Food service sanitation manual including a model : Food service sanitation ordinance and code. 1962 recommendations of the Public Health Service.

  • United States. Public Health Service. Division of Environmental Engineering and Food Protection.
Date:
[1962]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Food service sanitation manual including a model : Food service sanitation ordinance and code. 1962 recommendations of the Public Health Service. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the limits of any official tolerances which have been established. This applies to pesticides, veterinary drugs, and the migration of substances from packaging material or from food-equipment surfaces into the food itself. 3. Meet consumer expectations.—A food-service establishment may take many precautions to prepare and serve a safe food product and yet fail to provide an appealing, pleasant atmosphere, or otherwise to meet consumer expectations. People expect to be served wholesome, appetizing food which has been prepared and handled in a sanitary manner and in a clean environment. The fact that food prepared in an insanitary environment might be clean or that an unclean food might be safe to eat does not make it acceptable to the consumer. The food sanitarian and the food-service operator recognize that esthetic considerations play an important role in a food-sanitation program. The customer judges an establishment largely on the basis of observation. He may know little about conditions in kitchens or workrooms, but he is conscious of the environment where he is served. An excellent kitchen with superior food-handling techniques is un- likely to be appreciated if the serving area is shabbly and carelessly maintained. The public is frequently more aware, and more critical, of esthetically undersirable conditions than those which may actually be of direct or immediate public health concern, since these latter conditions are usually not observed by the customer. It is immediately obvious, therefore, that the condition and main- tenance of premises, facilities, and equipment must be considered by both industry and the food sanitarian. Floor or floor coverings, con- dition and repair of walls and ceilings, light and ventilation, upkeep of counters, booths, tables, chairs, and similar appurtenances are a part of a food-sanitation program and should not be lightly dismissed. While it would be difficult. to prove a direct cause-and-effect relation- ship between the physical condition of fixed nonfood-handling equip- ment or facilities and foodborne disease outbreaks, the public will frequently and justifiably voice strong resentment with an official agency which neglects provisions of the food ordinance covering these features. While esthetic considerations must be recognized as having a place in the overall program, it is essential to understand that they are less important than the food itself, the personnel employed, and the man- ner in which processing, storage, and serving are carried out. It is illogical to rigidly enforce specifications involving floor materials or wall color, while overlooking more critical items such as the source or wholesomeness of food received, the temperature at which potentially hazardous food is held, facilities for hand washing, and insect and