Kitchen Safety and Sanitation

I promise that this blog will have content that isn't so logisitical soon! But in the meantime, it's a great place to get info out, like the contents of the new safety and sanitation guidebook, below the fold.

Why Worry About It?

In Randy's kitchen, volunteers are the first line of defense against exposing clients to food-borne illnesses and bacteria. Of course, people living with life-threatening illnesses have compromised immune systems less capable of fighting off those illnesses and bacteria. For example, people living with HIV/AIDS are 100-300 times more likely to get sick from food bacteria as compared with people with uncompromised immune systems.

Bear in mind that every staff member and volunteer, whether in the kitchen to help with preparing and dishing up meals or just stopping by to pick up a delivery or say hello, is responsible for protecting the health and safety of our food.

Please read this handbook carefully and make sure you are familiar with all of the guidelines contained in it. Take an active role in safeguarding the food that is so critical to the health, dignity, and self-sufficiency of clients.  

Thank you for keeping the Project Angel Heart kitchen safe!

 

First Things First

When you first enter the kitchen for your shift, please:

• Sign in on the volunteer computer and lock your personal items in a locker
  
• Put on a hat or hair restraint
  
• Wash your hands; please see instructions on page 5
  
• Put on a clean apron
  
• Check in with your team leader or chef

 

Hair restraints

• Acceptable hair restraints cover the hair completely:
  
  • Baseball caps
    
  • Chef hats
    
  • Bandannas covering top of head
    
  • Hair nets
    
• Unacceptable hair restraints include the following:
  
  • Rubber bands without additional covering
    
  • Scrunchies without additional covering
    
  • Hair clips without additional covering
    
  • Fuzzy hats or head wear that might hold dust or strands of hair
    
• Beards:
  
  • Beards over 1" in length will need a beard restraint
    

 

Aprons

• Do not use the apron as a towel or to wipe your hands
  
• When using the restroom, please remove your apron before entering
  

Hand Washing & Food Handler Gloves

Hand washing

Hand washing is the number 1 thing you can do to prevent the spread of food-borne illness and bacteria. Here's how to wash your hands properly.

• Dispense a length of paper towel prior to hand-washing to use when ready to dry your hands (this prevents touching the handle of the paper towel dispenser once your hands are clean).
  
• Wet hands and arms under water that's as hot as you can comfortably stand.
  
• Apply enough soap to build up a good lather.
  
• Scrub hands and arms vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
  
• Use your fingers and palms to clean under your nails and between your fingers. (Nail brushes have been found to actually spread disease. We don't use them anymore)
  
• Rinse hands thoroughly.
  
• Dry hands and arms using your already dispensed paper towel.
  
• Turn off the water with the paper towel.
  
• If washing hands in the restroom, use your same paper towel to open the door to prevent touching the doorknob with your clean hands.
  
• Hand sanitizers like Purel are not a substitute for hand washing, but may be used in addition to hand washing if desired.
  

Wash your hands!

• After using the restroom
  
• Before and after handling eggs, even in the shell; raw meat; poultry; and seafood
  
• After touching the hair, face or body or using a telephone
  
• After sneezing, coughing or using a tissue
  
• After eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum or tobacco
  
• After handling chemicals that might affect food safety (sanitizer not included in this category)
  

Food handler gloves

Gloves are required to be used if the food you are working with is "Ready-to-Eat"—that is, food which goes directly from your hands to the mouths of our clients with no further cooking required (such as the morning salads). They are also required if you have a cut on your hand (covered with a band-aid).

If you either are required or choose to use gloves, the following procedures must be followed:

• Gloves are NOT a replacement for hand washing
  
• Wash your hands thoroughly before putting on gloves or after removing a pair of gloves.
  
• Gloves should be changed when:
  
  • Beginning a new task
    
  • Changing tasks
    
  • They get dirty
    
  • They touch things that might cause cross-contamination (such as the handles of the fridge, raw meat before working with ready-to-eat food, your face/hair, chemicals, etc.)

 

Cleaning

Soap and Sanitizer Buckets

There are two types of buckets to be used in the kitchen and placed at work stations (at least one each per table) along with stacks of clean, dry towels:

• Green buckets for soapy water dispensed from the hose at the first sink in the dish pit. Soapy water should be used with towels to clean work stations of visible dirt and debris at the start of, end of, or between tasks.
  
• Red buckets for sanitizer dispensed from the hose at the third sink in the dish pit. Sanitizer should be used with towels to sanitize work stations at the start of, end of, and between tasks. Sanitizer should air dry.
  
• Buckets and towels should be changed after each cleaning task or every two hours, whichever comes first.
  

   

Dishwashing

If you assist with or are in charge of the dish pit during your shift, please be aware of the following procedures and guidelines:

• Spray and/or scrape items to be washed to remove all loose debris.
  
• The first sink contains HOT soapy water. Use this sink to thoroughly scrub and wash item until completely free of dirt and debris. Change the water when the suds are gone and/or the water is dirty.
  
• The second sink is HOT rinse water. Rinse items thoroughly in this sink to remove soapy residue and any dirt or debris brought over from the wash sink. Change the water when it is dirty.
  
• The third is LUKEWARM sanitizer water. Submerge items in the sanitizer for no less than 30 seconds. Change the water when it's dirty or every two hours, whichever comes first. Every time you change the sanitizer sink water, ask a dishwasher or chef to test and log the sanitizer concentration.
  
• Place washed items on the drying rack to air dry. Do not towel dry.
  
• Transport items back to their proper storage location on a gray cart that has been cleaned and sanitized.
  

Chemicals and the Chemical Shelf

Please follow the following guidelines when using chemicals:

• Please, never mix chemicals.
  
• Each chemical either on the shelf or by the sink serves a specific purpose. Only use a chemical for its intended purpose.
  
• When re-filling the sanitizer spray bottles, please label the bottle with a piece of masking tape marked "SANITIZER" with the date it was changed.
  
• Let chefs know if you find leaking or spilled chemicals on the shelf.
  
• In case of a chemical emergency, refer to the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) binder and look up the chemical's sheet for instructions. The MSDS binder is on the left side of the top shelf of the chemical rack.
  
• Mop bucket contents MUST be emptied to the floor drains, NEVER in the alley.
  

  
  

Clean Up

All kitchen volunteers are expected to participate in cleaning up the kitchen after each shift. Please follow these guidelines during clean-up:

• Follow the AM or PM Closing Checklist's (cleaning list's) instructions.
  
• Chefs or Kitchen Leaders will keep track of the progress of the cleaning lists and answer questions.
  
• Each day's shift will be assigned a task from the "Master Cleaning List" to be done during that shift. These are usually deep cleaning tasks done in the name of food safety and prevention of food-borne-illness.
  
• Please help your fellow volunteers with the shift's cleaning tasking until all tasking is complete. If your task is finished, help others complete their tasks. Check out with the chef before closing the shift and going home.
  

 

Food Handling

 

Food and beverages on the job

Here are a few guidelines to follow during your shift:

• There is no eating in the kitchen aside from tasting for seasoning by people cooking. If there is food available please take some and eat it in the vestibule.
  
• There is absolutely no eating or tasting on the dish-up line. If you wish to try a sample of something, please ask a chef.
  
• Beverages may be kept in the kitchen on the shelves located under the prep tables in covered containers. Travel mugs with covers are available for use in the kitchen. Please find them on the shelves by the dishes/silverware or ask a chef to get one for you.
  

 

Cutting boards

Use cutting boards according to their color code to prevent cross-contamination:

• Green: raw produce
  
• Red: raw beef or pork
  
• Yellow: raw chicken
  
• Blue: raw
  fish
  
• Tan: cooked meats (all types)
  
• White: cooked produce,
  dairy and bread
  

Place a towel damp with sanitizer (from the red bucket at your work station) under your board to prevent slipping.

 

Knives

• Knives should be used only by people who are comfortable using them.
  
• Volunteers under 16 may not use knives.
  
• Carry knives through the kitchen held down straight at your side with the point toward the floor.
  
• Hold knives properly during use to prevent slippage and possible injury. Ask one of the chefs to demonstrate if you have questions with the following directions:
  
  • Put the knife down on your cutting board.
    
  • Pick it up with your thumb and forefinger at the base of the blade with edge facing away from your palm.
    
  • Wrap your other fingers around the handle. You are now holding the knife properly for use.
    
• When using, keep the fingers of your other hand curled back to prevent cutting your fingertips

Preparing Food

Many of the foods we work with are sensitive to time and temperature. When food is out of the refrigerator or the hot box and left at room temperature the conditions for greater bacterial growth increases. Technically, food should stay out of the "Temperature Danger Zone" as much as possible. This zone is temperatures between 41 and 135 degrees F.

• When prepping, chopping, cooking or otherwise working with food, please only take as much out of the refrigerator (in batches) as you can prepare or use within a reasonable amount of time (no more than 30 minutes).
  
• Staff chefs will supervise you when you are cooking. They are familiar with the proper internal temperatures of specific foods, proper cooling and reheating times/temps and proper holding times/temps. They will be happy to let you know these procedures and guidelines if needed (or even if you're just curious).
  

 

Storing Food

There are proper ways to label and store food. Please follow these steps when putting food away.

• Place the food in a container just big enough to contain it. This might require reducing the existing container size.
  
• Cover securely with plastic wrap or a cover (if the container has one).
  
• Label the item with the food labels provided by the kitchen. The labels need the following info filled out on them:
  
  • What the item is
    
  • Who put it away (your name)
    
  • Date is was first prepared (this isn't always today's date)
    
  • The use-by date (when it needs to be thrown out). Ask the chefs if you do not know the use-by date.
    
• Store the item on the proper shelf according to the proper storage guidelines displayed both on the walk-in cooler door and on the leftover shelf. These guidelines state the order, from top shelf to bottom shelf, in which foods should be stored to prevent cross-contamination (usually from drips). They are as follows (starting with the top shelf):
  
  • Vegetarian ready-to-eat foods (these are what we store the most of on the leftover shelf)
    
  • Ready-to-eat foods containing meat
    
  • Raw seafood
    
  • Raw whole cuts of beef or pork
    
  • Raw ground meat
    
  • Raw poultry