By following the four-hour two-hour guide, you can help ensure that your perishable foods are safe and free from harmful bacteria
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS INGREDIENT CARD
Ingredient
Be Food Safe
Question:
What is meant by four hour/two-hour guide for perishable foods?
Answer:
The four-hour/two-hour guide relates to how long potentially hazardous food may remain outside of temperature control. Please note that the timeframes relate to the total time a particular food is outside of temperature control including time during preparation, storage, display and transport.
Under two-hours
Food must be used or placed back under temperature control (5 degrees C or less or 60 degrees C or greater)
Two to four hours
Food must be used immediately; it cannot be re-refrigerated.
Four plus hours
Food must be discarded; it may have harmful levels of bacteria.
Example:
A food business wishes to display chicken and ham sandwiches in a non-refrigerated display cabinet during the busy lunchtime period in order to do this they wish to apply the four-hour/2-hour guide. Therefore the following is necessary:
- The food business must ensure that the chicken and ham have not undergone any prior temperature abuse. The chicken and ham must have come from a reputable supplier who is able to provide written advice that the products have been kept below 5 degrees C during manufacture and transport to the food premises.
- To be safe the food business should also carry out temperature checks of the food upon arrival at the food business and record these temperatures.
- Upon arrival the products should be immediately placed under refrigeration or any time they are not under refrigeration should be documentedThe time taken to make up the sandwiches must be recorded as this is time that the products are outside of temperature control.
- The sandwiches can then be displayed in the non-refrigerated cabinet for the remaining period of time according to the four-hour/two-hour guide.
- For example, if the chicken and ham had been kept under temperature control up until delivery at the premises, then left for thirty minutes prior to being placed in the cool room, then removed from the cool room to make up sandwiches that took thirty minutes, the chicken and ham have been outside of temperature control for a total of one hour. There is only a further one hour before the sandwiches can be either used or refrigerated, a further one to three hours before they must be used or a further three hours before they are to be discarded.
By following the four-hour/two-hour guide, you can help ensure that your perishable foods are safe and free from harmful bacteria. This means being mindful of how long your food has been out of the refrigerator or freezer and taking steps to keep it at a safe temperature. By taking these simple actions, you can enjoy safe and healthy meals and reduce your risk of foodborne illness.
