Temperature Matters Proper food temperature reduces safety hazards. Below are simple ways to monitor and control this critical factor. By Dr. Norm Faiola
When you consider your operation’s hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) plan that drives your food safety system, what comes to mind as being critical for maintaining control of products through all phases of your processes? When you consider the potential hazards that we all face in our systems—namely physical, chemical, and biological hazards—what are the critical controls in your HACCP analysis?
Certainly proper handling of products to minimize potential risk of contamination during the production process would be on the list. Training and supervision of employees would also be important, as well as having the proper type and supply of equipment and utensils to produce, store, and serve the variety and quantity of products. But did temperature monitoring come to mind?
Hot and cold holding at appropriate temperatures is critical for maintaining product safety. To properly control production, we must always consider the flow of products through the tested recipe process steps and associated critical temperature controls. This means we must be able to accurately and consistently monitor temperatures.
I have been in many food and beverage operations over the past year and am surprised to still see bi-metal thermometers in use as the primary temperature monitoring tool. This is not to say bi-metal thermometers do not have their place in our operations, but from my perspective, they should have limited application, given the critical role temperature (and time) have in our HACCP-based systems.
Most of us are aware of the operational characteristics of bi-metals with their mechanical operation, relatively large tips, and slow response times as compared to thin-tipped thermistors or appropriate probes coupled to a thermocouple. The bi-metal’s tendency to go out of calibration easily, especially if dropped, should give pause to all users.
If we agree that temperature is so critical to minimizing the risk of known hazards getting out of control in food and beverage, why do we still use bi-metals? Is the incremental cost, say an additional $20 to upgrade to a consistently more accurate tool, keeping some operations from doing so?
Additionally, do you have the following temperature control procedures in place?
Established verification and calibration procedures for all thermometers in use by all employees?
Do you randomly test instruments that are in use?
Do you keep records of your verification and calibration procedures?
Accurate and consistent temperature monitoring is critical, and we need to make sure we are providing our employees with the most appropriate tools to reduce the chances of monitoring errors. Temperature matters.
Norm Faiola, Ph.D., is associate dean and associate professor, Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, Syracuse University. Email Dr. Faiola with questions or comments: nafaiola@syr.edu.
