Procedures for Holding Food Safely during Meal Service

All potentially hazardous foods, especially those items that are cooked and held for service, need to be maintained in order to prevent the growth of bacteria.  It is important to remember that microorganisms can grow at temperatures between 41^oF and 135^oF, so to ensure the safety of food during holding time, specific procedures must be followed.  Below are general rules for holding food.

• Check the internal temperature of food using a thermometer
• Check the internal temperature of food at least every 4 hours.  Throw out food that is not at 135^oF or higher or 41^o F or lower.  For best practice, this should be checked every 2 hours to allow for corrective action
• Cover food and install sneeze guards to protect food from contaminants
• Prepare food in small batches so it will be used faster
• For hot food items, use only hot-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature.  Never use hot-holding equipment to reheat food.
• Stir food at regular intervals to distribute heat evenly
• For cold food items, use only cold-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature and do not store food directly on ice (whole fruit and vegetables and raw, cut vegetables are the only exception.  Place all other food in pans or on plates first)
• Ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous cold food can be held for up to 6 hours if it was held at 41^oF or lower prior to removing it from refrigeration.  If the temperature exceeds 41^oF during the 6 hours it must be discarded.  The item must contain a label that specifies the time it was removed from refrigeration and the time it must be discarded
• Ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous hot foods can be held up to 4 hours if it was at 135^oF or higher prior to removing it from temperature control and it must contain a label that specifies when the item must be discarded

When serving food, the following procedures must be followed:

• Use clean and sanitized utensils for serving (use separate utensils for each food item, these should be cleaned and sanitized at least every 4 hours)
• Use serving utensils with long handles
• Store utensils properly
  • Can be stored in the food with the handle extending above the rim of the container
  • Can be placed on a clean, sanitized food-contact surface
  • Scoops or spoons used to serve food such as ice cream can be stored under running water
• Do not use bare hands on ready-to-eat foods.  Handle food with tongs, deli sheets or gloves
• Good personal hygiene and proper handwashing are essential components to keeping food safe