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Regulation 5540 – Food Safety

In order to implement the District’s Food Safety Program, standard operating procedures should
be developed in the following area:

General Safety Considerations

  • Prohibit bare hand contact with ready to eat foods
  • Store chemicals away from food and food related supplies

Personnel

  • Require hand washing after restroom use, sneezing, coughing, or after performing any cleaning activity.
  • Develop a policy for restricting or excluding ill employees from food production or preparation areas.

Product Procurement

  • Follow recommendations for selecting vendors such as those found in State distributing agency vendor certification procedures.
  • Develop buyer product specifications.

Receiving

  • Reject all cans with swollen sides or ends, flawed seals and seams, rust or dents.
  • Put perishable foods into the refrigerator or freezer immediately.

Storing

  • Store all food and paper supplies 6 to 8 inches off the floor.
  • Label all food with name of the school and delivery date.

Transporting

  • Preheat transfer cart prior to use.
  • Limit transport travel time to a maximum of 2 hours.

Holding

  • Keep hot foods hot (above 135 °F) and cold foods cold (below 41 °F).

Preparation

  • Do not keep food in the “danger zone” (between 41 °F and 135 °F) for more than 4 hours.
  • Handle food with utensils, clean, gloved hands, or clean hands. (Bare hand
    contact with food during preparation should be limited. Bare hand contact with
    RTE foods should be prohibited.)

Cleaning / Sanitizing

  • Use clean water, free of grease and food particles.
  • Keep wiping cloths in sanitizing solution while cleaning.

Cooking and Documenting Temperatures

  • Record all temperatures when they are taken.
  • Use only a clean and sanitized thermometer when taking internal temperatures of
    food.

Cooling

  • Cool rapidly by storing food in small batches in individual containers; cover loosely so that heat can escape quickly.
  • Keep cold foods cold by pre-chilling ingredients for salads.

Reheating

  • Transfer reheated food to hot-holding equipment only when the food reaches the proper temperature.
  • Use only cooking ranges, ovens, steamers, and microwave ovens to reheat foods.
    Use hot-holding equipment only to maintain temperature and not for rapidly
    heating food.
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