Food Safety Focus Team • May 11
Cleaning and sanitizing food-contact surfaces is one of the most important steps to prevent foodborne illness. Here are a few reminders to protect guests:
- Reinforce the need for vigilant cleaning and sanitizing practices. Pathogens can spread to food from equipment that hasn't been properly cleaned and sanitized between uses. Cleaning removes food and other dirt from surfaces. Sanitizing reduces surface pathogens to safe levels.
- Review your cleaning and sanitizing products. Cleaners must be stable, noncorrosive and safe to use. Be sure to follow manufacturers’ instructions. Utensils and equipment can be sanitized using heat or chemicals. If you use heat to sanitize, soak items in water at least 171˚F (77˚C) for at least 30 seconds. You can also run the items through a high-temperature dishwasher. If you use chemical sanitizers, rinse, swab or spray items with a sanitizing solution. The most common types of chemical sanitizers are chlorine, iodine and quaternary ammonium compounds (or quats). Again, follow manufacturers’ instructions, as well as local regulatory requirements.
- Train staff when to clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces. Clean and sanitize items after each use and before food handlers start working with a different type of food. Also, clean and sanitize utensils and equipment after food handlers are interrupted during a task and the items may have been contaminated. If items are in constant use, clean and sanitize every four hours.
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A Every 4 hours
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Related Questions
What food safety practices can prevent cross-contact?
Washing, rinsing, and sanitizing utensils before each use
How often should a food handler change their gloves?
once they become dirty
Who is responsible for safe food handling in the food premises?
All of these
What task requires food handlers to wash their hands before AND after doing it?
Handling raw meat, poultry, or seafood
What do bacteria need to multiply?
All of these
When reheating cooked foods or cooking stuffed meat or poultry, the internal temperature should be at least:
165º F
Why shouldn't you mix cooked and raw foods?
It results in a "cross-contamination"
How can you tell if food has enough bacteria to cause food poisoning?
You can’t tell. It smell, tastes and looks normal
Where should staff members eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum?
In designated areas
What is the first action someone should take when entering the restaurant for a work shift?
Wash hands
Hand sanitizers are an acceptable form of hand sanitation because ______.
It is not an acceptable form of hand sanitation
Are your food contact surfaces as clean as they could be? Discover six facts about disinfecting and sanitizing food surfaces to stay germ-free. Every year, 10% of the population becomes ill from contaminated food. With all the diseases that are spread through food, it’s extremely important to pay attention to how you’re disinfecting food surfaces. What is a food-contact surface? The phrase
“food-contact surfaces” refers to anything that comes in direct contact with food such as prep knives and other utensils, pots and pans, and cutting boards. Are the food-contact surfaces in your home, food service business, or restaurant as clean as they should be? Keep reading to learn six facts about disinfecting and sanitizing food surfaces to stay germ-free.1. You Need to Clean Surfaces Before Sanitizing or Disinfecting
The necessary steps are clean, rinse, sanitize. A clean surface, free of organic matter and residue from the cleaning solution is important so the sanitizer can do its job and remove pathogens.
2. Sanitizing and Disinfecting Are Not The Same Things
Sanitizers are shown to reduce the number of bacteria on a surface by 99.99% when tested one time. Disinfectants reduce the number of bacteria by 99.99% of bacteria in several tests.
3. There are Rules About When to Clean and Sanitize
Food-contact surfaces obviously must be cleaned and sanitized after being used, but there are other stipulations. The cleaning and sanitizing process has to be employed before a food handler begins working with a different type of food. For example, if you’re working with chicken and beef is up next, you must clean and sanitize in between.
If while handling food, you have an interruption, you should clean and sanitize in case the food with which you were working became contaminated.
Clean and sanitize any surface that has been in constant use every four hours.
4. Routine Cleaning and Sanitizing Procedures Help Maintain Food Safety
Restaurants and other foodservice organizations must employ standard operating procedures or a step-by-step guide when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing. This makes the procedure very routine and this routine helps to maintain food safety.
5. Sanitizers Must Be EPA Registered
The Environmental Protection Agency must approve all sanitizer ingredients. The sanitizer manufacturer must also have data to support the claims they make regarding how well they work. They have to meet specific performance standards and be approved to be used on food contact surfaces.
6. There Are Two Purposes to Cleaning and Sanitizing
By removing bacteria and various other microorganisms, you are keeping food from getting contaminated during its preparation and you are reducing the chance of transmitting disease to the person eating the food.
Cleaning Food Contact Surfaces
Keeping your food contact surfaces clean and disinfected has to be a top priority at home and especially when serving food to the public. Using caution when prepping food can and does prevent foodborne illnesses.
Are you looking for a disinfection service you can trust? We at EverWell have a 3-Step Protection System that is safe and effective to eliminate germs and harmful bacteria and viruses in just minutes.
We are a trusted leader in the disinfecting and sanitizing business. Contact us today to make an appointment with our professionals.