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Speaker's Notes

An assessment of an operation's control of the foodborne illness risk factors should be the primary focus of every inspection. The inspection methodology should be based on what food processes are occurring at the time of inspection. Every effort should be made to check
:
Critical time/temperature relationships. It will be important to know, at the beginning of the inspection, what items are planned for, or are in the process of cooking OR what items might be in the process of cooling.
All aspects of an effective personal hygiene program including handwashing. Prevention of bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods and managements employee health program and policies.
Cleaning and sanitizing procedures for food contact surfaces and utensils.
Storage and preparation of raw animal foods and ready-to-eat foods.

Regulatory food safety professionals must understand the public health reasons, and be able to correctly apply the underlying regulatory requirements for the control of each risk factors.

The time of day that inspections are conducted may need to be varied based on the operation. Inspection staff may need flexible schedules to ensure observations of critical food preparation practices that routinely occur before or after traditional working hours. Observing and documenting practices related to risk factors, such as the cooling of potentially hazardous foods and proper handwashing, may require slightly longer inspections.