereby contaminating the sink and future contents. Gravity is a beautiful thing. Simple!

Record Keeping

How long do you keep important temperature records on file? Many retail operations keep these logs on file for three months, but others maintain them for at least one year. The problem is how to keep records neat and orderly and where to store the files after completion.

This is important because inspectors typically do not wish to sift through piles of disorganized information – keep it neat, as the HACCP records are often viewed as a reflection of your facility. In a retail establishment, I recommend that binders be provided for each food display station.

Employees must be trained on the importance of the logs, how to use and calibrate a thermometer. Additionally, contingencies must be established to account for vacations and absenteeism. Cafe managers should be responsible for ensuring that temperture logs are completed properly and on a consistent basis.

What Stinks?

With the new push towards composting and waste stream reduction, pulping units seem to be making a come back within foodservice units. Recently, I did an inspection on an older corporate food service operation that still maintained one of their old unused pulping units.

You may recognize this piece of equipment in dishwashing rooms as they use a water trough to push food waste and paper to a large grinding machine, where solids are removed and liquids ultimately discharged into the sanitary sewer. In my opinion, one of the worst pieces of equipment to grace a kitchen when they are not used and when not properly removed.

This equipment collects water and old food residues and often smell to high heaven! Many times, they are also found to be a source of insect infestations such as fruit flies and houseflies. SO - If you happen to have one of these machines in your operation, keep a close eye on it and routinely clean and sanitize it so that it does not become a source of foul odors and ultimately encourage pest activity.

Physical Hazards

Certainly I am not the only person that has gotten a hair in their food while eating at a restaurant, but over the years, I have also found several other physical hazards of interest including bone fragments, wood chips, pieces of metal scrub pads and a screw.

These are all considered physical hazards. The pieces of metal scrub pad were found in a bowl of pasta. I surmise that the source was the kettle in which the pasta was cooked and the scrub pad piece had remained in the kettle after it had been cleaned.

The screw was found inside a glass of ice water. Further investigation by wait staff revealed that the screw had fallen from the inside deflector plate within the ice-making machine and cross contaminated the potable ice supply.

Ice machines

What are some of the most common violations associated with ice machines? Well, some may believe it is the lack of check valves or indirect drain lines, but rarely do we find this to be the case during routine inspections in retail operaitons.

The two most common food safety violations identified by our inspectors are: failure to stage ice scoops in a sanitary manner and failure to maintain the interior surfaces of the ice machine clean and free of mildew and slime residue which might contribute to cross contamination of the potable ice supply.

Single service items - Just like food!

Many people don’t recognize that single service items (including plates, plastic utensils and cups) must be stored in much the same manner as food items. That is, they must be covered and protected against the potential for cross contamination at all times and must never be stored on the floor.

What sanitizer?

In retail foodservice, there are essentially three accepted sanitizing agents for use. These include chlorine bleach, iodine and quartanary ammonium or “quat”.

Each of these sanitizers will be effective in eliminating a vast majority of bacteria from a properly cleaned food contact surface, but your operation must chose the best chemical for its needs based on cost, ease in use and safety concerns. Right now, the sanitizer of choice in many retail enviroments seems to be quat sanitizer.

Clean Versus Sanitized

What is the difference between “clean”, “sanitized” and “sterilized”? Clean means free of visible soil. Sterilize means free of all germs – ie bacteria and viruses.

In the food service environment, it is impossible to sterilize items, therefore, we rely on the next best thing and that is to “sanitize” or reduce the number of viable organisms on a food contact surface to an acceptable level.