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1. TALK amp SANITATION TIPS FOR FOOD WORKERS Spring 2013 Does that Microwave Oven Have a Food Safety Button Microwave ovens these days come with fancy sensors and pre programmed settings But for now at any rate they don t include a Food Safety button So you can t rely on them to tell you when the heated food is safe to eat Microwaves are programmed to cook food on average but they can t cope with all the variations of individual dishes Thank about this What happens if you place two pot pies in the microwave at the same time and then cook them for the time recom mended on the packaging for one pie They will not be cooked to a safe temperature and they could make your customers very ill if they contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella or Listeria Ca To cook food safely in a microwave it helps to know how the oven works They use electromagnetic waves to excite the molecules in water fats and oils This produces friction that generates heat that cooks the Al hi food If one section of a food say part of a chicken pot pie contains so in this Issue more moisture than another the moist section will heat more quickly That s why after you heat food in a microwave you may see the Introducing a messy eater instruction Let Food Stand Covered for several minutes This allows Page 2 time for the heat to reach all parts of the food That chicken pot pie for example
2. needs to reach 165 degrees F 74 degrees C throughout to kill How to clean the microwave any Salmonella or other pathogens Page eee eee l Letting food stand covered for several minutes estimonials tell stories of foodborne illness helps complete the cooking Page 5p Also microwaves only penetrate the food to a depth of about one When in doubt about mold and a half inches In thicker pieces of food or soups they don t easily Page 3 reach the center so turning over or stirring the food helps along with letting it stand covered to complete the cooking process Test yourself on food safety Links to Illness Page 4 Ever since the widespread use of microwave cooking began in the late 1960s there have been reports of foodborne illnesses linked to foods Copyright 2013 prepared in microwave ovens Microwaved turkey franks have been linked me to Listeria Microwaved fish have been found to contain live Anisakis worms Setanta Publishing LLC ad Microwaved pork sausage has included live Trichina parasites and www foodtalk com j microwaved frozen entrees have contained Sa monel a that pot pie again FOOD TALK EET Besides leaving cold spots in some foods another problem with microwave ovens is that some are more powerful than others That s why you will see different microwave cooking instructions on food labels with shorter cook times recommended for high powered equipment 1 000 watts or more or longer cook times f
3. cked by looking a On the packaging the equipment came in b On the inside of the oven door or the se rial number plate on the back c On the internet d All of the above 3 Flies have bad table manners and they consume food by a Picking it up first with their front legs b Chewing c Spitting on it with their intestinal juices and then sucking up the liquid d None of the Above 4 To prevent infestation with flies or other pests it is important to a Inspect all incoming food to check for flies and other pests b Check for pests under equipment and in dark corners using a flashlight c Plug up any holes that could allow pests to enter d All of the Above 5 Signs of mold on food include a Tiny bubbles b Very small eggs c Unusual colors d All of the Above gt P t QE MZ P I ssamsuy Sources for this issue U S Department of Agriculture www fsis usda gov factsheets Food and Drug Adminis tration www fda gov foodemployeetraining
4. ir illnesses for years The other two videos tell the stories of Zella Ploghoft of Athens Ohio and her family Both she and her son developed salmonellosis after eating in a local restaurant pests you find One way to help them is to mark the place where insects or rodents are seen on a plan of the establishment Eliminate conditions that favor the pests Remove food debris garbage and odors that may attract pests to an area Clean countertops wipe up spills sanitize equipment flush drains and wash garbage bins to discourage pests Caulk screen or plug up holes around pipes or doors or hang curtains to help keep pests out Because of the hazards involved pest control chem icals should only be applied by a trained technician When in Doubt About Mold You have probably heard the rule of thumb When in Doubt throw it out Sometimes it can be hard to tell if food is spoiled But if you see signs of mold such as slimy rotten or strangely colored growths on the surfaces of food don t Mrs Ploghoft suffered terribly and survived for seven weeks in the hospital before she died Her son recovered after several days of severe illness The same outbreak resulted in 56 illnesses seven hospitalizations and one death Part of the frustration with food poisoning is that you know it didn t have to happen says Zella s husband Milton Each video ends with the following advice for food workers about how
5. loth or paper towel they can hatch in just eight hours As we enter the warmer months of the year flies can become a serious problem in a foodservice oper ation And it is not a good idea to rely on the pest control company to deal with insects and other pests In fact it s the food facility manager s responsibility to see the problem and then work with the pest profes sional to fix it Here are some ways to prevent infestation with flies or other pests e Inspect incoming shipments of food and supplies for evidence of insects and rodents e Regularly inspect the premises using a flashlight to look under equipment and in corners for evidence of infestation e Have your pest control operator catch or kill any SPRING 2013 FOOD TALK What Foodborne Illness Does to Families The Food and Drug Administration has created three short video testimonials that describe the affects of severe foodborne illness on two families One testimonial is by Bernadette Jacobs of Goodrich Mich who be came infected with Listeria monocytogenes after eating a sand wich from a sandwich shop when she was 32 weeks pregnant Both Bernadette and her baby Kate who was delivered by means of an emer gency c section had bacterial meningitis a potentially deadly com plication of listeriosis infection Kate also devel oped hydrocephalus or water on the brain Both survived but they will be dealing with the affects of the
6. or lower power equipment Also microwave ovens tend to become less efficient over time so it takes longer to cook that chicken pot pie safely than it did when the equipment was new If you don t know the wattage of a microwave oven in your establishment look on the inside of the oven s door or on the serial number plate on the back of the oven Use Approved Containers Only use cookware that is approved for use in the microwave oven Glass ceramic containers and some plastics that are safe to use are usually labeled for microwave oven use It is safe to use oven cooking bags straw and wood baskets most paper plates towels napkins and bags And It is safe to use wax paper parch ment paper and heavy plastic wrap But don t allow the wrap to touch the food and vent it to allow steam to escape Finally because of the many variations in microwave oven equipment including mixed ovens that include convection or steaming it is always best to use a thermometer Introducing a Messy Eater Did you know that flies don t actually eat solid food they only consume liquids And their table manners are like something from a horror movie Say one lands on your dinner The first thing it does is spit some intestinal juices onto the food to make it a liquid and then it consumes the liquid through Its proboscis a sucking tube at the bottom of its face The fly leaves behind a sample of whatever bacteria it may have picked up f
7. rom manure or whatever it was feeding on or that stuck to its hairy legs before it walked on your plate Flies feed on sewage garbage manure and human feces before they enter your kitchen They carry all sorts of disease causing organisms including Salmonella and dangerous strains of E coli For every one fly you see in your kitchen there are an estimated 19 that you don t see Female flies lay about 100 125 eggs at a time and SPRING 2013 Cleaning the Microwave Cooking food safely in a microwave involves keeping the equipment clean You will find spe cific instructions in the user s manual for doing this but the U S Department of Agriculture offers the following advice for effective cleaning e Remove spatters and spills as they occur so food residue won t become dried on e Wipe with a soft cloth or clean paper towel dampened with warm water e For heavier soil use baking soda a mild soap or dishwashing liquid e Do not use steel wool scouring pads abrasive cleaners or oven cleaners Try this tip for removing food odors or to loosen baked on food residue Mix six tablespoons of baking soda or 1 2 cup of lemon juice with one cup of water in a microwave safe glass measure Microwave the mixture until it boils Then leave the mixture in the microwave without opening the door until the mixture cools The steam will help loosen food residue and remove odors Afterwards you can wipe the surfaces with a soft c
8. to protect customers and prevent foodborne illness Wash your hands and food contact surfaces often Do not work when you are sick e Do not touch ready to eat food with your bare hands Separate raw meats from other foods e Cook food to the correct temperature Cook food promptly Maintain food at the proper temperature and for the proper time Links to the three videos are available on FDA s website www fda gov foodemployeetraining take a chance Some molds such as those used in mak ing cheeses are helpful but others can produce a poisonous by product called mycotoxins Some moldy foods can be salvaged if the food is hard or firm like a chunk of cheddar cheese But do you want to take the chance that you have removed all the mold If the food is soft such as bread or a soft cheese you should throw it away And if you are not sure what to do just remember the rule of thumb Prevent Foodborne Illness Wash Your Hands FOOD TALK SPRING 2013 Test Yourself on Food Safety Try this quick quiz to check what you have learned in this issue about microwave ovens flies and molds 1 Foods cooked in microwave ovens sometimes cause illness because a Microwave sensors don t work b Microwave ovens can leave cold spots in foods c Users cook the food without following the instructions on the package d All of the above 2 The wattage of a microwave oven can usually be che

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