ServSafe Manager Study Guide for the ServSafe

Safe Food Handling

Foods are vulnerable to contamination at various stages within a foodservice establishment. Understanding safe handling practices keeps foods, staff, and guests safe.

The Role of Food Handlers

Foods risk contamination through human error. A minor slip, like touching hair or scratching skin then touching RTE foods, can cause contamination. Even well-meaning food handlers are capable of passing pathogens if they aren’t following the correct procedures. Managers should understand and identify every way contamination might happen, and train staff to prevent it.

Risky Situations

Food handlers risk contamination when they: come to work sick, have wounds, sneeze or cough, have had contact with someone sick, don’t wash hands after the restroom (risking fecal-oral contamination), experience vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice, or are sick without signs of illness. Carriers can spread illness weeks before exhibiting symptoms.

Risky Actions

Food handlers could cause foodborne illness by spreading pathogens from their hands, and should avoid: scratching their scalp, fingering their hair, wiping their nose, rubbing ears, touching pimples or wounds, wearing dirty clothes, coughing or sneezing into hands, and spitting inside the facility.

Personal Hygiene

Managers should implement a personal hygiene program and participate in it. Staff should be trained on hygiene policies regularly and the manager should model the behavior (clean clothes, restrained hair, gloves, etc.) Food safety procedures should be monitored at all times and modified or changed as science changes.

Handwashing

Handwashing is the most important step in preventing pathogens. Managers should set up proper handwashing stations and never allow handwashing in other sinks. Proper handwashing should be part of the hygiene program. The entire process of washing hands should take a minimum of 20 seconds, include warm running water, a rich lather for 10 to 15 seconds, a thorough rinse, and a single-use towel or hand dryer. Staff and managers should wash hands every time possible contamination occurs, when changing tasks, and before touching food contact surfaces. See our Food Handler study guide for more information on proper handwashing.

Hand Antiseptics

Hand antiseptics (often mistakenly called hand sanitizers) are liquids or gels used to lower the number of pathogens on skin. If used, they must comply with CFR and FDA standards. Only use hand antiseptics after handwashing, never use them in place of it. Wait for the antiseptic to dry before touching food or equipment.

Using Gloves

Gloves must never be used in place of handwashing, but they provide an essential extra layer of protection. They must be worn when touching RTE foods, if a staff member has false nails or nail polish, or when a wound has been covered with a bandage or finger cot. Gloves must be approved for foodservice, disposable (single-use), and latex-alternative if possible to avoid allergic reactions. Managers should provide gloves in various sizes to ensure a proper fit.

Changing Gloves: Discard and change gloves as soon as they become dirty or torn, before beginning a different task, after an interruption (like taking a phone call), and after four hours of continuous use on a single task.
Cut-Resistant Gloves: If your operation uses cut-resistant gloves for safety, they must be made of materials that are smooth, durable, and nonabsorbent to prevent them from soaking up pathogens or food debris.

Personal Hygiene

Proper hygiene protects against spreading pathogens. Your personal hygiene program should include bathing before work, wearing clean clothes, covering facial hair, wearing minimal jewelry (only approved pieces), and clean aprons. Staff should never eat, drink, or smoke while preparing or serving food, working in food prep areas, or areas where things are being washed.

Health Policies and Monitoring Staff

Your personal hygiene plan should also include policies on reporting illness. Staff should sign statements stating they will report when they’re experiencing symptoms to provide managers with written evidence of food safety training in case the regulatory authority asks for proof. Signs should also be posted on the significance of reporting illness to management.

Reporting Illness

If an employee experiences vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat and fever, or an infected weeping wound or boil, they must notify management before coming to work. They may need to work in restricted areas or be excluded from work all together. Staff must notify management when they’ve been diagnosed with the “Big 6” pathogens: norovirus, hepatitis A, Shigella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Salmonella Typhi, or nontyphoidal Salmonella.

Staff Restrictions and Exclusions

A manager should watch for signs of the above symptoms in their employees and take corrective action immediately if a task is being performed incorrectly.

Staff can be restricted from working with food if they:

have an uncovered wound
have a sore throat with fever (unless they work primarily with high-risk populations; in that case, exclude them from work)
have persistent sneezing or coughing

Staff should be excluded from work altogether if they:

experience vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice (one or all)
have been diagnosed with one of the Big 6 illnesses listed above

When staff is diagnosed with one of the illnesses listed above, it must be reported to the local regulatory authority.

Flow of Food Basics

The cycle foods travel is called the Flow of Food, and foods must be kept safe at each step. The steps are: purchasing, receiving, storing, preparation, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, and serving.

Hazards

It’s the manager’s job to monitor foods along the flow of food, and to know how foods might become unsafe at any step. For example, the freezer truck that delivered your food might not have been cold enough. The manager must be able to spot signs of temperature abuse at the receiving step and reject unsafe food.

Cross-Contamination

Pathogens are easily passed from staff, surfaces, equipment, utensils, etc. and cross-contamination can happen at any step in the flow of food. This includes keeping unwashed fruits and vegetables separate from ready-to-eat foods.

Time-Temperature Control

Time-temperature abuse causes most foodborne illnesses. Any time food is in the Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ) (41°F to 135°F) and spends too long in or around 70°F to 125°F (where pathogens grow most rapidly), it is at risk for rapid growth.

Time and Temperature Monitoring

Time-temperature abuse must be monitored along the flow of food to prevent harmful pathogen growth with the correct thermometer for the job. Procedures must be in place to minimize the time food spends in the TDZ.

Types of Thermometers

The most important tool in monitoring foods is the thermometer. There are bimetallic stemmed thermometers, thermocouples, and thermistors.

Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometer

This is the most common thermometer used in foodservice, and it is best for measuring the temperature of thick foods, like a large stockpot of soup or a roast. It must be able to measure temperatures from 0°F to 220°F. The sensing area of this thermometer goes from the tip of the stem to the dimple. To get an accurate reading, the entire sensing area must be inserted into the food. It should have an adjustable calibration nut under the dial and easy-to-read markings.

Thermocouples and Thermistors

These measure temperature through a metal probe and display the results digitally. The sensing area is located only at the very tip of the probe, meaning you do not need to insert them as deep as a bimetallic thermometer. This makes them perfect for both thick and thin foods (like hamburger patties). They usually come with different types of interchangeable probes:

Immersion Probes: Use these for liquids like soups, sauces, or frying oil.
Surface Probes: Use these for flat cooking equipment, such as griddles.
Penetration Probes: Use these for the internal temperature of food, especially thin items.
Air Probes: Use these to check the temperature inside coolers or ovens.

Infrared Thermometers (Laser)

These use infrared technology to measure the surface temperature of food and equipment. Since they do not touch the food, they help minimize the risk of cross contamination. They cannot measure the internal temperature of food or the air temperature inside a walk-in. Do not take readings through glass or metal, as this will give an inaccurate result.

Other Temperature Devices

Maximum Registering Thermometers: These are used to indicate the highest temperature reached during use. They are primarily used to check the final rinse temperature of dishwashing machines to ensure the water reached at least 180°F (or 165°F for single-tank machines).

Time-Temperature Indicators (TTI): These tags are attached to food packaging by the supplier. A color change appears in the window if the food has been time-temperature abused at any point during shipment or storage. This change is permanent and irreversible.

Temperature-Recording Devices: Often found in delivery trucks, these devices continuously monitor and log temperatures. During receiving, managers should check these digital logs to ensure the food stayed at safe temperatures throughout the entire journey.

Using Thermometers

A manager must not only know how to use these tools but must also ensure that staff are following these specific care and usage guidelines to prevent cross-contamination and inaccurate readings.

Cleaning

Thermometers must be washed, rinsed, sanitized, and air-dried both before and after use. Always use a food-contact surface safe sanitizer, and keep the thermometer and its storage case clean to prevent pathogens from transferring back onto the probe.

Calibration

Calibration ensures the thermometer is accurate. You must calibrate thermometers:

After they have been dropped or bumped.
After they have been exposed to extreme temperature changes.
Before deliveries arrive.
Before each shift.

Ice-Point Method: Submerge the sensing area in a 50/50 mix of crushed ice and water for 30 seconds. Adjust the thermometer to 32°F (0°C). This is the preferred method because it is safer and easier.

Boiling-Point Method: Submerge the sensing area in boiling water and adjust to 212°F (100°C) (this may vary based on your altitude).

Accuracy

The ServSafe exam strictly tests these two standards:

For Food: Thermometers used to measure the temperature of food must be accurate within \(\pm\) 2°F or \(\pm\)1°C.
For Air: Thermometers used to measure the air temperature in food storage areas (like a walk-in cooler) must be accurate within \(\pm\)3°F or \(\pm\)1.5°C.

Glass Thermometers

Glass thermometers (such as candy thermometers) can be a physical contaminant if they break. Never use glass thermometers in a foodservice operation unless they are enclosed in a shatterproof casing.

Procedure for Use

To ensure an accurate and safe reading:

Sanitize the probe before use.
Insert the probe into the thickest part of the food (usually the center).
Wait for the reading to steady. This takes about 15 seconds for a bimetallic thermometer and just a few seconds for digital ones.
Take a second reading in a different spot to ensure the entire item is at a safe temperature.
Wash and sanitize the thermometer immediately after use.