FOOD SAFETY ESSENTIAL - CORE TEMPERATURE & TIME

When considering food safety, it is generally accepted throughout the UK, that there is a target temperature that the core of most raw, high risk food should reach to guarantee it is safe to eat and this is normally around the 75 to 80 degrees centigrade mark.

There are many micro-organisms present in food that can cause illness and they all behave slightly differently when heat is applied. Food safety is not only dependent on target core temperature but time too.

To ensure food safety across the board, food safety scientists set the target temperature at a level that they believed would guarantee food safety in the worst case scenario and the following temperature / time combinations are widely accepted as safe targets. 

80 C  for  6 seconds

75 C  for  30 seconds

70 C  for  2 minutes

65 C  for  10 minutes

60 C  for  45 minutes

These targets were set with conventional cooking in mind however, over recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of low temperature / long time cooking techniques and consequently the scientists have revised these targets.

Of particular concern is E-coli. At temperatures above 70 degrees centigrade, 

E-coli dies at more or less the same rate as most other food poisoning bacteria so the above temperature / time combinations are considered satisfactory at 70 C or above, but at temperatures below 70 C their death rate is significantly slower.

The recommended temperature / time combination for food that is likely to be contaminated with E-coli are now set at 

65 C  for 14 minutes

60 C  for 93 minutes

See the FSA - Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food report here:-

http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/acmsfburgers0807.pdf

More information on food safety is available via this link:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/dp/B00K34H650/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail

Our Kitchen Rules copies are available to purchase by emailing 

artisanfood.angel@gmail.com

WARNING - BEWARE OF FREEZING FOOD WITH USE BY DATES

Everybody knows that when it comes to food wastage, one of the greatest food preservation techniques ever invented was the freezer.

When fresh, high risk, perishable food is frozen the deterioration stop watch grinds to a halt. The shelf life significantly increases as the act of freezing stops the growth of both spoilage and food poisoning organisms.

As a member of the public, you wouldn't think twice about popping a piece of fresh meat in the freezer, if you thought you weren't going to use it by the given use by date. It makes sense to freeze it rather than throw it away. But if you do freeze fresh food with a use by date and you are a food business owner and you intend to use the frozen food as part of your business and you keep the frozen food on your premises then BEWARE!!!!

In 2011 a meat processing company based in Wales was prosecuted by a local trading standards officer for having at his premises meat, with an expired use by date, that had been frozen. To cut a long story short, the case was heard and appealed at various courts and a final decision was made in 2013. The upshot of it being that the case on behalf of the prosecution was successful and the company was heavily fined.

Trading standards officers and court officials are trained in "fact" and there were two facts in this case:-

Fact 1. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 states at Article 14 (1) "Food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe"

Fact 2. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 states at Article 24 (1) "After the use by date a food shall be deemed to be unsafe"

Food safety officers are also trained in fact but they are also trained in risk and when they undertake a food hygiene inspection they assess the risk your business presents to your customers.

Although a food safety officer could initiate legal proceedings for the possession of "frozen" food beyond its use by date found on a premises it is probably unlikely that they would do so if you can prove when the food was frozen. Food safety officers recognise both the economic value and food safety benefits of the act of freezing food. Indeed, the most commonly used and nationally prepared generic catering HACCP plan, Safer Food Better Business states:-

"If you find that you have more food in stock than you need and you do not think you will use it all before the ‘use by’ date, you could freeze some of it to be used in the future. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on freezing and label the food as appropriate."

Alternatively in OUR KITCHEN RULES it states at rule 17 on Hazard 3

     "  When we freeze fresh food with a use by date we label it with a “frozen on date” without obscuring the original use by date. When taking out of the freezer we label it with a “defrosted on date” and ensure it is used well within the remaining shelf life."

If you use either of these approaches then hopefully a food safety officer won't be seeking to take you to court BUT REMEMBER although your HACCP plan might be robust and you can demonstrate through it's use, that the food you sell is safe, you could still end up landing yourself in litigation  if you freeze fresh food with a use by date.

OUR KITCHEN RULES can be purchased by emailing 

artisanfood.angel@gmail.com

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:031:0001:0024:en:PDF


Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&from=EN

http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/dp/B00K34H650/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail

"ARTISAN & SPECIALITY FOOD PRODUCTION" explains the food safety essentials for the safe preparation of - JAM, CHUTNEY, VINEGAR PICKLES, FERMENTED PICKLES, CHEESE, FERMENTED SAUSAGES, BILTONG & JERKY, SALTED & SMOKED FISH, CEVICHE, FLAVOURED OILS and foods cooked SOUS VIDE. 
The book is ideally suited to both the novice and experienced Artisan or Speciality Food Producer. 
Essential food safety controls are simply explained in a way that does not require too much prior food safety knowledge. 
Everybody knows that temperature controls both the growth and survival of unwanted bacteria in food. That is why we cook food and why we keep food in the refrigerator. But there are other methods of controlling the growth and survival of micro-organisms too. 
What gives jam its extended shelf life? What makes salami safe to eat when the meat is still raw? How much salt should you use when preparing smoked fish? 
The physical controls that are discussed are salt, sugar, acidity, pH, moisture content and water activity. 
If you are contemplating starting a food business then "Artisan & Speciality Food Production" is an essential read for getting started. It can be used to inform the content of a documented food safety management system. These systems are frequently known as a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems and are a legal requirement for all food producers in many countries.

RARE BURGERS - Can You Now Serve Them With Impunity?

As with all things food safety the answer is well sort of, but you'll have to jump through numerous hoops to be able to demonstrate that the product you are serving is safe to eat.

Generally speaking, when you use heat treatment (cooking) to make a food safe, if you can achieve a core temperature (at the thickest part) of 70 degrees centigrade for 2 minutes, then you know it is safe to eat and you don't have to prove this fact any further as it is recognised in the UK that this is a safe cooking temperature / time combination.

In food safety speak, this temperature / time combination achieves what is know as a 6 log reduction in harmful bacteria. To but this simply, log means 10 and 6 log is 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000,000 (1 million (or 10 to the power 6))

If you use the above mentioned cooking regime, and there are a million bacteria present in the food, then by the end of the cooking time you should have reduced the population to just one.

Over recent months, the Food Standards Agency have been discussing the rise in the popularity of burgers that are served "pink" They are due to hold a board meeting next week and it is highly likely they will propose that burgers can be served pink but only under certain conditions. The discussion paper can be found by following this link :-

http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/fsa150904.pdf

If you want to serve lightly cooked burgers (defined as those not achieving a 6 log reduction) you will have to be able to prove to your food safety officer some or all of the following:-

1. That you source your meat / mince from a supplier who can guarantee that they have procedures in place during slaughter, cutting and mincing which are as hygienic as possible.
2. That the the meat /mince you use has a low bacterial load and is safe to eat only lightly cooked.
3. That you have a set a specification for the raw mince they supply e.g absence / low levels of certain bacteria and you check it is compliant.
4. How you ensure that the meat they supply meets your specification (your own sampling)
5. That any surface treatment undertaken by you supplier are effective at reducing bacterial load e.g. lactic acid wash.
6. How temperature abuse is controlled throughout the supply chain.
7. How you control the temperature of the meat during processing if you mince it yourself.
8. That in house surface treatments (e.g. sear and shave) are effective and reintroduction of contamination is prevented.
9. That your cooking regime achieves at least a 4 log reduction in bacterial load (10,000 bacteria reduced to 1).
10. That if you serve burgers pink (less than a 6 log reduction), you warn customers (in writing at the point of sale) of the potential risk especially the risk posed to the elderly, very young or those with weakened immune systems.

SIMPLE REALLY!! And finally:-

Good luck with your negotiations with your food safety officer if you want to serve burgers any less than fully cooked.

OUR KITCHEN RULES - It Really Takes the Hard Work Out Of HACCP

"Our Kitchen Rules" 

It covers all the potential hazards that can exist or occur during the preparation, handling and service of food and suggests simple rules that can be followed that will guarantee to eliminate or reduce any risk to acceptable levels. 

The rules are not arduous and are mainly procedures that you already follow in the day to day running of your food business. They are backed up by world wide government guidance on the safe handling of food.

The simplistic logo of "Our Kitchen Rules" is an indication of how easy they are to follow.

All you have to do is:-

1. Learn the rules.
2. Train your staff in the rules.
3. Ensure your team follow the rules.
4. Ensure the monitoring and recording is done.

There no:-

1. Printing costs.
2. Templates to complete.
3. Loose sheets to misplace.

You can order a copy directly by emailing 

artisanfood.angel@gmail.com