 Know your steps for cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces
There are three steps to properly clean and sanitize food contact surfaces such as utensils, slicers, pots and pans, etc., in a food establishment: wash, rinse and sanitize. Each step plays an important role in ensuring that the dishes and equipment that come in contact with food are clean and sanitized.
Datemarking frozen foods
During an inspection, I was looking at some breakfast sausages in a plastic freezer bag. The sausages temped fine and looked alright, but the plastic bag had an odd date on it. The bag was labeled for about three months ago. The person in charge explained that they had made the food on site and then placed it in the freezer. The date written on it was the day they cooked it and then placed in the freezer.
If you prepare Ready to Eat (RTE) Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods at your food establishment and hold it for more than 24 hours, you are required to clearly mark the date or day that the food must be consumed, sold or discarded. The maximum number of days you can hold the RTE TCS foods in refrigeration (41F or below) is 7, with the day of preparation counting as day 1.
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Fight the bite
Consumer Health and Food Safety handles mosquito complaints and complaints on areas with standing water throughout the year. Mosquito traps are set throughout Pima County to monitor the mosquito population to determine which type of mosquitoes are present and what control measures need to be conducted. Mosquitoes are considered one of the most dangerous insects on earth due to the deadly viruses they carry. Some of the viruses mosquitoes carry include West Nile, dengue fever, yellow fever, Zika, and malaria.
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Getting your pool ready for summer 2022
Summer is pretty much here and it is time to get those pools clear and ready for communities ready to cool off and have fun. Here is a quick guide of items to make sure pools are ready.
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Preferred pumper program
Are you looking for a grease pumper you can trust? IWC can help.
Pima County Industrial Wastewater Control (IWC) has launched a new program called the Preferred Pumper Program (PPP). The PPP is an alliance of grease interceptor pumping companies that have agreed to meet certain criteria and best management practices outlined by IWC. Registered pumpers are certified to help you comply with the Pima County Industrial Wastewater Ordinance by doing the following...
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Specialized food processes require planning
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3,000 people die of foodborne illness in the United States each year. Some specialized ways of preparing food are more likely to cause foodborne illness than other methods. Because of the increased potential health risk, specialized food processes in retail food establishments are not allowed by the food code unless certain criteria are met. Specialized food processes are processes or procedures requiring specific food safety controls not otherwise addressed in the Food Code and they must be conducted under strict operational procedures.
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