A carvery cooks a whole beef roast to 145°F held for 4 minutes and moves it to the carving station. The station thermometer shows the roast holding at 132°F, and a new cook says it must be discarded for being below 135°F. What should the manager clarify?
a.The cook is right; hot TCS food that drops below 135°F has to be discarded on the spot, and roasts get no special allowance under the Food Code
b.The roast may stay on the station if the carver finishes slicing the whole piece within 15 minutes and an overhead heat lamp is running the whole time
c.Roasts that were cooked using the roast time-temperature standards may be hot-held at 130°F or above, so 132°F is compliant for this roast
d.The roast is safe at whatever the station reads, because it already reached 145°F for 4 minutes and a fully cooked roast cannot support pathogen growth
Explanation
The Food Code includes a specific allowance: roasts cooked under the roast cooking standards, such as 145°F for 4 minutes, may be held at 130°F or above instead of the usual 135°F. There is no 15-minute carving window, and cooking does not make a roast immune to later pathogen growth. The manager should confirm the roast qualifies and document the holding practice; all other hot TCS foods still require 135°F.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.16Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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