Food Safety EssentialsBecky Moulder

GRIT 654

Learner Demographics This course is designed for adult

learners who work in food service, management, or distribution.

It is also intended to teach basic food safety to healthcare workers and public health officials responsible for tracking food recalls.

Integration of Technology

Blogs YouTube videos Podcast Online Quiz Online Crossword

Puzzle

PowerPoint Interactive

Whiteboards Infrared

Thermometers

This mini unit will utilize the following types of technology:

Course Objectives Understand proper hand washing techniques and

kitchen sanitation practices.

Identify foods that must be kept separated and sources of potential cross-contamination.

Understand correct minimum food temperatures, how to check food temperatures, and identify the “danger temperature zone range.”

Recognize correct refrigeration and freezer temperatures. Identify foods that must be promptly chilled.

Demonstrate knowledge of food safety essentials by creating as a group a plan to prepare a hypothetical dinner for 150 guests.

Before we begin . . .Let’s see how much you already know about food handling and safety by taking the food safety quiz available here: http://culinaryarts.about.com/library/quizzes/foodsafety/blquiz.htm?

Lesson Schedule

Clean

Separate

Cook

Chill

This course will consist of 4 lessons based on the 4 key steps of food safety. The 4 steps are:

Lesson 1: Clean

Read: We all know to wash our hands before preparing food and to wash away any visible dirt on produce, but thorough cleaning, especially on often forgotten surfaces, is an essential first step to food preparation.

Cutting boards, especially wooden ones, can harbor bacteria and need to be thoroughly cleaned after each use. Plastic and acrylic cutting boards are less porous, durable, and inexpensive to replace often. Sanitize cutting boards by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to air dry completely. Alternatively, you may use a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach to 1 gallon water instead of the boiling water.

Clean knives and all kitchen utensils using hot soapy water, making sure no food particles remain.

Objective: Understand proper hand washing techniques and kitchen sanitation practices.

Lesson 1: continued . . Wipe all kitchen equipment before and after each use using a

clean damp towel or paper towel. Do not reuse towels as they may spread bacteria.

Clean up spills and splatters immediately; this will make them much easier to remove and will also preventing slipping in the kitchen.

Wash all produce, even fruits and vegetables with a rind or that you intend to peel, under cold running water and scrub to remove any dirt. Fruit such as cantaloupe can harbor bacteria and dirt in the rind; cutting through the rind can transfer the bacteria to the flesh of the fruit.

Watch: USDA-produced video about cleaning food available here.

Lesson 1: continued . .

Watch: Check out this video produced by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to understand the importance of hand washing and disease prevention.

Activity: Blog—Do you think a lack of proper hand washing is a problem? What are some of the challenges to getting people do it regularly?

Lesson 2: Separate

Read: Use separate cutting boards for produce, poultry, red meat, and seafood. Different colored boards that correspond to each food make this an easy task.

Keep raw seafood, poultry, and meat away from produce and other items in the refrigerator. To prevent meat/seafood juices from dripping onto other foods, wrap these items tightly in plastic, place them in a plastic resealable bag, and keep these items on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Use separate utensils to cut and cook raw foods and serve cooked foods.

Objective: Identify foods that must be kept separated and sources of potential cross-contamination.

Lesson 2: continued . .

Activity: Play the Cross-Contamination Crossword Puzzle

Watch: USDA’s video on food separation.Learn more about proper storage for different fruits and vegetables here.

Lesson 2: continued . .

Lesson 3: Cook

Read: It is important to cook foods like meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs thoroughly to kill any bacteria that may be contained in the raw food, particularly those present in the juices. Salmonella and e. Coli are two of the most common food pathogens, and both have many different strains that can make people sick.

The elderly, young children, pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised are especially at risk for becoming sick.

Review this information from CDC regarding preventing Salmonella infections and other foodborne illnesses: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/FoodSafety/?s_cid=vitalsigns_070

Objective: Understand correct minimum food temperatures, how to check food temperatures, and identify the “danger temperature zone range.”

Lesson 3: continued . .

Listen: The following podcast, “Making Food Safer to Eat,” is produced by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and contains important information on specific pathogens that may be present in food. http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=7091527

Watch: USDA video on cooking food to safe temperatures

Review: A list of minimum cooking temperatures for a variety of foods is available here: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

Lesson 3: continued . .

Activity: Blog—”What are the consequences of foodborne illness? Think in terms beyond just the physical symptoms (e.g., health professionals, food manufacturers, farmers, etc.) Who is affected?”

Lesson 4: Chill

Lesson: Refrigerate all perishable and/or cooked foods within two hours of preparation. Immediately refrigerate items containing dairy.

Do not refreeze meats that have been allowed to thaw. Marinate meat in a tightly sealed bag in the refrigerator. Remember that refrigeration slows, but does not

completely stop the growth of bacteria. Discard leftovers after 3 days.

Freezing food stops the growth of bacteria. Be sure to tightly wrap items in the freezer to prevent “freezer burn.” Freezer burned foods are still safe to eat when properly thawed and cooked, but the taste and texture may be affected.

Objective: Recognize correct refrigeration and freezer temperatures. Identify foods that must be promptly chilled.

Lesson 4: continued . .

Activity: Use a handheld infrared thermometer to check out the different temperatures of foods in your home refrigerator, office lunch room, and food at restaurants. Record your results in a chart, stating what food you checked, the location of the food, the ideal temperature the food should be, and the actual temperature. Write a blog post describing your findings. Did anything surprise you? Shock you?

Watch: USDA video on proper food refrigeration

Final Project

Activity: Your team is responsible for planning, preparing, cooking, and serving a hypothetical dinner for 150 guests visiting your company. Create a plan for choosing the menu, organizing

what equipment you will need, how you will prepare the food, and what precautions/steps you will need to take to ensure proper food temperatures and safety.

Share your presentation to the event committee using an interactive whiteboard. You may include additional videos, podcasts, and web tools to present your plan.

Objective: Demonstrate knowledge of food safety essentials by creating a plan to prepare a hypothetical dinner for 150 guests.

Assessment I included an activity in which students test the temperatures of foods

using an infrared thermometer because it contributes to higher learning. Students are asked to perform research and describe the reasons for their results.

The food safety videos from USDA were included because they are short and light-hearted, which I think makes them easy to remember.

The final project requires students to work as a team and develop a large-scale food safety plan using the information they just learned. The project involves critical thinking and encourages them to anticipate potential problems.

There are a few links in each lesson to important web resources. Students are not expected memorize the correct minimum cooking temperature for every food, but can instead rely on “fingertip knowledge,” described in Curtis Bonk’s The World Is Open on pg. 57. Fingertip knowledge can be more effective than memorization when it involves information that changes frequently.

Justification  Beginning (1 point) Developing (2 points) Proficient (3 points)

Organization & Navigation

Information is poorly arranged and difficult to navigate.

Information is somewhat difficult to navigate; key topics may be hidden or out of order

Information is effectively arranged in a logical order. Key topics are easy to find; website is user-friendly

Visual Appeal Lacks attraction to users; poor use of design aesthetics and layout

Utilizes basic layout design and format; lacks color scheme or font consistency

Design aesthetics (color, size, fonts) and layout are engaging and attractive; utilizes appropriate graphics

Collaboration Does not encourage sharing of information between users; non-interactive

Somewhat interactive; information sharing between users may be limited

Encourages sharing of ideas and group work between users; highly interactive

Use of Technology Lacks effective use of variety of technologies

Utilizes some appropriate technologies; may lack variety; technologies may not be user-friendly or seem relevant to the topic

Effectively utilizes a variety of appropriate technologies, which may include videos, podcasts, games, discussion boards and live chats

Connection to Prior Knowledge

Does not establish connections to user’s previous learning

Relates to user’s previous learning but does not establish strong connection to new information

Builds on user’s previous learning to create strong connections to new ideas and topics; focuses on user comprehension; encourages higher learning

User Engagement/Motivation

Does not encourage learner involvement or motivation; reasons for learning are not defined

Stimulates learning but user is not fully involved in the process; the user may not understand why the information is important; may be visually appealing but fail to capture user’s attention.

Highly stimulates and encourages genuine learning; learner understands why the information is important and is thoroughly involved in the process; establishes higher learning objectives

Mechanics Significant spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors; uses inappropriate tone and/or tense; contains several broken links

Contains minor spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors; uses casual tone or incorrect tense; may contain some broken links

Contains no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors; uses professional tone and correct tense; contains no broken links

Assessment/Feedback

Evaluation criteria for successful course completion are not defined.

Evaluation criteria for successful course completion are mentioned but not clearly defined.

Evaluation criteria for successful course completion are clearly defined and accurately measure the user’s accomplishment.

Total Points: _____21_/24 possible

Justification I think that this course meets the criteria of the rubric

because it firsts determines what the user’s prior knowledge is using a food safety quiz, and then new, more detailed information is provided.

Students are required to use the information they learned in each lesson with an interactive assignment at the end. The activities were chosen to promote higher learning and reasoning. Beyond the facts they are presented, I want students to understand the impact of a lack of food safety, and why prevention is so importance. The blog posts and final project require them to apply knowledge and work collaboratively to create a plan and anticipate potential challenges.

This mini unit effectively integrates several different forms of interactive technology that support the course objectives.

References Food Network. “Storing Fruits and Vegetables.” http://

www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/storing-fruits-and-vegetables/index.html.

Minnesota Department of Health. “Prevent Cross-Contamination.” http://www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety/clean/xcontamination.html#more

New York Times Company. About.com/culinaryarts. “Quiz: Food Safety and Sanitation.” http://culinaryarts.about.com/library/quizzes/foodsafety/blquiz.htm

United States. Center for Disease Control. “Put Your Hands Together.” http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandsTogether/

United States. Department of Agriculture. Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Safety Education. “Check Your Steps!” http://www.fsis.usda.gov/food_safety_education/Check_Your_Steps/index.asp

YouTube.com USDA Food Safety Videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/USDAFoodSafety?feature=watch