Sanitation was discussed in detail in  a tar  This chapter addresses sanitation from the management position.

The FSO is held directly responsible for any foodborne illness that may result from improper or careless preparation, serving, or storage of food. Consequently, he or she must ensure the following accomplishments:

Frequent inspections of equipment and personnel are conducted.

Formal and informal training is carried out as dictated.

All foodservice personnel receive physical examinations as prescribed in SECNAVINST 4061.1 and NAVMEDP-5010-1.

As the most senior MS, you will be directly responsible to the FSO for the maintenance and sanitary conditions of all foodservice spaces, equipment, and utensils.

In this position, you must prescribe and enforce the rules and regulations regarding the general cleanliness and sanitation of equipment, utensils, and working uniforms of foodservice personnel. Additionally, you are responsible for the proper storage of food equipment and for the use of sanitary procedures in the preparation and service of food.

Frequency of Inspections

To make sure all foodservice section rules and directed procedures are being followed, the FSO and the senior MS should make both routine daily inspections and thorough weekly inspections of all foodservice personnel, spaces, and operations.

Training

Foodservice personnel play an important role in the prevention of foodborne illness by adhering to good personal hygiene procedures. For foodservice personnel to understand these practices and procedures and appreciate their importance in preventing foodborne illness, they must receive formal training as prescribed in SECNAVINST 4061.1 in addition to their regular, supervised on-the-job instruction. h r 1 discusses the types, degrees, and frequencies of all required training necessary for all foodservice personnel.

Physical Examinations

Physical examinations are a means of medically screening personnel for evidence of communicable disease before initial assignment in foodservice. They are conducted to, at a minimum, detect evidence of diseases that may be transmitted by food To this end,

you must make sure all personnel receive an initial physical examination before they are assigned foodservice duties. The specific regulations governing physical examinations are discussed in c a ter 1 Additional guidance can be found in chapter 1 of the NAVMED P-5010.

Monitoring Temperatures

Foodservice personnel must exercise special and continuous close surveillance over all food items, foodservice spaces, and foodservice equipment to make sure prescribed temperatures are constantly maintained. You must make sure this action is taken to prevent the following conditions:

Damage to food items

Heat stress conditions in food preparation spaces Improper preparation of food

Inadequate holding temperatures for prepared food items

Inadequate temperatures in the dishwashing and sanitizing process

Consequently, you must develop and carry out a system for monitoring the temperatures of these items. FOOD ITEMS.- You should supervise the length of time that foods are held at room temperatures during handling and preparation. This will aid in making sure contamination does not occur. Hand preparation not only increases the likelihood of contamination but increases the time foods are at room temperature. The following are some objectives you want to accomplish when regulating temperatures of food items from the time the food is broken out until it is consumed or discarded:

Make sure food is always refrigerated except during actual preparation or serving.

Keep time between preparation and consumption to a minimum.

Keep frozen foods frozen until removal for preparation.

Thaw food at temperatures between 36F and 38F.

Never thaw food by exposure to heat or in water.

Once thawed, never refrigerate food.

Food items that will not be served immediately should be handled in the following manner: Place in shallow pans (food depth not more than 3 inches) and cover

Label the product with the time and date of preparation, name of product and person storing product, and expiration date of product

Then immediately refrigerate at temperatures below 40F

Leftovers should be avoided if possible. However, if unavoidable, they should be handled in the manner just described.

NOTE: Do not hold any hand-prepared item as a leftover.

FOOD PREPARATION AREAS.- Food preparation areas must be monitored to ensure proper ventilation. Proper ventilation allows for a net flow of air into the spaces reducing excessive temperatures that may cause heat stress. Temperatures in foodservice spaces should not exceed 78F. For additional information on heat stress monitoring, see chapter 3 of the NAVMED P-5010.

STORAGE SPACES.- Storage spaces must be monitored to prevent the deterioration of perishable food items resulting from improper temperatures.

The following are causes of deterioration of perishable food items:

Bacteria, yeasts, and molds. They are the primary causes of spoilage. Usually an objectional odor indicates spoilage by bacteria. Yeast induces spoilage for items of high sugar content, particularly if stored between 77F and 90F. Mold can be detected by visible threadlike filaments growing on the surface of food items.

Age. All foodstuffs will spoil if kept in storage too long, This type of spoilage is prevented by issuing the oldest items first.

Storerooms for semiperishable items should be clean, cool, dry, lighted, and well ventilated.

You must maintain temperature logs for all refrigerated spaces. Temperatures of bulk refrigerated spaces must be taken from thermometers inside each space at least twice daily. These temperatures are recorded in a log and maintained by the jack-of-the-dust. The engineering department must maintain a separate log with temperatures taken from remote sensors. Temperature problems should be immediately reported to the FSO.

It is important that fresh and frozen food items should be stored in three separate food categories. The following are the categories and associated requirements for proper temperature maintenance:

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Air circulation is important-containers should be raised off the deck. This is accomplished b y using pallets. The use of a fan helps maintain air circulation in all parts of the room. Proper temperatures must be maintained at 32F to 35F. Humidity should be from 85 to 95 percent.

Dairy products and eggs. Air circulation maybe accomplished for these items by storing on pallets that are raised off the deck. Additionally, there should be a fan capable of keeping the air circulating. Proper temperatures must be maintained at 32F to 34F.

Meat and other frozen products should not be stored on bare decks. The use of pallets to raise items off the deck permits air to circulate under the items, Temperatures for frozen products must be maintained at 0F or below.

Acceptable temperature ranges for chilled and frozen storage or holding spaces are as follows:

Dairy: 32F to 34F

Reach-in refrigerators: 34F to 44F

Chill and vegetables: 33F to 36F

Thaw box: 36F to 38F

Freezers: 0F or below

There should be no frost buildup on the chill or freeze box coils. The chill and freeze boxes should be defrosted and cleaned regularly. This is best accomplished when provisions are low and just before loading out.

The engineering department should be informed when a major onload of stores is going to take place. This allows them to plan ahead and secure the boxes affected. This will prevent high or unnecessary loads on the chill or freeze unit and frost buildup during the loading evolution. Hot gassing operations to defrost may even be planned during this time. Remember to start the reefer units up immediately after the onload and have a qualified person standing by to monitor the first couple hours of reefer operation.

EQUIPMENT.- Equipment such as ovens, griddles, fryers, and dishwashing and sanitizing equipment should be calibrated periodically. This is done to make sure they can maintain the required temperatures for their respective purposes.

Before calibrating ovens, griddles, fryers, and dishwashing and sanitizing equipment, you should always consult the manufacturer's technical manual before making any adjustment. These procedures are written as general guidelines.

There are three types of thermostatic controls. The two that will not be discussed at length here are those that have a backing plate with the temperatures marked or etched on it and those with a movable toothed sleeve on the back of the knob.

The most common type of thermostat has a removable knob that exposes a hollow shaft with a screw inside. When you turn the screw clockwise on this themostat, the temperature is lowered. When you turn the screw counterclockwise, it raises the temperature. A pyrometer with a surface probe is used to calibrate griddles. A wire probe is used for ovens and a needle probe is used for deep-fat fryers, steam lines, sculleries, and so on. Use of pyrometers is explained in the Standard Preventive Maintenance Subsystem Identification Guide (SPMIG).

Dishwashing and sanitizing equipment must be constantly inspected and periodically calibrated. This must be done to make sure the equipment is capable of maintaining the required temperatures for all stages of the dishwashing and sanitizing operation. Dishwashing and sanitizing are the most important steps in breaking the chain of infection. If dishes are not clean and sanitary, germs can grow and reproduce. No matter what method you use-by hand or the preferred machine method-the final results depend upon the operator.

Proper machine washing temperatures are as follows:

Wash: 150F to 160F

Rinse: 160F to 180F

Sanitize/final rinse: 180F to 195F

Manual dishwashing temperatures are as follows:

Wash: 95F to 125F

Rinse: 120F to 140F (do not put hands in this water, use a dip basket)

Sanitizing rinse: 170F with a 33-second contact time (do not put hands in this water, use a dip basket)

Allow all items to air dry and store clean dishware and equipment inverted.

Routine operational tests should be conducted to make sure the correct temperatures are maintained for both manual and mechanical dishwashing.