ANÁLISIS Y RESULTADOS DE LA ENCUESTA A LAS ARTESANAS

Monitoring and recording the temperature of potentially hazardous food

There is no specific requirement for food businesses to use a thermometer to measure the temperature of potentially hazardous food it handles on the premises. However, a

thermometer will enable the food business to monitor the temperature of potentially hazardous food and hence ensure it is complying with the temperature requirements in the standard. It may also be necessary if the food business wishes to use alternative temperature systems. Temperature requirements in this standard are:

• food storage (subclause 6(2))

• food processing step (subparagraph 7(1)(b)(ii)) • food processing generally (subclause 7(2)) • cooling (subclause 7(3))

• reheating (subclause 7(4)) • food display (subclause 8(5)) • food transport (paragraph 10(b)).

The food business is required in subclause 5(3), when receiving potentially hazardous food, to take all practicable measures to ensure it only accepts this food if it is at a

temperature of 5ºC or below or 60ºC or above, unless the food business transporting the food can demonstrate alternative temperatures are safe. To assess whether it should receive potentially hazardous food, the food business can take the practical measure of taking the temperature of the food when it arrives at the premises.

Where specific temperature requirements have been included in the standard, the business has been permitted to deviate from these temperature requirements provided the food business can demonstrate safe alternative systems. If the safe alternative system includes alternative temperatures, the food business is required to monitor and record the temperatures in order to be able to demonstrate that safe limits are not exceeded.

A food business is not able to meet the times and temperatures specified for cooling potentially hazardous food in subclause 7(3). However, a food industry guideline provides advice on a safe alternative cooling system for the type of food the business is cooling. The food business uses a temperature logger to measure and record the cooling times and temperatures of the food to demonstrate that it is complying with the alternative cooling system.

Measuring the temperature of food

When measuring the temperature of food, the food business should be aware of the following:

• temperature readings are not instant and the person taking the measurement should wait until the temperature has stabilised before noting the temperature;

• the initial temperature of the thermometer probe can potentially affect the temperature of the food it is measuring — when taking measurements of hot and cold food with the same temperature probe, the probe should be allowed to return to near ambient temperature before placing the probe into the food at the other temperature extreme, to minimise incorrect readings;

• the temperature of a food being measured may not be even — for example if a food is being cooled in a refrigerator, the surface temperature may be cooler than the core of the food;

• the temperatures of food within a refrigerator, or cold or hot display unit are likely to vary and the business should not assume that because one food in the refrigerator or

22 T e mperature measuring devices

Example

display unit is within an acceptable limit that other food within the refrigerator or display unit will also be within this limit;

• where a temperature is specified within the standard for potentially hazardous food, all parts of the food must be at this temperature. If any part of the food is not at the specified temperature, the food does not meet the temperature requirement;

• when measuring the temperature of frozen food, the length of the thermometer probe should be placed between two frozen packages of the food; and

• packaged chilled food may also be measured by placing the length of the thermometer between two packages of the food to avoid destroying the packaging.

Potentially hazardous foods are reheated and placed in a bain-marie unit. The

proprietor uses a probe thermometer to measure the temperature of all foods in the unit. The proprietor finds that the coolest part of the unit is at the back left-hand corner. Temperature measurements of food in the unit are then taken on a routine basis at the back left-hand corner.

Cleaning and sanitising thermometers

Any part of a thermometer that is inserted into a food in order for a temperature to be taken is a food contact surface and must be cleaned and sanitised between uses, if this is necessary to prevent contamination of food (see paragraph 20(1)(b)). This part will be the probe component of the thermometer. If the probe is not cleaned and sanitised,

contamination may be transferred from one food item to the next. The temperature probe will need to be cleaned and sanitised between being used to measure the temperature of raw food and ready-to-eat food.

Cleaning and sanitising the probe component of a thermometer should be carried out by: • wiping away any food waste or other visible contamination;

• washing the probe with warm water and detergent;

• sanitising using an appropriate sanitiser (alcoholic swabs are often used) or by using hot water (at least 77ºC or above);

• rinsing with water if a sanitiser is used and rinsing is necessary (refer to instructions that accompany the sanitiser); and

• allowing the probe to completely air dry or thoroughly drying with a single-use towel before reusing it.