Monday 19 November 2012

The 3 C's of Food Safety

The 3 C's of Food Safety

The 3 C's of food safety are simple guidelines that all foodservice operators
should practice. Safe handling procedures will help minimize potential risk and
ensure that safe food leaves your kitchen at all times.
Keep it Cold

Cold Chain Management is the process of maintaining critical food temperatures
along the supply chain, from manufacturing to serving. Maintaining the cold chain
temperature limits the growth of harmful pathogens that could lead to a food-borne
illness and also prevents excessive purge from the beef that reduces yield and
 product quality. Therefore, when preparing beef, it is important not to leave
 multiple cases of beef out at room temperature awaiting cutting. Similarly,
never leave cases of product at the back door after delivery, waiting for a
staff member to put them away.

Keep it Clean
Beef, like other proteins, fruits and vegetables, can harbour harmful bacteria.
Providing a sanitized environment for storage, handling and preparation helps
keep beef and other products safe. Preventing cross-contamination when handling
 and storing beef must be a priority for all food handlers. When beef is stored,
 ensure raw meat is covered and placed on lower shelves — this will prevent
 juices from coming in contact with cooked items on upper shelves.
When cutting and preparing beef, use a clean workstation with cutting boards
assigned for different classes of food (chicken, beef, fish, produce, etc.)
and sanitize them between uses.
Keep it Covered

Similar to other meat products, beef will dry out if not covered during
storage and handling, reducing the quality. Keeping beef covered also prevents
cross-contamination to or from other products. Cooked beef should also be covered
to keep it safe.

Receiving Procedures

Foodservice operators' contribution to a safe food supply begins at the receiving door.
 Procedures should be in place to:

    Identify the quality, integrity and specifications of the products arriving at
the restaurant

    Place the product in the right storage location to maximize shelf life

    Rotate inventory so the practice of first-in first-out (FIFO) is met.

Inspecting Beef on Arrival

The boxes of beef should be intact and clean and the temperature should be probed.
 If frozen, make sure the beef is completely frozen. With fresh product, look for
 "leakers" which are when the vacuum bags did not seal properly or the seal was
 broken at some point. Leakers will often contain sour product which is noticeable
upon opening. It is best to make sure leakers are not used and are returned
immediately so the cause of the leak can be determined. Customers should refuse
any product that is too warm or not completely frozen, and a notation of the problem
should be made for follow-up with the distributor and manufacturer.

Leakers are easily identified as the bag is loose around the beef and the
cuts move freely in the bag. A good vacuum will be very tight around the beef cut.
News, Science & Research, Shelf Life,

Agriculture, Processing, Meat Products, Beef, Pork,
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There are a number of labeling guidelines you should be familiar with. Monitoring
label compliance is a function of the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

    Only beef processed in a provincially or federally-inspected facility can be
assigned a Canadian Grade Name by the Canadian Beef Grading Agency. Only beef from
 a federal facility can be traded inter-provincially and internationally.

    The word "Canada" and the appropriate grade must appear side by side in a grade
designation, eg, Canada AAA.

    Imported beef may enter the country and be further manufactured (cut, cooked, etc.)
and legally labelled "Product of Canada". The only assurance one has that the beef
is Canadian is if it displays the grade name. Beef not marked with a Canada grade
 must be labelled "Ungraded" or the grade from its country of origin must be stated.
These rules apply to all whole-muscle and portion-cut products, with the exception
of stewing beef and ground beef.

It is necessary in a supply-demand market that products be traded fairly.
 Customers must get what they pay for and their guests must be served the entrĂ©es
 as advertised on the menu. If you suspect fraudulent practices as it relates to
the representation of beef items, you are encouraged to contact your local branch
 of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. You can also view the meat regulations



source.:http://www.canadabeef.ca

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