Food Safety – Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Food When working to prevent foodborne illness, it’s important to recognize that some food items are more likely than others to become unsafe to eat. Those items are known as TCS foods or Time/Temperature Control for Safety foods.
| A food item is determined to be a TCS Food by considering five factors:
Acidity Moisture content Acidity and moisture interaction Heat treatment Packaging |
In some foods, it is possible that neither the acidity nor the moisture content alone are low enough to protect the food; however, their interaction makes the food safe by creating an environment unfavorable to microorganism growth. Melons, leafy greens, and tomatoes are protected from outside contaminants until they have been cut. Cutting or tearing these foods alters their properties and encourages growth of microorganisms. Just because a food is not defined as a TCS Food does not guarantee that it will be safe from all hazards. Non-TCS Food may contain biological, chemical, or physical food safety hazards. Combination foods (those consisting of multiple TCS or non-TCS Foods) present an additional challenge; these foods are assumed to be TCS Food unless the retail food establishment can prove otherwise. to read what Regulation 61-25 has to say about TCS Foods. |
Food Safety – Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Food
Contents
What is TCS food examples?
Examples of TCS food Food from animal origin that is raw, cooked or partially cooked, such as eggs, milk, meat or poultry. Food from plant origin that is cooked such as rice, potatoes and pasta. Food from plant origin such as raw seed sprouts, cut melons, cut tomatoes and cut leafy greens.
What is TCS food temp?
TCS food must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and completely cooled to 41°F or below within 6 hours. TCS food prepared from ingredients at room temperature must be cooled to 41°F or below within 4 hours.
What are the 12 TCS foods?
Foods That Need Time and Temperature Control – Any type of food can host contaminants, but some foods are better than others for the growth of pathogens. Foods that need time and temperature control for safety—known as TCS foods—include milk and dairy products, eggs, meat (beef, pork, and lamb), poultry, fish, shellfish and crustaceans, baked potatoes, tofu or other soy protein, sprouts and sprout seeds, sliced melons, cut tomatoes, cut leafy greens, untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures, and cooked rice, beans, and vegetables.
What is the 4 hour rule for food safety?
If the total time is: Less than 2 hours, the food can be used or put back in the refrigerator for later use, Between 2 and 4 hours, the food can still be used, but can’t be put back in the refrigerator, and 4 hours or longer, the food must be thrown out.
How long can you hold TCS food?
How long can food be left out? – TCS foods that are ready-to-eat can be safely consumed in a four hour window. If they have not been temperature controlled, they should be discarded after four hours. Hot held and cold held foods can be served for four hours without temperature controls if they are discarded after the four-hour time limit.
How long can food be in danger zone?
Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter ) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes.
Keep hot food hot—at or above 140 °F. Place cooked food in chafing dishes, preheated steam tables, warming trays, and/or slow cookers. Keep cold food cold—at or below 40 °F. Place food in containers on ice.
Cooking Raw meat and poultry should always be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature (see graphic). When roasting meat and poultry, use an oven temperature no lower than 325 °F. If you aren’t going to serve hot food right away, it’s important to keep it at 140 °F or above.
- Storing Leftovers One of the most common causes of foodborne illness is improper cooling of cooked foods.
- Bacteria can be reintroduced to food after it is safely cooked.
- For this reason leftovers must be put in shallow containers for quick cooling and refrigerated at 40 °F or below within two hours.
- Reheating Foods should be reheated thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165 °F or until hot and steaming.
In the microwave oven, cover food and rotate so it heats evenly.
How should TCS foods be stored?
What Does TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food) Mean? – Depending on various factors, some foods are more likely to encourage the growth of bacteria that can cause sickness if consumed. These foods are known as Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods.
TCS foods need temperature and time controls to help limit and prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Controlling for time and temperature means limiting the amount of time TCS foods are at bacteria-friendly temperatures and regularly monitoring temperatures to prevent encouraging bacteria growth. TCS foods need airtight storage in refrigerators or freezers, or they need to be fully heated and then kept at 135 degrees Fahrenheit to keep bacteria from growing in the food.
Some examples of TCS food are:
- Fish and shellfish
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Meat products
- Cooked vegetables
- Cut garlic in oil
- Custard or cream
- Raw sprouts
- Potato dishes
- Sliced tomatoes and melons
- Protein-rich plants
- Cut leafy greens
Not all foods are TCS foods. Some dry goods are low enough in their acid or moisture content that storing them at room temperature is no problem. Some non-TCS foods include:
- Bread
- Chips
- Candy
- Dried beans
- Uncooked rice
- Powdered milk
Lots of foods aren’t considered TCS foods. They’re often prepackaged, uncooked, dry or processed in some form. You don’t have to worry about bacteria growing on these foods quickly — they can often be left out during the day with little issue. Even foods that aren’t considered TCS foods can still contain safety hazards if consumed.
What are 3 potentially hazardous foods?
Potentially hazardous foods are foods that must be kept at a particular temperature to minimise the growth of food poisoning bacteria that may be in the food, or to stop the formation of toxins. Examples of potentially hazardous foods include:
raw and cooked meat, or foods containing meat such as casseroles, curries and lasagnedairy products such as milk, custard and dairy‐based dessertsseafood (excluding live seafood)processed or cut fruits and vegetables, such as saladscooked rice and pastafoods containing egg, beans, nuts or other protein‐rich food such as quiche and soy productsfoods that contain any of the above foods including sandwiches and rolls.
Be aware of how you prepare, store and serve these foods at home, for picnics, when packing school lunch boxes, donating to charities, or taking food home in doggy bags from restaurants. Always keep potentially hazardous food under temperature control:
keep hot food hot – 60ºC or abovekeep cold food cold – 5ºC or below
Which food is not a TCS food?
Non-Potentially Hazardous Food – Non-TCS – A food which will not support the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Examples of such foods are: dry goods, dry cereals, dehydrated and un-reconstituted foods, candy bars, popcorn, potato chips, canned pop and sodas.
Is ice cream a TCS?
Common TCS foods include raw animal products such as beef, pork, fish, seafood, and poultry. Dairy products, such as milk, sour cream, ice cream, and some cheeses, eggs, garlic in oil, some cut foods such as melons, tomatoes and leafy greens, and cooked rice, potatoes, beans, vegetables, and grains.
Why is milk a TCS food?
Using milk and dairy products – Be sure to use all of your dairy products by their use-by date, To accomplish this, institute the First In, First Out (FIFO) method—store your oldest dairy products in front of the newest ones and use them in that order. Also keep in mind that pasteurized milk and cheese are the safest to use because the pasteurization process kills harmful bacteria.
How far off the floor should food be stored?
The FDA Food Code requires that food be stored six inches off the floor, that food be protected during storage, and that there be no pests in the facility to contaminate food.
What is the 4 hour rule for meat?
How Long Can Food Stay in the Temperature Danger Zone? – ServSafe states that 4 hours is the maximum length of time ready-to-eat foods can stay in the temperature danger zone. After the 4-hour limit, foods are considered spoiled and must be thrown away.
What temperature should dry goods be stored at?
Dry Storage Store dry foods at 50°F for maximum shelf life. However, 70°F is adequate for dry storage of most products. Place a thermometer on the wall in the dry storage area. Check the temperature of the storeroom daily.
How long can food be displayed?
If it has been out for more than four hours it must be thrown away. If you do take food out of chilled storage to display it, remove a small amount at a time. Make sure that food on display is used up before you add new food. This will make it easier to ensure that food is not left on display longer than 4 hours.
What is the 40 to 140 rule?
Danger Zone for Smoking and Grilling Meat – While smoking meat, you should pay special attention to the temperature danger zone because there is a higher chance of bacteria growth in the meat. Therefore, you need to find the optimum temperature for meat. If you are planning to smoke or grill meat, you should know about the 40-140-4 rule; The idea behind this rule is that meat should increase the temperature from 40°F to 140°F within 4 hours. It will reduce the bacteria growth to a great extent. Note: 40°F to 140°F means 4.44°C to 60°C.
What is the temperature range for E coli?
Growth conditions: Temperature range: 4- 45°C (39-113°F ); can survive refrigeration and freezing. Optimum Temperature: 37°C (98.6°F) pH range: can survive at pH 3.6.
What are examples of non-TCS foods?
Examples of non-TCS foods include most baked goods, candies, jams and jellies, and acidic/acidified and/or fermented beverages and foods. For questionable food products, the PDA food inspector may require you to have them tested for pH and/or water activity (aw) to determine their safety and shelf-stability.
What is not an example of TCS food?
Non-Potentially Hazardous Food – Non-TCS – A food which will not support the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Examples of such foods are: dry goods, dry cereals, dehydrated and un-reconstituted foods, candy bars, popcorn, potato chips, canned pop and sodas.
Are French fries a TCS food?
According to the 2017 Potato Statistical Yearbook created by the National Potato Council, 44 billion pounds of potatoes were produced in the U.S. in 2015. Some of those were turned into potato chips, others french fries. Many potatoes were baked or boiled and then served in restaurants, catering, healthcare and other foodservice operations.
