A food safety newsletter brought to you by
Union County Environmental Health

Plan Ahead Regularly record the temperatures of all refrigeration/freezers Before a big storm, freeze any food that is not immediately needed and verify all food/single-service items are moved to higher storage shelving Update contact information for your local health inspector and your local public water and electric authorities

When to Close

Contact your local health inspector for guidance if the following occurs in your establishment:        

• No electricity and/or water
• Insufficient water pressure for cleaning and/or handwashing                 
• Wastewater back-up or damage to septic system                          
• Damage to walls or roof that cause potential for food contamination (e.g. fire or flood)        
• Flood waters present inside food establishment
• Onsite well water flooding

After a Power Outage

• Discard potentially hazardous foods that have been out of temperature for more than four hours
• Thoroughly clean/sanitize equipment, utensils and food contact surfaces after any storm damage/flooding
• Discard food or single service utensils that contacted flood water
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as long as possible during power outage

After a Water Interruption

• Follow instructions from your local water municipality before using water
• Flush pipes/faucets/drinking fountains by running cold water for five minutes
• Empty all ice machines and automatic beverage dispensers
• Flush, clean and sanitize all equipment with water line connections according to equipment manufacturer specifications  (e.g. post-mix beverage machines, coffee/tea urns, ice machines, dishwashers)
• Flush water heater per manufacturer’s instructions
• Replace water filter cartridges on ice machines and other areas per manufacturer’s instructions

Don't 

• Rely on sight or smell to determine whether food is safe
• Taste food that has been contaminated to determine safety
• Save food that has gotten wet from flood waters
• Use any potentially contaminated water for ice, fountain drinks or washing produce
• Risk serving food or using utensils that may have been contaminated
• Donate food that has been temperature abused or otherwise contaminated

Check out the Emergency Operation Checklist for Food Service Establishments for additional emergency response information.

Back to top

Strategies for Cooling Large Batches of Hot Foods

An inspector observes a large pot of beans in the walk-in cooler between 44-58°F. The person in charge tells the inspector the beans were cooked on the evening before, partially cooled in the pot on the counter, then moved into the walk-in cooler to complete the cooling process overnight. This scenario often becomes a reality in food establishments that do not practice safe cooling methods.

The NC Food Code requires hot, TCS foods to be cooled using two stages: 

• Stage 1: 135°F to 70°F within two hours
• Stage 2: 70°F to 41°F within four hours

The “cooling time clock” begins when any part of the cooked/heated food falls below 135°F. Food must be completely cooled to 41°F or below within a total of six hours. If not, the food must be discarded in the trash.

Why does the food need to reach 70°F within two hours?

Food in this range can cause dangerous bacteria to double in as little as 20 minutes. So the faster the food passes through this temperature range, the better. For this reason, it is best practice to discard food that does not reach 70°F or below within two hours.

The cooling method you use depends on the type and the amount of food you are cooling.

Steps for Cooling Large Batches of Hot Foods - Best Practice

Step 1: Begin releasing heat by separating large batches of food into shallow, metal containers no more than 4 inches deep.

• Metal containers should always be used because they transfer heat faster than plastic.

Step 2: Once the temperature of the food falls below 135°F, begin actively cooling the food to 70°F using any of these methods: 

• Move containers into walk-in cooler/freezer, leaving food uncovered or loosely covered
• Place containers into larger containers of ice water, stirring often (ice water level must be even or above food level)
• Add ice as an ingredient (e.g. soups, pasta)

Step 3: Check the internal temperature after 30 minutes. Record the time and temperature on a cooling log. 

Step 4: Check the internal temperature around 30 minutes later and record time and temperature on a cooling log. 

Step 5: Use the Active and Ambient Cooling Calculator (click “Expand All” to access calculator) and enter your times and temps.

• If the answer box is green, the food is cooling fast enough to reach 70°F within two hours.
• If the answer box is red, you must adjust your cooling method to increase faster heat transfer.

Step 6: Move food containers from the counter to a refrigerator/freezer to continue cooling to 41°F within four hours.

• Leave the food containers uncovered or loosely covered.
• Do not place food that is cooling inside prep top or refrigerated drawer coolers.
• Do not transfer cooling food into other containers until it has reached 41°F or below.

Step 7: Verify the food was completely cooled to 41°F or below within a total of six hours (if possible).

For additional information about the two step cooling process, click here.

Back to top

Now Offering In-House Employee Training Sessions

Union County Environmental Health Food and Facilities program is now offering in-house food safety training sessions. These sessions will be focused on food borne illness risk factors and the information needed to lower these risks.

The discussion topics will be:

Contact Stacy Hatley for more information on how to sign up.

Back to top