Some events and food service situations may not benefit from instant service or hot and cold held buffet lines, so the Minnesota food code has procedures that allow certified food protection managers to utilize time as public health control (TPHC) to help you keep the food you serve safe, even if you aren’t serving it instantly. Let’s take a moment to review exactly how Certified Food Protection Managers can use TPHC in certain situations.
How Certified Food Protection Managers Can Best Use TPHC
Just a quick note before we begin. If you are the certified food protection manager at a facility that serves an immunocompromised or susceptible population, it’s best not to utilize time as a public health control. Assisted living facilities, hospitals, certain school and other outlets that serve a susceptible population should rely on hot and cold holding temperature control. TPHC is technically allowed for food that does not include eggs in some of these situations, but caution may be the best course of action.
The rules behind TPHC control are rather simple, but there are a few steps you must take when using this method. The basics of TPHC are:
- Hot foods above 135 degrees can be held for four hours after removed from temperature control
- Cold foods below 41 degrees can be held for four hours after removed from temperature control
- Cold foods can be held for six hours after being removed from temperature control if the monitored temperature never rises over 70 degrees
Just to summarize time as public health control for CFPM use, any foods pulled out of hot holding above 135 degrees or cold storage below 41 degrees can be held for four hours without hot holding or cold holding. Cold foods can be held up to six hours if temperatures are monitored closely.
Once the holding process begins, it cannot be extended by reheating or chilling items. Once these items have been removed from a temperature controlled environment, your timer starts and cannot be paused or extended by any means. As soon as your four, or six, hours have expired all food must be discarded. It cannot be stored, reheated or served at a later time under any circumstances.
Finally, make sure that you have written TPHC procedures outlined and available should a health inspector wish to review them. It’s also important that every staff member understands the restrictions of TPHC before service begins.
Does your certified food protection manager utilize time as public health control?
