Temperature measurement is a critically important key to food safety

 

Food product manufacturing, handling and storage require a precise and dependable temperature monitoring system to help avoid potential product contamination which could lead to foodborne illness.

Improper cooking and holding temperatures are among the leading risk factors contributing to foodborne illness in foodservice facilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Temperature-related issues are also among the leading reasons that foodservice facilities are cited for health-code violations. Other common citations are for improper storage, personal hygiene issues (such as insufficient hand-washing), and cross-contamination.

Keeping food safe and avoiding costly health-code violations requires a rigorous temperature monitoring system which can be made more efficient with technology such as the Sous Temp Monitoring Solution.

Avoiding the ‘Danger Zone’ 

 

 

FDA guidelines set the minimum storage temperature for hot foods stored on steam tables or other areas at 135°Fahrenheit, while refrigerated foods should be kept at 41° Fahrenheit or lower. Harmful bacteria that can cause illness tend to thrive in the “danger zone” between those two thresholds.

To help minimize the risk of bacterial growth in food products, any perishable food items being heated or cooled should minimize their time in the danger zone as much as possible. Federal guidelines call for cooked foods that are later refrigerated to be cooled from 135° Fahrenheit to 70°Fahrenheit in two hours or less and then from 70° Fahrenheit to 41° Fahrenheit in four hours or less.

“Temperature control is the best defense against foodborne illness”

In addition to cooking and holding temperature requirements, special attention should be paid to cooling cooked foods: “Improper cooling is a leading contributor to foodborne illness.”

HACCP: A Science-Based Approach

Many states require that all food service workers acquire at minimum some basic level of training in these and other food-safety procedures, such as proper sanitation of cooking utensils and proper food-storage practices and procedures. Some states require that a minimum number of staff at each location be trained in the comprehensive food-safety system known as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points or HACCP; a science-based approach to food safety that provides a universal set of standards, adaptable to any foodservice establishment.

“Prevention is the main goal of a well-designed HACCP program, eliminating or reducing potential biological, chemical and physical hazards to safe levels before they can do harm”.

A HACCP system relies heavily on frequent temperature measurements and requires thorough documentation. In terms of HACCP, the temperature is considered a “critical control limit,” or CCL, used to measure food products at certain “critical control points” or CCPs. Cooking, for example, can be considered a critical control point and the internal temperature to which food must be cooked is a critical control limit.

Establishing critical control limits such as temperature measurements is the third of seven HACCP principles, following “conducting a hazard analysis” and “determining critical control points.” The other HACCP principles are:

• Establishing monitoring procedures
• Establishing corrective actions
• Establishing verification procedures
• Establishing record-keeping and documentation procedures
• Eliminating Human Error

HACCP programs historically depended upon employees at food production and storage facilities to manually conduct temperature measuring events at specified times and then manually record the results. This method is less than ideal as any number of potential human errors or missteps could result in faulty readings, recordings, or even missing the monitoring or recording event completely in the often frantic, fast-paced world of foodservice.

However, technology today provides operators and their facilities with all the tools needed to help overcome those challenges and maintain compliance with their HACCP plan.

The Sous Temp Monitoring Solution provides temperature monitoring for refrigeration and other related maintenance operations such as line checks and cleaning. The Sous system helps enforce critical control limits, including proper refrigeration and cooking temperatures. The temperature data monitored is automatically recorded and backed up safely to the cloud, ensuring you that the data is secured and accessible, 24/7 and from any location. The temperature monitoring solution is accessible in the kitchen via the Sous Temp Monitoring platform.

Automated Record-Keeping

One key advantage of such a temperature monitoring system is that the documentation aspect of HACCP is also automated. The Sous system records the data gathered from temperature checks and then automatically uploads the data to the cloud, accessible 24/7 via the HACCP dashboard.

“The market is demanding more automation for this type of tracking system that requires minimal staff training while providing more efficient and accurate information, this is an especially key feature for busy kitchens with high staff turnover.”

Conclusion:

Remember it is your responsibility to ensure that the food served to your customers is safe; avoid the danger zone to help minimize the risk of bacterial growth in food products, and an Automated Record-Keeping makes handling compliance reporting much easier and faster.

For more information about temperature monitoring, visit https://gohaccp.com/sensors

Roberto Beltran, Chemical Engineer.

"I'm an engineer with experience in Food process and quality since 2011, with additional certifications in food safety systems, such as FSSC22000 and SQF. I'm in charge of the creation of food safety plans for restaurants and facilities."