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Current food trends reveal that more and more frequently today we buy pre-prepared ready-toeat convenience foods, dine out in restaurants and cafs, prefer fresh over frozen products and have a growing demand for foods of animal origin. While this gives us many new choices in the food we eat, this vast array of foods we have come to expect to be available to us now has possibly created a greater risk of bacterial food poisoning.
TIME
0 15min 30min 60min 3hrs 5hrs 6hrs
BACTERIA
1 2 4 16 4096 1,048576 16,777216
Mayonnaise Cooked Rice Dairy Products ~ Prepared Salads, Coleslaws, Pasta Milk, Cream, Soft Salads Cheese, Yoghurt Cooked Pasta Cut Fruit Salads Any foods containing any of these High Risk Foods
100C Hot Food Zone 60C Temperature Danger Zone 5C Cold Food Zone 0C Frozen Food Zone -18C
Food
All bacteria need food for growth and energy.
Temperature
All bacteria have an optimum temperature where they will grow most rapidly along with a temperature range for growth. Most bacteria grow best between 5 and 60C and this is commonly called the Temperature Danger Zone. Food should be in this zone for as little time as possible.
Water
Bacteria need moisture for growth. Without water, dehydration occurs and the life and growth of the bacteria will slow down and may stop. This is why drying and salting are effective methods of preserving foods.
Time
Time is needed for bacteria to grow and reach maturity. At their optimum living conditions bacteria will generally double in number every 15 minutes.
Oxygen
Bacteria respire (they get their energy by breaking down chemicals, usually sugars inside the cell). Aerobic bacteria must use oxygen before they can produce energy for life and growth. Anaerobic bacteria can produce this energy only in the absence of oxygen. Facultative bacteria can respire with or without oxygen.
pH
This is a scale indicating the acidity or alkalinity of a fluid. Bacteria grow and multiply only within a certain ph range with most preferring a neutral environment around pH 7, while a small group prefer an acid environment.
Warmth Contaminate High Risk Foods Given Time and 5 to 60C Multiply
Not using the same equipment, utensils and working surfaces to handle and prepare raw and high-risk, cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Only handling food when unavoidable. Keeping food covered as much as possible. Preventing insects, animals and birds from entering food rooms. Not using unsuitable, defective, or dirty equipment. Using good personal hygiene practices - always, including hand washing, not coughing or sneezing over or around food and wearing suitable protective clothing. Using the correct cleaning procedures, especially the washing and sanitizing of all equipment used to prepare raw food, including benches and chopping boards. Promptly removing unfit or waste food and refuse from food areas. Keeping high-risk foods at temperatures that inhibit the growth of bacteria (i.e. out of the temperature danger zone). Food should be kept below 4C in a refrigerated unit or above 70C in a suitable warming unit. Ensuring that during preparation, food is in the danger zone for as short a time as possible. High-risk foods must not be left sitting out at room temperature. Ensuring the rapid cooling of large quantities of cooked food by dividing into smaller lots and refrigerating in shallow containers less than 10 cm deep. Using suitable preservatives. Using appropriate packing methods (like gas flushing or vacuum packing) for food products. Preventing dried foods from absorbing moisture. Serving food as soon as possible after preparation. Adequately cooking food, ensuring that a minimum internal cooking temperature of 80C is reached. Using suitable processing methods such as pasteurisation, canning or sterilisation.
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A combination of a suitable temperature and sufficient time is always required to destroy bacteria. The time and temperature required will depend on the particular organism, (e.g. spores of Clostridium perfringens are much more heat resistant than Salmonella bacteria). When dealing with food we must remember and practice the old adage of ~
Health Licensing Section, Inspections & Enforcement Unit, Christchurch City Council