During a mid-shift check, a manager finds tuna salad in the reach-in at 47°F. No one can say when the unit stopped holding temperature. What should the manager do?
a.Serve it within the hour, because Listeria cannot grow at cooler temperatures
b.Move the tuna salad to the walk-in and serve it once it is back at 41°F
c.Pack the pan in ice and continue serving from it throughout service
d.Discard the tuna salad, because the time it spent above 41°F is unknown
Explanation
Corrective action for cold food above 41°F depends on knowing how long it was out of temperature. Because that time is unknown here, the food could have been in the danger zone for hours and must be thrown out. Listeria in fact grows at refrigeration temperatures, and re-chilling or icing the pan does not reverse growth that has already occurred. The manager should also get the unit checked and log the incident.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.16Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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