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Raw materials
Raw materials shall be purchased from reliable and known dealers and checked for visible deterioration & off odour. There should be no physical hazards and foreign body contamination. Raw paste, sauces etc. should be stored in properly covered containers made of food grade material and checked regularly for fungal growth, deterioration, etc.
Preparation of fruits / vegetables
- Fruits and vegetables that have been protected from cross-contamination and properly conserved should be used
- Fruits and vegetables should be washed in potable water before being cut, mixed with other ingredients. Uncooked, ready-to-eat fruits & vegetables should be with 50ppm chlorinated water before cutting, peeling or serving
- Fruits and vegetables should bepeeled, squeezed and /or cut, as appropriate, with clean equipment / utensils made of non-absorbent food grade materials
- Previously prepared fruits / vegetables should be kept in clean and properly covered food grade containers under refrigeration or at a maximum temperature suitable for the product in question
Preparation of Non-veg. Products
- Raw meat and processed meat should be separated from other foods; items and surfaces
- Separate items (e.g. cutting boards, dishes, knives) and preparation area for raw meats and poultry and marine products should be used to avoid cross contamination of food
- Hands should be thoroughly washed before switching from preparing raw meat or poultry or marine products to any other activity
- Ensure proper cooking of all non vegetarian products
- Used surfaces should be washed with antibacterial cleaning agent, rinsed properly with water and sanitized after preparing raw meat / poultry
- Ensure that frozen products are thawed as per point no. 9 under special requirements for high risk foods
Cooking
- The preparation / processing / cooking should be adequate to eliminate and reduce hazards to an acceptable level which might have been introduced at the raw food level; should ensure that the foods are not re- contaminated
- Whenever cooking or reheating of food is done, it should be hot all the way through, it is especially important to make sure that food is cooked thoroughly
- Re-use of cooking oil should be avoided
- Food hot held at 60°C and cooled at 21°C within two hours or cooled to 5°C in four hours and thereafter refrigerated might be reheated
- Reheated food must reach a minimum internal temperature of 74°C. When using microwave to reheat, food must reach a minimum temperature of 74°C and stayed covered for five minutes to allow the temperature to equilibrate
- Reheat food quickly in ovens, steamer, and microwave oven and / or on top of range in a steam kettle
- Never reheat food on a steam table, in a bain-marie, in a bun drawer and / or under a heat lamp
- In case of reheating of oil use maximum three times to avoid the formation of trans-fat. It is ideal to use once if possible
