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Issue: 1131 Date: 4/26/2012
Become A Fan, Like St. Louis Chinese American News
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ARFT (Asian Restaurant Task Force) Playing it Safe - Health Department Tips
Q: What is the most interesting complaint the Department of Health (DOH) has received regarding Asian restaurants?
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Q: What is the most interesting complaint the Department of Health (DOH) has received regarding Asian restaurants?
A:The most interesting complaint received by DOH staff was a complaint regarding raw ducks hanging outside a restaurant exposed to the elements. Inspectors found this very unusual because this is not a common custom or practice in our culture. At the time of the investigation, no ducks were actually hanging outside. The inspector spoke to the operator and found that they hang ducks outside to use for preparing Peking duck. Fortunately, these ducks were only for the operator𠏋 personal use. The inspector informed them that in accordance with the Saint Louis County Food Code, food products cannot be stored, processed, or prepared outside. All food must be prepared in an approved food preparation area. This area is designed to facilitate the making of a safe food product by reducing other possible sources of contamination.
Another concern associated with hanging food products outside is the inability to maintain proper holding temperatures. Poultry is supposed to be cooked to a final cooking temperature of 165 degree F. After cooking any potentially hazardous food to the proper temperature, it should be held either above 135 degree F or below 41 degree F. The more time that potentially hazardous foods are held between 135 degree F and 41 degree F increases the likelihood that microorganisms will grow in amounts that could make people ill. To assist you with cooking food to the proper temperature and reducing the potential for food-borne illness, we have provided a table (below) with some common final cooking temperatures of common food products:
Food Product Minimum Internal Temperature degree F Minimum Time
Poultry 165 15 seconds
Ground, chopped meat/fish (sausage, gyros, etc.) 155 15 seconds
Whole meats (beef steaks, pork chops, etc.) 145 15 seconds
All other potentially hazardous foods, including eggs, fish, and seafood 145 15 seconds
Beef /pork roasts 140 12 minutes
Q: How do I contact the Health Department and ARTF?
A: For more information on restaurant inspections, restaurant licensing, or food safety in general, please contact Saint Louis County Department of Health at 314-615-8900 or
food.doh@stlouisco.com .
For ARTF (Asian Restaurant Task Force), please contact St. Louis Chinese American News at 314-432-3858,
editor@SCANews.com or
http://www.scanews.com/artf/ |
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