Catering Safety 101

PRESENTED BY:

Jean Dible – GA Food Safety Professionals

Paul Schweitzer – Air Culinaire

Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference | New Orleans, LA | January 14-17, 2014

Thursday 3:15 pm – 4:45 pm

Do Your Flight Departments Know?

• 1 out of 6 Americans become ill from foodborne illness yearly.

• 48 million foodborne illnesses in US yearly

• 128,000 foodborne illness victims hospitalized each year in US

• 3,000 deaths annually in US from foodborne illness

• According to MedAire, GA foodborne cases increased from 16%

in 2011 to 21% in 2013 – an increase of 5%.

According to the CDC . . .

CDC – Center for Disease Control MedAire – An International SOS Company

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GA Foodborne Illness is Increasing!

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MedAire – An International SOS Company

Foodborne illness is highest of all illness occurrences.

Passengers: 77% Gastro Illness

Crew: 22% Gastro Illness

Who Is At Risk for Foodborne Illness?

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National Restaurant Association

FDA – Food & Drug Administration

Most passengers aboard an aircraft . . .

● Young children

● Seniors or the elderly. The stomach-acid production decreases,

and the immune system slows down.

● People with compromised immune systems:

● People with cancer or taking chemotherapy

● HIV / AIDS

● Arthritis, Lupus, transplant recipients, etc.

● People on certain medications - immune-compromised

How Food Becomes Unsafe

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration National Restaurant Association

Risk Factors that can Cause a foodborne illness

.

● Purchasing food from an unknown source

● Failing to cook food correctly

● Holding food at incorrect temperatures

● Using contaminated food equipment

● Practicing poor personal hygiene

What Factors Influence Pathogen Growth?

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration National Restaurant Association

Pathogens thrive in the following environments:

● Protein Foods

● Food with a moisture content of .85% or higher (water activity)

● Food with a slightly acidic pH of between of 4.6 to 7.5%

● Water and ice (considered Food)

TCS FOODS . . .

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Food Requiring Time & Temperature Control for Safety:

Dairy Soy Foods Poultry Meats Eggs

Fish Shellfish

Crustaceans

Cooked Rice Baked Potato

TCS Foods: Time Control For Safety

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Continued . . .

Green Salads Cut Tomatoes

Cut Sweet

Melons Sprouts

Garlic & Oil Mixtures

Foodborne Illness or Food Poisoning?

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

National Restaurant Association

Foodborne Illness . . .

Foodborne Illness:

● Dairy foods

● Soy foods

● Poultry

● Meat (exception-ground beef)

● Fresh eggs

● Leafy salad greens

● Cut tomatoes

● Cut sweet melons

Foodborne Illness or Food Poisoning?

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration National Restaurant Association

Food Poisoning is more severe & can be fatal . . .

Food Poisoning: ● Fish

● Shellfish

● Crustaceans

● Undercooked ground beef – if E.coli produces a toxin

● Cooked rice

● Baked potatoes

● Sprouts and sprout seeds

● Garlic & oil mixtures

General Aviation Meals

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GA Food Safety Professionals

Risk Categories . . .

Dangerous Dangerous High-Risk High-Risk

Ready-to-eat foods Sushi Water & ice Sauces

All dairy foods Soft Cheeses

Undercooked poultry Tofu or soy foods

Deli meats Salad dressing-protein

Meat pates Jelled meat

Under cooked eggs Carpaccio-raw beef

Undercooked meat Cooked poultry Cheese dips

Pastries w/cream fill

Raw meat Crustaceans Fish roe

Prepared pasta salad Protein salads

Cooked & deboned meat Hot smoked foods

Custards Desserts

Raw shellfish Raw sprouts & seeds Fresh Mexican salsa Mayo

Cooked shellfish Baked potatoes Cooked rice Cut melons

Raw fish, and cooked tropical fish

Fruit juice-unpasteurized

Protein & dairy appetizers Cheese dips

Deviled eggs

General Aviation Meals

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GA Food Safety Professionals

Risk Categories continued . . .

Medium-Risk Medium-Risk Low-Risk Low-Risk

Soups Stews Casseroles

Sous vide foods (vacuum packed single food portion)

Citrus fruits Fresh fruits, with skin

Jams Jellies Peanut butter

Pasta Fresh herb garnishes Canned meat Well-dried meats Summer sausage

Crackers Bread

Bagged cut salads Raw coconut in Ready-to-eat food

Blanched & cooked veggies Canned fruits & veggies

Sealed soda or water bottles or cans

Cut leafy greens Pre-sliced tomatoes Dry bakery foods, with no cream fill

Acid salad dressing

Keeping Food Safe

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National Restaurant Association

Conditions Favoring Growth of Foodborne Pathogens:

F FOOD

A ACIDITY

T TIME

T TEMPERATURE

O OXYGEN

M MOISTURE

GA food handlers must be aware of

the time when handling and holding

foods.

GA food handlers must control the

temperature, or be aware of the

time and ambient temperature

when holding food.

Keeping Food Safe

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Temperature Danger Zone . . .

Bacteria in TCS foods grow rapidly between 41ºF and 135ºF.

Bacteria grow even faster from 70ºF to 125ºF. Bacteria growth

is limited when food is held either above or below the

temperature danger zone.

Temperature Danger Zone

41ºF ____________ 135ºF

Holding Food – No Temperature Control

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Time and Ambient Temperature Control . . .

Holding TCS Foods

Time as a Health Control

Holding Food – No Temperature Control

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Continued . . .

COLD FOODS:

Cold food can be held up to 6 hours without temperature control if

the following conditions are met:

● Cold food must be at 41ºF or colder when it is removed from

temperature control.

● The time must be labeled when the food is removed from

temperature control and the time the food is to be discarded.

● The cold food cannot exceed 70ºF while it is being served. If the

food exceeds 70ºF within the six hours, it must be discarded.

Holding Food – No Temperature Control

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Cold Food Continued . . .

● Cold food may be held at 41ºF or above for a total of 4 hours

from the time the food leaves temperature control, and that

includes food that may exceed the 70ºF temperature. The

food must then be discarded.

● Cold food cannot be taken in and out of temperature control

to prolong the shelf life. Once food is without temperature

control, it must be discarded after the appointed time.

● Cut or sliced tomatoes can be cut at any temperature, but

they only have a 4 hour shelf life regardless of the ambient

temperature.

Holding Food – No Temperature Control

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FDA: Food & Drug Administration

Hot Food Holding . . .

Hot food can be held for up to 4 hours if the following conditions are

met:

● The food must be 135ºF or hotter when it is taken out of

temperature control. (The hotter the better.)

● The hot food must be labeled with the time that it is to be

discarded which is four hours.

● Serve or throw out the warm food within four hours.

Iceless Coolers . . .

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Walmart – E-Bay – Sport Brella – Lowes Hardware / Google: Iceless coolers

Solution for Holding Foods – Maybe?

Flip Box iceless coolers are made from a durable and

lightweight material, and the cooler folds down for storage. The

iceless coolers can be used for cold or hot food and will

maintain the temperature for 4 to 6 hours. 18.5” x 10” x 16.5”

Food Safety is a Personal Responsibility!

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GA Food Safety Professionals

Self-Inspect yourself and all colleagues . . .

If a GA food handler orders, stores, delivers or handles food

aboard an aircraft, it is critical to understand and keep up

with constantly evolving food safety knowledge. General

Aviation is non-regulated, concerning food safety, so there

are no controls or check systems for food, from the time food

leaves a catering kitchen until it is served aboard an aircraft.

With no authority to answer to during the “Flow of Food”

process, the aviation food handler must self-inspect himself

with each food order from purchasing to serving. The life one

saves may be a passenger, friend and colleague.