A pan of clam chowder has been on hot-hold display for 3 hours and the probe thermometer reads 128°F. No written time-control plan is in use. What is the correct action?
Explanation
California Retail Food Code HSC §114004 requires hot-held TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods to be maintained at 135°F or above. Once a hot-held food drops below 135°F and the operator has NOT pre-established a written 'time as a public health control' procedure under §114000, the food must be discarded because it has entered the temperature danger zone (41°F-135°F) for an unknown portion of the 3 hours. The 128°F reading is 7°F below the threshold, well within the bacterial growth range for Clostridium perfringens (a major risk in stews and chowders) and Bacillus cereus. Option A invents a non-existent 6-hour rule. Option C uses 145°F, which is the cooking temperature for whole-muscle beef, not the 165°F for 15 seconds required for reheating TCS food (§114014). Option D is wrong because food that has been in the danger zone for an unknown time cannot be safely repurposed cold — Staphylococcus aureus toxin, if formed, is heat-stable and cooling will not undo bacterial multiplication.
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