Food safety questions, answered with the rule
Plain-language guides for kitchens, each with its sources from the FDA Food Code and Utah rules. Read 4 guides free, then start your free trial to read them all. Emergency guides are always free.
Sick workers
- When does a sick food worker have to stay home?One sick worker can make many customers ill, so anyone who is sick stays away from food.
- When can a sick food worker come back to work?Workers come back only when the germ they had can no longer spread through food.
- Do you need a food handler permit in Utah?Utah requires food workers to be trained and permitted, and a certified manager to run each kitchen.
- What does an inspector check for vomit clean-up?A written plan and a kit on the shelf, so anyone can clean it up the safe way.
Hands and gloves
- How long should food workers wash their hands?Clean hands are the best way to stop germs like norovirus from getting into food.
- When do food handlers have to wear gloves?Food that won't be cooked again must never touch bare hands, because nothing will kill the germs hands leave behind.
- Can food handlers wear jewelry or nail polish?Hair, jewelry and long nails carry germs and can fall into food.
- What do you do if you cut yourself in a restaurant kitchen?Blood and infected sores carry germs, and some make a toxin that cooking can't destroy.
- Can you taste food while you cook in a restaurant?Tasting the wrong way puts mouth germs right into food that customers eat.
- What does an inspector check at a hand sink?A hand sink that is ready gets used. Soap, towels and warm water, with nothing in the way.
- Where can restaurant staff keep their drinks?Staff drinks have a lid and a straw, and sit away from food.
Temperatures
- What are the minimum cooking temperatures for meat?Cooking to the right inside temperature kills the germs in raw meat, eggs and fish.
- What are the hot and cold holding temperatures?Germs grow fast between 41°F and 135°F, so held food stays hotter or colder than that.
- How fast do you have to cool cooked food?Food that cools too slowly grows germs, so cooked food must drop fast in two steps.
- What temperature do you reheat food to?Cooked and cooled food must get hot fast, all the way through, before it is held hot again.
- How do you thaw frozen food safely?The outside of food thawing on the counter sits in the danger zone while the middle is still frozen.
- What is the 4-hour rule for food?Food may sit out without temperature control only for a set time, with a written plan and a marked discard time.
- How do you calibrate a food thermometer?A thermometer that reads wrong makes every temperature check wrong.
- How do you check cold holding before an inspection?Cold food stays at 41°F or colder. This is the check that keeps it there.
- How do you check hot holding before an inspection?Hot food stays at 135°F or hotter. This is the check that keeps it there.
- How do you check cooling so it passes inspection?Hot food you save for later has to cool fast, in two steps.
- How do you check a thermometer before an inspection?A thermometer that reads wrong makes every log wrong. Ice water tells you.
Storage and labels
- How long can food stay in a restaurant fridge?Ready-to-eat food can't stay in the fridge forever, so it gets a use-by date and is thrown out when time is up.
- What order should food be stored in a fridge?Stacking food by cooking temperature keeps raw meat juices from dripping onto food that won't be cooked.
- What is FIFO in food storage?Using the oldest food first means nothing expires at the back of the shelf.
- What temperature should food be received at?Checking food when it arrives stops unsafe food before it ever gets into your kitchen.
- What goes on a food label in a restaurant?A clear label tells everyone what the food is, when it must go, and how to keep it safe.
- How do you check date marks before an inspection?Food you make or open gets a date, and goes out after 7 days.
- How should food be stored so it passes inspection?Food kept covered, off the floor and in the right order stays clean.
- Do food storage containers need labels?Food out of its package says what it is, so nobody grabs the wrong one.
Allergens
Cleaning and sanitizing
- What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?Cleaning removes dirt and sanitizing kills germs, and sanitizer can't work on a dirty surface.
- How do you use a 3-compartment sink?Washing, rinsing and sanitizing in order is how dishes get truly clean by hand.
- What temperature should a commercial dishwasher be?A dish machine only sanitizes when its water or chemical hits the right mark on every cycle.
- How often should sanitizer buckets be changed?A cloth in weak sanitizer spreads germs instead of killing them.
- How do you clean up vomit in a restaurant?Vomit can spread norovirus across a whole room, so it gets a strong bleach cleanup, not a regular wipe.
- Where do cleaning chemicals go in a restaurant kitchen?Cleaning chemicals can poison food and hurt workers if they're stored or mixed the wrong way.
- How do you test sanitizer the way the inspector does?Sanitizer that is too weak does not kill germs. A test strip tells you in seconds.
- Where should wiping cloths be kept between uses?A wet cloth lives in sanitizer between uses, so it cleans and does not spread germs.
- How clean do cutting boards and slicers need to be?What touches food is clean to look at and to touch, and sanitized.
- What does an inspector look for on shelves and handles?Shelves, handles and the outside of machines are wiped often, so dirt does not build up.
- What does an inspector look for on floors and walls?Floors, walls and drains are clean, and broken things get fixed.
- How should restaurant chemicals be stored for inspection?Chemicals are labeled and kept below and away from food.
- What does an inspector look for with broken equipment?Equipment that is broken, cracked or leaking gets written down and fixed.
- Where should scoops and spoons be kept between uses?A scoop or spoon in use rests in the right place between uses.
Restrooms, mops and rags
Pests
- How do you keep pests out of a restaurant?Pests spread germs, so the goal is to keep them out and give them nothing to eat, drink or hide in.
- What are the signs of mice or roaches in a restaurant?Acting fast on the first sign of pests keeps a small problem from becoming a closure.
- How do you check for pests before an inspection?A quick look each week finds signs of pests early, and gaps they get in by.
Events and potlucks
- Do you need a food permit for a fundraiser or potluck in Utah?Events outdoors or away from your kitchen bring the same rules, with fewer tools to follow them.
- How do you transport hot food and keep it hot?Food in a car can drift into the danger zone fast, so it travels hot, cold, or not at all.
- What are the food safety rules for a buffet?On a buffet, many hands and breaths get near the food, so it needs guards, utensils and a watchful eye.