Fighting BAC!
Food Safety in the
Elderly Nutrition
Program
1 — LOOKING AT THE ENEMY

Every year:
– 76 million people get foodborne illness
– 325,000 are hospitalized
– 5000 die
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1 in every 4 Americans will get foodborne
illness this year.
Who is susceptible?
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Older adults (65 years and older)
Pregnant women
Very young children (2 years or
younger)
Individuals with compromised immune
systems
Individuals who are malnourished
What causes foodborne illness?
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Eating unsafe food
Food becomes unsafe primarily because
of microorganisms, such as:
– Bacteria
– Viruses
– Parasites
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Any food can cause illness if it is not
handled safely.
Common causes of foodborne illness
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Improper cooling/holding of foods
Not washing hands properly
Using food from unsafe sources
Cross-contamination
Improper cooking
How do bacteria grow?
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Bacteria double under ideal conditions
every 30 minutes.
– At 12:00 noon you can have 10 bacteria in a
food
– By 5:00 p.m. there could be 10,240 bacteria.
– This is enough to make one sick with
foodborne illness
What are ideal conditions for
bacteria to grow?
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Potentially hazardous
food (PHF), which are:
– low acid
– moist
– some protein
Unsafe temperature
between 45oF and 140oF
PHF at unsafe
temperatures for at least
two hours
Activity — Potentially Hazardous Foods
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Look at your site’s menu and highlight
those foods that are potentially
hazardous.
These foods need to be at 45oF or
colder or 140oF or hotter.
The only way to determine if these
foods are at the proper temperature is
to use a thermometer.
Viruses and Parasites

Viruses are believed to be the number
one cause of foodborne illness.
– Viruses do not grow in food like bacteria do.
– Viruses can contaminate any food, not just
potentially hazardous foods.

Parasites do not cause many cases of
foodborne illness in the U.S.
To Fight BAC! against foodborne illness:
CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often
SEPARATE: Don’t cross-contaminate
COOK: Cook foods to proper temperatures
CHILL: Refrigerate foods promptly
2 — RECEIVING
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Only purchase food from an approved
source, such as:
– permitted foodservice operation
– grocery store
– foodservice wholesale supplier

Inspect before you accept to be certain
that the food meets your food safety
standards.
Activity — Accept or Reject?
Which of these foods would you accept
and why?
Individual cartons of milk that are at 48oF
 A sheet cake that is uncovered
o
 Turkey and dressing at 132 F
o
 Cooked corn that is at 139 F
o
 Tossed salad that is at 44 F
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Develop a Back-up Plan
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Many of the foods on the previous
slide had to be rejected.
You need a back-up plan in place so
that if you have to reject you will still
be able to feed the participants.
Share with the group what you would
do if you had to reject a shipment of
food.
3 — STORAGE
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All food must be:
– covered and clean
– in its original
packaging or labeled
– marked with time and
date of receipt
– stored at the proper
temperature
– use a storage chart to
determine how long
you can keep
Chemical Storage
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Store chemicals
separate from food.
Keep them close to
where they are
needed.
Activity — What’s My Storage
Temperature?
At what temperature do each of these
foods need to be stored:
Individual containers of milk
 Chocolate chip cookies
 Turkey and dressing to be delivered to a home
 Tossed salad with carrots and tomatoes
 Rolls
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4 — PREPARATION
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Do not work if you
are ill.
Wash hands with
antibacterial soap
and water before
handling food.
Properly use singleuse gloves.
Handwashing Sink
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Clean
Accessible
Stocked with soap
and single-use
paper towels
PREPARATION
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Use safe ingredients.
Wash fresh fruits and
vegetables with
lukewarm water.
Prevent crosscontamination.
Activity — How well do you wash
your hands?
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Put a dime-size amount of the GloGermTM lotion onto your hands.
Rub all over like you would hand lotion.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Return to a darkened room and check
how well you did by putting your hands
under an ultra-violet black light.
5 — COOKING
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Proper cooking kills
harmful bacteria and
parasites that are
naturally present in
raw foods.
Cooking will not
necessarily destroy
toxins or viruses.
Measuring Food Temperatures
1. Use a food thermometer that has a
temperature range between 0-220oF.
2. Each day check the accuracy of your food
thermometer(s) in ice water.
3. Clean and sanitize the thermometer
before each use.
4. Insert into the thickest part of the food or
into the center of the food.
Activity — What’s My Cooking
Temperature?
To what temperature do you cook each of
these foods?
Frozen ground beef patties
 Turkey roast
 Commercially canned spaghetti sauce
 Chocolate chip cookies
 Vegetable soup
 Creamed corn
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Activity — Calibrating Thermometers
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Divide the group into teams.
Give each team a thermometer and a
glass filled with crushed ice and water.
Have each team check the accuracy of
their thermometer.
If not at 32oF, then have them calibrate.
6 — SERVING
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Keep hot foods at 140oF or hotter.
Keep cold foods at 45oF or colder.
Use cleaned and sanitized serving utensils.
Wear clean clothes and keep hair restrained.
7 — LEFTOVERS
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Congregate nutrition site should not be
cooling hot foods or reheating them
because:
– the sites do not have commercial equipment to
properly cool foods.
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Review the leftover policy that appears in
the participant manual.
Participants taking
home leftovers
Improperly cooled food = unsafe food
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Improperly cooled food must be
discarded.
During cooling, spores could grow.
Some form toxins
Reheating, even to boiling
temperatures, will not necessarily
destroy these toxins.
8 — CLEANING AND SANITIZING
CLEANING = removing dirt and debris
SANITIZING = killing 99.999% of harmful
bacteria that might still be on the surface.
Cleaning and Sanitizing Steps
1. Wash surface with soapy water.
2. Rinse with clean water.
3. Immerse rinsed item into a properly
prepared sanitizing solution.
4. Let soak for 2 minutes.
5. Remove and air-dry.
6. Store item in clean location.
Chlorine sanitizing solution
1 teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach
+
1 gallon, warm not hot water
=
Sanitizing solution at 50 ppm
Activity — Preparing sanitizing solution
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Divide the group into teams.
Give each team a spray bottle and
bleach.
Have them prepare sanitizing solution.
Have each group measure the
concentration.
Demonstrate the proper procedure for
preparing sanitizing solution.
9 — HOME DELIVERED MEALS
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Securely package and seal each food.
Hold food at >140oF or <45oF.
Use food delivery carriers that meet
NSF standards.
Deliver meal within two hours from the
time the meal was placed in carrier.
Clean and sanitize carriers after each
use.
“Foodborne illness is nearly
100% preventable if food is
handled safely from the time
it is received until the time it
is served.”
Photos taken at:
Garner Senior Center
Garner, NC