Serving the food to the consumer is the final step to food safety.
Holding Temperatures for Potentially Hazardous
Foods
- Hot food shall be held at
135°F or above.
- Cold food shall be held at 41°F or below.
The following foods are required to be held at
45° F or below prior to serving:
- unshucked live molluscan shellfish,
- food in serving lines and salad bars in the
customer area,
- pasteurized milk and pasteurized milk
products in original containers, and
- raw eggs in their shell.
Preventing Food and Utensil Contamination
- Provide proper protection (e.g., sneeze
guards) to food items that are exposed to the consumer.
- Have servers properly wash their hands
prior to serving food.
- Serve food on clean plates with clean
utensils.
- Use utensils instead of hands to dispense
food.
- Never touch parts of utensils that may
contact a consumer's mouth.
Note: Servers are specifically prohibited
from touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. They must use a utensil when
handling ready-to-eat food and ice.
Food (for example, tortilla chips, bread,
butter) that has been served to a consumer shall not be re-served to another customer or
used in the preparation of another food.
Self-Service Food Lines
Verify that food temperatures are maintained. Hot
food shall be held at or above 135° F and cold food at or below 45° F.
Provide proper protection for food items.
Use approved sneeze guards.
Provide clean utensils for customers to
use on each trip to the food line.
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Food Handler's Guide for Retail Food Facilities
Housing Inspection Bureau