A catering crew arrives at an event and probes the shrimp cocktail from the cold carrier at 44°F. The crew chief knows the shrimp left the commissary at 38°F one hour ago. What is the best course of action?
a.Get it onto ice or into refrigeration to bring it back to 41°F or below, since the time above 41°F was brief and known
b.Reheat the shrimp to 165°F and hold it hot at 135°F, since heating resets the clock on cold-held food
c.Serve it right away without cooling it, because shellfish tolerates the danger zone better than meat does
d.Discard the shrimp, because any cold TCS food found above 41°F must be thrown out on the spot
Explanation
Cold food found above 41°F for a short, documented time can be cooled back down as a corrective action; the risk grows with time in the danger zone, which here was limited and known. If the time were unknown or extended, discarding would be required. Reheating a cold-served item does not reset that clock, shellfish is no more tolerant of the danger zone than other TCS food, and a brief documented excursion does not by itself force a discard.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.16Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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