STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Date: 19 May 2018 Dept: KITCHEN

Revised: SOP No: KITCHEN 2

Subject: HANDLING OF FOOD PROCEDURES

HANDLING OF FOOD PROCEDURES

1 PURCHASING OF FOOD

Policy: Food is purchased only from approved vendors to assure the safety of food served to
customers. Procedure: Employees purchasing food must:

Understand regulations for specific foods:

Purchase packaged or processed food only from suppliers who receive their products from
licensed reputable purveyors and manufacturers, who adhere to good manufacturing practices
and who are HACCP certified

Fresh produce may be purchased directly from local growers as there is no inspection
process for these non-potentially hazardous foods (with exception of melons and fresh alfalfa
sprouts). When making direct purchases, buyers should ensure packages are clean and will
maintain the integrity of the food item, as communicated through product specifications.

Meat and fresh shell eggs may be purchased from local licensed producers, but because
these foods are considered potentially hazardous, the products must be inspected for safety.
An inspected shield should be on the package. Meat and fish may be purchased by the
restaurant at a specialized and reliable local trader after approval from the Swiss Café,
restaurant & Lounge Manager

Purchase pasteurized dairy products.

Visit approved vendors to ensure that they maintain clean warehouses adhere to safe
storage and handling practices and have a secure facility to minimize intentional
contamination.

Observe the delivery vehicles to ensure that they are clean and temperatures are controlled.

Request photo ID badge of delivery person, when you don’t trust is or have complaints

Use written product specifications to ensure that the vendor knows what is to be delivered.

The kitchen manager will:

Develop and implement written product specifications to ensure products purchased

consistently meet restaurant expectations.

Coordinate delivery times with vendors/suppliers to ensure that deliveries are made when
they can be stored immediately. Schedule receiving times when product quantity and quality
can be checked, including product temperatures.

Review orders and delivery information to ensure orders and product specifications are
 being met.

2 RECEIVING OF FOOD

Policy: All food should be checked for proper conditions as it is received in the facility.

Procedure: Employees receiving food should:

General Principles:

o Receive only one delivery at a time from approved suppliers. Verify credentials of delivery
person.

o Check to make sure frozen food is solid, and does not show evidence of thawing and re-
freezing.

o Check to ensure that refrigerated foods are received at or below 5º Celsius.

o Record the date received on the outside of each package, and a use-by date if applicable.

o Remove potentially hazardous foods from the temperature danger zone (> 5º Celsius) and
place in storage as quickly as possible.

o Accept only pasteurized dairy products.

o Reject potentially hazardous foods that are not at acceptable temperature and cans with
swelled tops or bottoms, leakage, incomplete labels, flawed seals, rust, or dents.

o Evaluate quality of products by odor, sight, and touch. Reject unacceptable products.
Products must meet order specifications and quality requirements. If any foods are deemed
unacceptable, they should be rejected and put in a designated area for credit.

Receiving Frozen and Refrigerated Foods:

o Check temperature with a calibrated thermometer to assure that cold foods (especially
potentially hazardous foods – foods in which microorganisms are able to grow rapidly – often
moist, high in protein, and have a neutral or slightly acidic pH) are below 5° Celsius.

o Reject, with the exception of fresh shell eggs (7° Celsius), all foods that should be stored
below 5° Celsius that are delivered above 5° Celsius.

o Check at random the temperature of three different refrigerated food items for each
delivery. Record date, employee initials, vendor, product name, and temperature of these
products in the Receiving Temperature Log.

o Place foods in the proper storage area (cooler or freezer) quickly to avoid potential bacterial
growth. Proper cooler temperatures are 5º Celsius or lower. Proper deep chill storage
temperatures are from 0º Celsius to -3,5º Celsius or below. Proper freezer temperatures are -
18º Celsius.

o Use First In First Out (FIFO) inventory rotation of products in all storage areas to assure that
the oldest products are used first. Products with the earliest

o use-by or expiration dates are stored in front of products with later dates. Mixing old food
with new food is not acceptable.

o Keep products in original package until used.

Receiving Dry Goods:

o Check dry goods for leaks, flaws, or broken packages. Dry goods should be dry, free of mold,
and free of insects. If the packages are flawed, they should be rejected and put in a
 designated area for credit.

o Inspect cans for leaks, dents, bulges, or other visible signs of damage. Notify a manager if a
damaged can is found.

o Date boxes and cans with receiving date. o Separate chemicals from foods.

o Check delivery invoice against the items delivered, and the purchase order.

o When damaged items are found, the manager or designee should call the distributor so the
product can be picked up and returned and a credit issued.

o Note on the invoice any items rejected.

o Proper dry storage temperatures are between 10º Celsius and 21º Celsius at 50 to 60
percent humidity.

The kitchen manager will:

Assure that all foods come from approved vendors and sources.

Schedule deliveries for off-peak hours and make sure trained staff is available to receive,
inspect, and store food promptly.

Assure that no home-prepared foods are accepted or used from third parties.

Check Receiving Temperature Log to ensure proper procedures are being followed.

Follow-up with staff as necessary.

File with HACCP records.

3 HOLDING OF FOOD

Policy: All hot food will be held hot (above 57º Celsius) and cold food will be held cold (below 5º
Celsius). Temperatures of food will be taken routinely to ensure that proper temperatures are
maintained through holding to ensure the safety of the food served to customers. Any conflict
between food quality and food safety must always be decided in favor of food safety. When in doubt
about the safety of food, throw it out.

Procedure: Employees involved in the production or service of food must:

Holding Hot Food:

o Prepare and cook only as much food as is needed. Batch cooking is ideal for maintaining
food temperature and quality.

o Use hot-holding equipment that can keep hot food at 57º Celsius or higher.

o Follow manufacturer’s instructions in using hot-holding equipment. [NOTE: Customize your

SOP by including instructions. For example, you may need to indicate that the steam table
wells need to be filled with hot water and at what level.]

o Keep foods covered to retain heat and to keep contaminants from falling into food.

o We recommend measuring internal food temperatures once an hour using a calibrated

thermometer. Record temperatures in the Holding Temperature Log. If temperatures are
below 57º Celsius, then reheat to 74º Celsius.

o Discard hot potentially hazardous food after four hours if they have not been properly held
 at or above 57º Celsius.

o Do not mix freshly prepared food with food being held for service.

Holding Cold Food:

o Use cold-holding equipment that can keep cold foods below 5º Celsius.

o We recommend measuring internal food temperatures once an hour using a calibrated

thermometer. Record temperatures in the Holding Temperature Log. If temperatures are
above 5º Celsius, then refrigerate.

o Protect cold food from contaminants with covers or food shields.

o Discard cold potentially hazardous foods after four hours if they have not been properly held
below 5º Celsius.

o If there are no temperature controls, cold food held for longer then six hours must be
discarded.

o Place cold food in pans or on plates first, never directly on ice. The only exceptions are
whole fruits and vegetables that will be washed after holding.

o Ice used on a display should be self-draining. Wash and sanitize drip pans after each use.

The kitchen manager will:

Review logs daily to ensure the temperatures and corrective actions are being met.

Follow up as necessary.

File temperature logs with HACCP records.

4 TASTING OF FOOD

Policy: All restaurant employees will use the correct and sanitary tasting method to prevent
contamination and ensure food safety.

Procedure: All restaurant employees must Use a Two Spoon Tasting Method:

Remove a sample of a product from the container with one spoon.

Transfer the product sample onto a second spoon, away from the original food container or
preparation area.

Sample the product by tasting.

Never re-use used spoons. Use clean and sanitary spoons each tasting. Always use two
spoons to ensure sanitary practices are being followed and the product is not contaminated.

5 PREPARING OF COLD FOOD

Policy: Temperatures of all potentially hazardous cold food will be taken during preparation to ensure
safety of all food served to customers. All food will be prepared using appropriate practices and
procedures to ensure safety and sanitation.

Procedure: Employees preparing cold food should:

 Take temperatures:

o Wash hands.

o Use a clean and sanitize calibrated thermometer to take the temperatures of potentially
hazardous food products.

o Wipe the clean and sanitize thermometer stem with alcohol wipes prior to taking the
temperatures of each food. Open the sanitizer package with clean hands.

o Record temperatures in the Service Temperature Record.

Prepare cold foods:

o Pre-chill ingredients for food served cold (sandwiches and salads) to below 5°C before
combining.

o Discard thawed potentially hazardous foods that have been above 5°C for more than four
hours.

o Discard cold potentially hazardous food after four hours if they have not been properly held
below 5° Celsius.

Maintain food contact surfaces:

o When possible use color-coded cutting boards for all products. Red for raw meat, green for
vegetables or fruits, and yellow for raw poultry.

o Food contact surfaces should be smooth, easily cleaned and sanitized, with appropriate
material.

o Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces prior to and after use. Cleaning and sanitizing
steps need to be done separately in order to be effective.

6 REHEATING FOOD

Policy: All food will be reheated to an internal temperature of 74° Celsius and held at least 15 seconds
to assure the safety of food.

Procedure: Employees reheating food should:

Remove leftover food from the freezer/refrigerator.

Check the temperature of the food to make sure it is lower than 5° Celsius using a calibrated
thermometer. Record on the Reheating Log.

Reheat the food product to 74° Celsius for 15 seconds using an oven, stove, or steamer. The
goal is to take the food through the temperature danger zone (5° Celsius - 57° Celsius) as
quickly as possible. Discard food that has not reach this temperature within two hours.

Serve the food immediately, or place the food in a steam table or a pre-heated hot cart and
recheck temperature to make sure temperature is held at or above 57° Celsius.

Check the temperature of the food before serving if the food has been held.

Discard any potentially hazardous foods held in the temperature danger zone (5° Celsius to
57° Celsius) for more than four hours. This should be noted on the Reheating Log.
7 COOKING FOOD

Policy: All foods will be cooked using appropriate practices and procedures to ensure safety. This
includes cooking foods to required internal temperatures and taking and recording temperatures.

Procedure: Employees involved in the production of food must complete the following steps:

Prepare hot foods

o Cook hot foods to these minimum end-point temperatures or recipe directions. Avoid over-
cooking. Use a calibrated thermometer to check product temperature in thickest part of the
item or two places.

Poultry 74º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Stuffing, stuffed meats,

casseroles, and other dishes

combining raw and cooked foods 74º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Potentially Hazardous Foods cooked in microwave 74º

Celsius; let food stand

for 2 minutes
after cooking,

stir during
cook process

Ground or flaked meats 68º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Beef and pork roasts 63º Celsius for 4 minutes

Beef steaks, pork, veal, lamb
63º Celsius for 15 seconds

Commercially raised game animals 63º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Fish and foods containing fish 63º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Shell eggs (for immediate service)

(If it is not fully cooked use pasteurized eggs) 63º

Celsius for 15 seconds

Vegetables (canned, frozen, fresh) 57º Celsius

for 15 seconds

Ready-to-eat commercially processed and packaged foods 57º

Celsius for 15 seconds

o Take end-point cooking temperatures.

 o Reduce holding time of foods before serving by using batch cooking.

o Allow temperature of cooking equipment to return to required temperatures between

batches.

o Do not use hot holding equipment to cook or reheat foods.

o Expose food ingredients to room temperature for two hours or less, or food item should be
returned to the refrigerator. TOTAL time of food at room temperature shall not exceed four
hours.

o Prepare products that will not be cooked or heated away from other products.

Take temperatures:

o Wash hands.

o Use a clean and sanitize calibrated thermometer to take the temperatures of all potentially
hazardous food products, each batch.

o Wipe the clean and sanitize thermometer stem with alcohol wipes prior to taking the
temperatures of each food. Open the sanitizer package with clean hands.

o Take temperatures in the thickest part of a food item (usually the center). Two readings
should also be taken in different locations to assure thorough cooking to the appropriate end-
point temperature.

o Record the end-point cooking temperature on the Cooked Food Temperature Log.

8 COOLING FOOD

Policy: When cooked food will not be served right away (or is left over and can be saved), it must be
cooled as quickly as possible to prevent microbial growth. Temperatures will be taken during the
cooling process to make sure that time and temperature standards are met to ensure the safety of food
served to customers.

Procedure: There are two acceptable methods of cooling food outlined below. Employees involved
in the cooling process of food must observe the following procedures:

One-stage (four hour) method:

o Cool hot cooked food from 57º Celsius to 5º Celsius within four hours using an appropriate
procedure.

o Take temperatures of product after four hours to make sure that food temperature is below
5º Celsius.

o Record temperatures on Cooling Log.

o Reheat food to above 57 oC if food has not cooled to 5º Celsius in four hours.
 Two-stage method

o Cool hot cooked food from 57º Celsius to 21º Celsius or lower within two hours, and then
cool down to 5º Celsius or lower within an additional four hours, for a total cooling time of six
hours, using an appropriate procedure.

o Take temperatures at the two and six hour intervals to make sure that the appropriate
temperatures were reached.

o Reheat food to above 74o Celsius if food has not cooled to 5º Celsius in four hours.

* NOTE: The reason that the two-stage method allows six hours to cool is that in the first two hours of
cooling the food is passed through part of the temperature danger zone where the growth of
microorganisms is most likely to occur.

Factors that affect how quickly foods will cool down:

Size of the food item being cooled – the thickness of the food or distance to its center plays
the biggest part in how fast a food cools.

Density of the food – the denser the food, the slower it will cool. For example, chili will take
longer than chicken noodle soup.

Container in which a food is stored – stainless steel transfers heat from foods faster than
plastic. Initially loosely wrap food items.

Size of container – Shallow pans with product depth less than two inches allow the heat
from food to disperse faster than deep pans.

Food may not move through the temperature danger zone fast enough if the food is still hot when
placed in the cooler or freezer or kept in bulk. The hot food may also raise the temperature of the
surrounding food items, placing them in the temperature danger zone (5º Celsius - 57º Celsius). Listed
below are a few methods that can be used to cool foods more quickly. The methods can be used alone
or in combination.

Methods for cooling foods:

o Reduce the quantity of the food being cooled. Cut large food items into smaller pieces or
divide large containers of food into smaller containers.

o Use blast chillers or tumble chillers to cool food before placing it into refrigerated storage. o
Use ice-water baths. Divide cooked food into shallow pans or smaller pots then place them in
ice water and stir food items frequently.

o Add ice or water as an ingredient. This works for foods that contain water as an ingredient,
such as a soup or stew. The recipe can initially be prepared with less water than is required.
Cold water or ice can then be added after cooking to cool the product and to provide the
remaining water required in the recipe.

o Stir food to cool faster and more evenly. Ice paddles (plastic paddles that are filled with
water and frozen) and chill sticks can be used to stir food through the cooling process. Stirring
food with these cold paddles chills food quickly as this acts as internal ice baths.
9 THAWING FOOD

Policy: All foods will be thawed using appropriate practices to ensure food safety.

Procedure: Steps for thawing food include:

Use one of the three acceptable methods for thawing food:

Thaw food in the refrigerator at 5° Celsius or below. NEVER thaw food at room temperature.

Thaw food needed for immediate service under potable running water at 21° Celsius or
lower. Prepare the product within 4 hours of thawing.

Thaw the product in the microwave if product will be cooked immediately. Use the lowest
shelf in the cooler for thawing raw meat to prevent crosscontamination and separate raw
products from cooked and ready-to-eat products.

Do not refreeze thawed food, unless they are first cooked or processed.

10 SERVICE TEMPERATURES

Policy: Temperatures of all hot and cold foods are taken during service to assure that foods are
maintained at appropriate temperatures, and to ensure the safety of food served to customers.

Procedure: Employees who will be setting up the plates and serving food must follow these
procedures:

Use a calibrated thermometer to take temperatures of food products at the beginning of

service.

Wipe the thermometer stem with a new alcohol wipe prior to taking the temperature of any
food item.

Take temperatures of all hot potentially hazardous foods as soon as they are ready for
service. Take temperature of all cold potentially hazardous foods as soon as they are ready for
service.

Record all temperatures on the Service Temperature Log and initial.

Make sure that all temperatures are within the critical limits:

Hot foods are above 57o Celsius

Cold foods are below 5o Celsius

Take corrective action, if needed. If hot foods are below 57o Celsius, they must be heated to
above 74o Celsius before service.

Take corrective action, if needed. If cold foods are above 5o Celsius, they must be chilled to
below 5o Celsius. If more than four hours have elapsed since lat documentation of cold food
item temperatures discard the item.

11 USE OF THERMOMETERS

Policy: Temperatures will be taken at all steps in the food flow– receiving, storing, preparing, cooking,
transporting, and serving – with calibrated thermometers to ensure the safety of food served to
customers.

Procedure: Employees involved in the production or service of food must take temperatures at
critical steps throughout the flow of food using the following procedures: How to Measure the
Temperature of Food:

Use a calibrated thermometer. Calibrate thermometers on a monthly basis, or whenever they are
dropped or suffer a shock.

Sanitize stem of clean thermometer with an alcohol wipe or insert stem into sanitizing solution for at
least 5 seconds, then air dry.

Insert the end of the sanitized thermometer into one of the following locations, depending on the
type of food:

o the thickest part of the product for meat, poultry, or fish

o the center of the item

o between two packages of refrigerated or frozen packaged foods

o until at least 2 inches are submersed in milk and other liquids

o by folding the bag over the stem of the thermometer or probe for bulk milk or liquids

Make sure the tip of the thermometer does not poke through the food.

Measure the temperature for at least 15 seconds.

Read thermometer and record temperature.

Clean and sanitize stem of thermometer and store it in an accessible location.

General thermometer guidelines

o Keep thermometers and their storage cases clean, stored safely, and easily accessible. o Use
bi-metallic stemmed thermometers or digital thermometers. Do not use glass thermometers
filled with mercury or spirits.

o Wait at least 15 seconds for the thermometer reading to steady before recording the
temperature (bi-metallic).

o Take two temperatures in different locations, because product temperatures can vary
throughout the food item.

o Insert the thermometer into liquids and hold. Do not allow the thermometer’s sensing area
or probe to touch the sides or bottom of the container.

Prepared by, Approved by,