Salads
are mixtures of minimally processed ready-to-eat
vegetables with or without dressing. Other common
ingredients are fruits, poultry, meat, seafood,
egg, pasta, herbs, nuts or cooked vegetables.
Salads are usually served cold. As the ingredients
are not cooked and the preparation requires
a lot of handling, the risk will be largely
increased if the salads are not handled properly.
To ensure the safety of salads, food handlers
should be alert to the possible food safety
problems and take appropriate measures in the
production. Food handlers should adopt the control
measures as identified in the following.
Purchase
and receipt
Problems:
Presence of harmful bacteria, chemical and foreign
materials.
Control:
Purchase
raw materials from reputable and approved
source.
Inspect raw materials on arrival to ensure
that
there
are no signs of contamination or damage
to the raw materials;
chilled items (e.g. meat, seafood and
cut vegetables and fruits) are delivered
at 4oC or below and frozen
items at frozen state and are free from
observable evidence of temperature abuse.
Storage
Problems:
Growth of harmful bacteria and cross-contamination.
Control:
Store
deliveries immediately and at proper temperatures
(chilled items at 4oC or below;
frozen items at -18oC or below).
Practice
first-in-first-out stock rotation.
Keep raw materials covered/wrapped until use.
Store ready-to-eat and raw foods separately.
Preparation
Problems:
Presence of harmful bacteria in raw materials,
growth of harmful bacteria and cross-contamination.
Control:
Cook
all ingredients (e.g. eggs, chicken and beef)
thoroughly.
Use
pasteurised eggs or egg products to prepare
salad dressings.
When
washing vegetables and fruits, pay attention
to the followings:
wash them thoroughly and, as far as practicable,
in a sink exclusively for this use.
replace water at a sufficient frequency to
prevent spreading of microbial contaminants.
choose appropriate disinfectants and follow
manufacturers' instructions (e.g. methods,
quantities specified, etc.) if disinfectants
are used.
Store salad dressings at 4oC or
below once their packages are opened.
Keep finished products, which are not for
immediate consumption, at 4oC or
below.
Avoid
holding chilled ingredients and finished products
at above 4oC for more than two
hours.
Label prepackaged salad with a "use-by" date
and a statement of storage condition.
Use separate equipment and utensils to handle
ready-to-eat and raw foods to avoid cross-contamination.
Keep equipment and utensils clean and in good
condition.
Maintain good personal hygiene (e.g. wash
hands frequently, wear clean protective clothing,
etc.) at all times.
Distribution
and display
Problems:
Growth of harmful bacteria and cross-contamination.
Control:
Distribute
and display finished products in a proper
manner and at 4oC or below to protect
them from contamination and deterioration.
Distribute and sell finished products in a
first-in-first-out basis.
Self-serve
salad bars
Problems:
Growth of harmful bacteria and cross-contamination.
Control:
Display
salad ingredients in a proper manner and at
4oC or below to protect them from
contamination and deterioration.
Provide sufficient number of tongs or ladles
with long handles and replace them with clean
ones when appropriate (e.g. at 4 hour interval).
Remove contaminated tongs and ladles (e.g.
those dropped onto the floor) from the salad
bar area immediately.
Display
ingredients in small portions and avoid topping
up with fresh ones.
Discard
leftovers.
Supervise
the salad bar area by appropriately trained
staff to protect the food against contamination
by customers.
Management
system
Implement
a preventive food safety management system (such
as the HACCP-based Food Safety Plan) to identify
and control food safety problems at every stage
of the food manufacturing process.
Enquiry
For
related information, please contact the Communication
Resource Unit.
Telephone
:
2381 6096
Address :
8/F, Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building,
123A Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon.
Salads
are mixtures of minimally processed ready-to-eat
vegetables with or without dressing. Other common
ingredients are fruits, poultry, meat, seafood,
egg, pasta, herbs, nuts or cooked vegetables.
Salads are usually served cold. As the ingredients
are not cooked and the preparation requires
a lot of handling, the risk will be largely
increased if the salads are not handled properly.
To ensure the safety of salads, food handlers
should be alert to the possible food safety
problems and take appropriate measures in the
production. Food handlers should adopt the control
measures as identified in the following.
Last
review date: 01-06-2005