Food handler permits are required prior t o employment at a retail food establishment. This has been established by county order and city ordinances. The food handler permit re ceived at the end of this program will be valid anywhere in the S tate of Nevada for 2 years from the date the te st is successfully completed. The health division in your area is responsible for routine inspections of Retail Food Establishments (An operation that stores, prepares packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption), and follows the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) which provides the rules for which inspections are based upon. Food employee: An individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment, food utensils or food contact surfaces. Now that we know the definition of a food employee, find some or one of yo ur job duties below. If you fall into one of these categories, a food handler permit MUST be obtained: cook, chef, dishwasher, bartender, server, ice handler, butcher, baker, bus person, delivery driver, concession worker, day care worker, nursing home worker, food sampling worker, etc. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 76 million Americans per year become ill from food related illnesses. Of these cases, 325 thousand are hospitalized and 5 thousand people die each year from unsafe food. What we are talking about is foodborne illness (otherwise known as food poisoning). Before we begin learning about what foodborne illness is, first let’s define what a food is. According to the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER), a food is defined as: A raw, cooked, or processed edible substance, ice, beverage or ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for human consumption, or chewing gum. A foodborne illness is an illness caused by food that contains harmful germs (or microorganisms). These germs are already in the food when it is received and if not handled properly, people c an get sick. Most foodborne illnesses are either food poisonings or food infections. When people talk about foodborne illness, they often call it food poisoning. Chemicals, Bacteria and certain foods (poisonous mushrooms, subtropical and tropical mar ine finfish-Scrombrotoxin and Ciguatera Fish Poisoning) can cause food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning are usually noticed within hours after eating, and often include vomiting. The most common foodborne illnesses, however, are not caused by food poisoning. They are foodborne infections caused by germs (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) that grow in food or inside of our bodies. Symptoms of foodborne infections include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, headache, and stomach aches. Symptoms may be noticed from several hours to several weeks after eating t he food.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Food handler permits are required prior to employment at a retail food establishment. This has been
established by county order and city ordinances. The food handler permit received at the end of this
program will be valid anywhere in the State of Nevada for 2 years from the date the test is successfully
completed.
The health division in your area is responsible for routine inspections of Retail Food Establishments (Anoperation that stores, prepares packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human
consumption), and follows the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) which provides the rules for
which inspections are based upon.
Food employee: An individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment, food utensils or food
contact surfaces. Now that we know the definition of a food employee, find some or one of your job
duties below.
If you fall into one of these categories, a food handler permit MUST be obtained: cook, chef,
Do NOT wear arm jewelry (watch, bracelet, rubber band) and rings with gemstones. While
preparing food, food employees may not wear jewelry including medical information jewelry or
religious bracelets on their arms and hands. A plain style band ring is acceptable. Gloves may not
be used to cover jewelry.
Practice proper fingernail maintenance. Food employees shall keep their fingernails trimmed,filed and maintained so the edges and surfaces are cleanable and not rough. Acrylic nails must
be covered by single-use gloves at all times (no polish on nails).
Come to work bathed and wear clean clothes. Food employees shall wear clean outer clothing
to prevent contamination of food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single-service and single-use
articles.
Employees shall eat, drink and or use tobacco only in designated areas where the contamination
of exposed food or equipment is prevented. Drinks must have a lid and straw to protect the
hands from contamination, as well as spills on any exposed food or food contact surfaces. Store
your drink away from food and food items.
Hair restraints (hats, nets, visors etc) must be worn to keep hair from contacting any exposed
foods or equipment. This does not apply to food employees such as counter staff who serve only
beverages or packaged food or to hostesses or wait staff if they present a minimal risk of
contaminating food, equipment, utensils and linens.
Personal items including medicine, coats and purses must be stored away from food, dishes and
linens. Have a designated area for these items. If medicine must be refrigerated, keep in a spill
proof container.
Food employees may not care for or handle animals that may be present in food
establishments: patrol dogs, service animals, or other allowable pets.
NOTE: Employees with assistance animals and employees that care for fish in aquariums or
display tanks (mulluscan shellfish and crustaceans) are allowed to handle/care for them if they
wash their hands accordingly.
All the above items are personal habits that can have an effect on food safety. Be mindful of appearance
and of where your personal items are being placed.
A healthy food worker is the first step in preventing foodborne illness (FBI). If you feel sick, you shouldnot work with food because the germs making you sick can be easily spread to food and other people.
Food workers may not work at a food establishment if they currently exhibit symptoms or have been
diagnosed with any of the following:
Diagnosis of Norovirus, Hepatitus A virus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp, or Shigatoxin-producing
Any activity with the potential to contaminate your hands
Where to wash hands:
It may sound silly but do you know where you are supposed to wash your hands? The rules state that
food workers must clean their hands in a handwashing only sink or an approved handwashing facility.
You may NOTclean your hands in a sink used for food preparation or warewashing: this means 3-
compartment and prep sinks. Other areas to avoid are in a service sink or a curbed cleaning facility used
for the disposal of mop water or other liquid waste.
How to wash hands:
Now that we know when and where to wash our hands, lets talk about how to wash our hands.Handwashing seems simple in itself, but it is the entire process that helps us get rid of those germs that
are hiding on our hands. Before you get started, make sure the sink is stocked with paper towels or hot
air dryer, soap, hot and cold water (other items may include alcohol based hand sanitizer and/or nail
brush). From start to finish, the entire process must be at least 20 seconds. Let's get started:
1. Get your hands wet so the soap will work. (3 seconds)
2. Apply soap and scrub. Make sure to focus on areas under the fingernail, in-between fingers,
palms, base and top of hand and any exposed area of the arm. Time yourself or sing until you
get used to the time.(10-15 seconds)
3. Rinse your hands to send the soap and germs down the drain. (7 seconds)
4. Dry your hands completely using a paper towel (or hot air dryer) then turn off faucet with paper
4. Rinse under clean running water 5. Dry clean hands/arms
Are we ready to begin handling food?
Not just yet. We are now at an important fork in the road. We must decide on one of two items. Either
we use our bare hands to touch ready to eat foods or we use single-use gloves, suitable
utensils/dispensing equipment or deli papers. Before we go through the process, let’s define what
a ready to eat food (RTE) is.
Ready-to-eat food (RTE) items are foods that are served without additional washing or cooking to
remove germs. For example:
Washed produce and/or vegetables that are eaten raw: sliced fruit, garnish, salad
Bakery or bread items: cakes, pies, fillings or icing, tortilla chips
Foods that have already been cooked: pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos
Foods that will not be cooked: Sandwiches, sushi, deli salads
Okay, let’s get started. First, look at the population you are serving. Are they considered a Highly
Susceptible Population? If they are younger than 9 years and older than 65, pregnant, or Immuno-compromised then you areNOT allowed to handle ready to eat foods with your bare hands. Instead you
may wear single-use gloves, use tongs, scoops or other suitable utensils/dispensing equipment or deli
papers. If single-use gloves are being used, follow these rules:
Store sanitizer below food, food equipment and utensils as this item is still TOXIC!
Again, all dishes must be washed, rinsed and sanitized between uses. When washing dishes by hand,
follow this procedure:
Clean and sanitize the sink-may need to pre-soak.
Scrape leftover food into the garbage
WASH dishes in hot, soapy water in the first sink. If the water gets too cool or soap suds have
diminished, start over.
RINSE dishes with clean, hot water in the second sink.
SANITIZE by soaking the dishes in the third sink filled with room temperature water and an
approved sanitizer. If using chlorine bleach, the strength should be 50-200ppm. If using QAC, thestrength should be 200ppm (unless Oasis 146 is used and then up to 400ppm).
AIR DRY all dishes and utensils. Do not use a towel to dry dishes.
DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS OR DUMP MOP WATER IN THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK!
NOTE: The ONLY chemicals that may be stored above a 3-compartment sink are those that pertain to
the wash, rinse, and sanitize steps.
Even though all restaurants are required to have a 3-compartment sink, some food establishments may
use a mechanical dishwasher to wash, rinse and sanitize the dishes. The same steps as above should be
followed-scrape food debris into trash and then place dishes into machine. The type of mechanical
dishwasher used will determine the sanitizing method. Some machines will use chemicals to sanitize
dishes while others will use heat. The chemical used will be chlorine bleach and should sanitize dishes
between 50ppm and 200ppm. While machines that use heat must sanitize dishes at temperatures above
165oF (for a stationary rack, single temperature machines) and all other machines at 180
oF. Again
chemical test strips and heat strips should be used to verify the machines ability to properly sanitize.
NOTE: Food workers that use the dishwasher must be trained on how to make sure the machine is
washing and sanitizing properly. Temperature gauges and sanitizer levels must be monitored. A data
plate should be on this piece of equipment.
Other areas of the food establishment also need attention like the floors, walls and even the trash cans.
By keeping equipment and kitchens clean it will help reduce workplace accidents and the potential for
food contamination and possible infestations of pests.
The goal of food safety is to prevent the hazards that cause foodborne illness or injury. Foods must be
free from signs of filth, spoilage and other contamination. Most hazards found in food are the things you
cannot see, smell or taste. We are now going to look at three common hazards: Physical, Chemical and
Biological. Most foodborne illness is caused by the biological hazards or germs. Let’s begin exploring.
Physical Hazards:
Physical Hazards occur when non-food objects such as glass, hair, or pieces of broken equipment, find
their way into food as a result of faulty food handling, damaged equipment or by accident. To help
prevent physical contamination:
Wash fruits and vegetables carefully
Look closely at the foods you prepare
Keep the food preparation area free of things that can fall into the food.
Chemical Contamination:
Chemical contamination may be caused by chemicals added on purpose during the processing of food orby accident during any stage of food production. All medicines and chemicals including soaps, cleaners,
sanitizers and pesticides must be stored away from food, utensils, and food preparation areas.
If a chemical needs to be stored in the kitchen area, the chemical must be stored below food or food-
contact surfaces so that it does not drip or leak into food. If the chemical serves no purpose in the food
establishment, remove it from the premises.
Make sure all chemicals are stored in approved containers that have easy-to-read labels and easy-to-
follow directions.
Something important to remember is that not all containers are approved for food storage. Unapprovedcontainers include garbage bags, galvanized cans and containers once used for chemicals. Food may not
be stored in these containers because chemicals can get into the food.
Follow these tips to keep food safe from chemicals:
Only keep chemicals that are approved for use near food in the establishment.
Store all chemicals below or away from food and food contact surfaces.
Make sure all chemicals are properly labeled.
Use only approved food containers to store food.
Check equipment to ensure it is working properly.
While cleaning, keep food and food items protected.
Store chemicals away from single-use items (paper cups, straws, boats, trays).
As shown above, thermometers will play a vital role in checking food temperatures. The most common
types of food thermometers used are dial, digital, infrared, and thermocouples (probe type
thermometer).
Before we move any further, thermometers should be calibrated before their use. One way to check
thermometer accuracy is to place the thermometer in a cup of crushed ice and water (if dimple present,submerge above the mark). The mixture should register 32
oF. If the thermometer does not indicate this
temperature it should either be adjusted or replaced. Always check the manufacture label for proper
calibration procedures (check for calibration correction factors on manufacturing label).
Several types of thermometers may be used. The first type we will discuss is the metal stem or dial
thermometer. Dial thermometers work well for taking temperatures of thick foods. The stem must be
pushed several inches into the food and left for at least 20 seconds (above dimple on probe) and this is
the reason it should not be used to test thin foods like hamburger patties. These thermometers should
range between 0oF to 220oF and should be calibrated regular-especially when exposed to extreme
temperatures or when dropped.
Another type of thermometer that may be used is the digital thermometer. They too have a metal stem,
but have a digital readout versus a dial. Advantages of digital thermometers are they are easy to read
and are better for measuring thin foods (hamburger patties). They also can read food temperatures
quickly.
When checking the temperature of food with either of these thermometers, follow these simple, yet
important rules:
Make sure it is clean, sanitized and accurate
Insert into the thickest part of the food-usually the center (do not hit bones as a inaccurate
temperature will be given)
Wait several seconds before recording the temperature-numbers should have stopped
changing.
Clean the thermometer in between taking temperatures of raw and cooked foods!
Bacteria will grow and multiply quickly when foods are in the Temperature Danger Zone. As food
handlers, it is important to keep cold food in a refrigerator, on ice, or other approved methods in order
to help prevent bacteria from growing. If ice is used to keep foods cold, make sure the ice completely
surrounds the container and up to the top level of the food. Remember, this ice may not be used for
human consumption at this point. Maintain the temperature of cold foods at 41oF or less. This also
includes salads made with potentially hazardous foods at room temperature. These salads must be
cooled to 41oF or less within 4 hours of preparation. It is a good idea to make salads and sandwich fillers