Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023 - 11

However, warm water can make hand
washing more pleasant and encourage
people to do so regularly. In addition,
warm water is more effective than cold
water in removing fatty substances
from the hands. These reasons
are presumably why a minimum
temperature of 85°F is now called for
in the Code.
6 . REVISED MEAT
DEFINITIONS (SECTION
1-201.10 AND ANNEX 3)
The Food Code also made revised
definitions to the term " intact meat. "
This applies to cattle, pork, sheep, and
goat meat. Poultry is not included
here; that is governed by separate
definitions.
The new definition of intact meat
" means a cut of whole muscle(s) meat
that has not undergone comminution,
mechanical tenderization,
vacuum tumbling with solutions,
reconstitution, cubing, or pounding. "
For example, if a cut of beef is cubed to
use in a recipe, or a steak is scored and
marinated, it is no longer considered
intact meat. As such, that meat must
be cooked according to time and
temperature guidelines for non-intact
meat.
7 . NEW GUIDANCE ON
READY-TO-EAT FOODS
(SECT ION 3-401.15)
A new section has been added
regarding manufacturer cooking
instructions for ingredients in readyto-eat
foods. The two parts of the
section read as follows:
* " Commercially packaged food that
bears a manufacturer's cooking
instructions shall be cooked
according to those instructions
before use in ready-to-eat foods
or offered in unpackaged form for
human consumption, unless the
manufacturer's instructions specify
that the food may be consumed
without cooking. "
* " Food for which the manufacturer
has provided information that it
has not been processed to control
pathogens, when used in readyto-eat
foods or offered for human
consumption, shall be cooked
according to a time and temperature
appropriate for the food. "
8 . UPDATES TO TIME AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH CONTROL
(SECT ION 3-501.19)
The section on time as a public health
control has added new guidance as it
relates to fresh fruits or vegetables cut
at ambient temperature:
" If time without temperature control is
used as the public health control up to
a maximum of 4 hours...the food may
have an initial temperature of 70°F or
less if...
(a) It is a ready-to-eat fruit or
vegetable that upon cutting is
rendered a time/temperature
control for safety food...
WARM WATER IS MORE
EFFECTIVE
than cold water in removing
fatty substances from the
hands.
(c) The food temperature does not
exceed 70°F within a maximum
time period of 4 hours from the
time it was rendered a time/
temperature control for safety
food... "
Review your processes for using frozen
ingredients in ready-to-eat meals.
For example, perhaps you use frozen
corn on your salad bar. If the package
of frozen corn had instructions for
cooking or the manufacturer specified
the corn was not processed to control
pathogens, you could not place the
corn directly on the salad bar; it needs
to be cooked first.
Another example would be adding
packaged frozen vegetables to
smoothies, unless the packaging
specified the food could be consumed
without cooking.
For example, let's say your
kitchen has whole tomatoes at a
room temperature of 68°F. With
the new guidelines, you can cut
these without having to chill
the tomatoes beforehand. The
cut tomatoes could be placed on your
salad bar for no more than 4 hours,
assuming the temperature of the food
does not exceed 70°F. The food must
be discarded at the 4-hour mark (or if
exceeding the 70°F temperature limit).
There are some additional language
changes to this section as well that
are worth reviewing with your team.
It's important to have intentional
procedures and documentation if
using time as a public health control,
and be sure all food is labeled with the
time frame for discarding.
NUTRITION & FOODSERVICE EDGE | MARCH-APRIL 2023 11
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - March/April 2023
