 The
greatest dangers to food safety are
foodborne illnesses.
 This is a disease that is carried or
transmitted to people by food.
 An outbreak of foodborne illness is an
incident in which two or more people
experience the same illness after eating the
same food.
 National
Restaurant Association figures that a
foodborne-illness outbreak can cost an
establishment thousands of dollars
 It can even cause an establishment to close.
 Infants
and young children
 Pregnant women
 Elderly People
 People taking certain medications
(antibiotics)
 People with a weakened immune system
 Milk
or milk
products
 Shell eggs
 Meats, poultry, fish
 Shellfish and edible
crustacean
 Baked or boiled
potatoes
 Tofu or other soyprotein foods
 Garlic
and oil
mixtures
 Plant foods that
have been heattreated (cooked,
partially cooked, or
warmed)
 Raw seeds and
sprouts
 Sliced melons
 Synthetic
ingredients
 Time
and temperature abuse
 Cross-contamination
 Poor personal hygiene
 Food
has been time-temperature abused any
time it has been allowed to remain for too
long at temperatures favorable to the growth
of microorganisms.
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Failing to hold or store food at required
temperatures
Failing to cook or reheat foods to temperatures
that kill microorganisms
Failing to properly cool foods
Preparing foods a day or more before they are
served.
 Food
 Acid
 Temperature
 Time
 Oxygen
 Moisture
 Food
– microorganisms need nutrients,
especially protein and carbohydrates.
 This is why microorganisms grow rapidly in
food that consist of these particular
nutrients.
 Acid
– Bacteria like to grow in foods that
have a pH of 4.6 to 7.5 (neutral foods)
 Danger
Zone – 40 to 135 degrees C
 Bacteria doubles rapidly during this
temperature
 Foods must be cooled to less than 40 degrees
C or held at over 135 degrees C
 Bacteria reproduce the most rapidly from 70
to 120 degrees C.
 Bacteria
double every 20 minutes
 Foods left in the danger zone for longer than
4 hours need to be
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
Discarded
Cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees C or
higher in order to kill the bacteria that could be
in the food.
 Microorganisms
can grow aerobically (with oxygen)
or anaerobically (without Oxygen).
 When foods are canned, oxygen is excluded from
the canned environment. Therefore, growth of
aerobic organisms is controlled and the food is
preserved. Such foods are shelf stable and do not
require refrigeration until they are opened.
 Some microorganisms will grow only in anaerobic
conditions, such as Botulism is caused by a specific
type of bacteria called clostridium botulism that
grows only in anaerobic conditions. Improperly
preserved home canned foods are a typical source
of botulism.
 All
microorganisms must have an abundant supply
of water to grow.
 Perishability of a food is related to the moisture
content, and the water activity level.
 Moisture content is the amount of water in food
expressed as a percentage.
 Water activity ( aw ) is the amount of water
available for use and is measured on a scale of 0 to
1.0.
 Bacteria, yeast, and molds multiply rapidly with a
high water activity level, above 0.86.
 It
occurs when microorganisms are transferred from
one surface of food to another.
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Adding raw, contaminated ingredients to food that
receive no further cooking.
Food-contact surfaces (such as equipment or utensils)
that are not cleaned and sanitized before touching
cooked or ready to eat (RTE) foods
Allowing raw food to touch or drip fluids onto cooked or
RTE foods
Hands that touch contaminated food and then touch
cooked or RTE foods
Contaminated cleaning cloths that are not cleaned and
sanitized before being used on other food contact
surfaces.
 Individuals
with unacceptable personal
hygiene can offend customers, contaminate
food or food contact surfaces, and cause
illnesses
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Employees who fail to properly wash their hands
after using the restroom or whenever necessary.
Employees who cough or sneeze on food.
Employees who touch or scratch sores, cuts, or
boils and then touch food they are preparing.
 Proper
hand washing
 Strictly enforced rules regarding eating,
drinking, and smoking
 Preventing employees who are ill from
working with food
 General cleanliness