Food Safety

SERVE IT SAFE! Prevent Foodborne Illness

Standards for Handling Preparing and Serving Food Safely

Some planning and attention to detail will help assure your food is safe to eat...

• Wash your hands often, and wash them well. Washing your hands thoroughly and frequently id the most important thing you can do to keep from harmful germs out of foods you prepare. Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling food.
• Use gloves, deli papers or utensils when working with ready-to- eat foods. Ready-to-eat foods are foods that will not receive further washing cooking prior to consumption. When you use gloves, you must still wash your hands and switch to clean gloves when they become soiled.
• No smoking, eating or drinking in food preparation service and storage areas. You should wear a hat or hair restraint when working with open food.
• Take temperatures, use a thermometer to monitor the cooking and holding temperatures of food. To be safe, cold foods must be held at 41 degrees or less. Hot foods must be held at 130 degrees to keep germs from growing. Prevent foodborne illness by keeping food out of the "danger zone" between 41 and 130 degrees F.
• Keep foods safe from cross contamination with careful sanitizing and storage of equipment. After dishes and utensils have been cleaned, they must be sanitized. Bleach is the most common kitchen sanitizer. When using bleach, the right concentration is 50-100 parts per million.

When washing equipment and dishes by hand, use the following procedure:

1. Wash thoroughly
2. Rinse thoroughly
3. Immerse in sanitizing solution for 30 seconds
4. Air dry
5. Store in a clean and protected place

Store chemicals away from food, utensils and equipment.
For further information about safe food handling, contact Maricopa County's website at: www.maricopa.gov/envsvc

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Paradise Valley Unified School District
Food Serving Guidelines

We are concerned with the safety of our students.  We must also comply with the rules and regulations established by the Maricopa County Dept. of Environmental Services, United States Dept. of Agriculture, and PVUSD Governing Board Policy.  The guidelines below will help standardize how food is handled and served on all campuses.
Food Serving Guidelines for Fundraising

• If food is served during the school day (first bell to last bell), items offered must comply with Governing Board Policy 7.3.3.  This policy applies to K-8 level only.
• All food items being sold must come from a commercial kitchen with an approved Maricopa County Health permit.
  
• Fundraising during the breakfast or lunch period should not take place in the cafeteria.
• Food cannot be stored in any Nutrition & Wellness kitchen area including freezers, refrigerators, or storerooms.

Food in the Classroom

• All foods offered must come from a commercial source with an approved Maricopa County Health permit.  Examples of approved sources are:  supermarket bakery, retail location, or a commercial restaurant.
  
• All food offered is delivered at proper temperature and unwrapped food is served with a non-latex gloved hand or serving utensil.  The cafeteria manager at your school can provide you with non-latex gloves if needed.
• All food offered is being consumed within a reasonable amount of time and is maintained at proper temperature.
• No contact is to be made by a non-gloved hand with any food item that is not pre-wrapped.

After Hours Carnivals and Parties

After school functions must be in compliance with Maricopa County Health Code. In order to operate a function where food is being served, a County permit is required. There are three options listed below that meet this requirement:

1. The sponsoring group should obtain their own Maricopa County Health permit to operate. The fees for this permit range from $70-$260 per year depending on the type of permit.  A permit requires that one person on site be certified in an approved Maricopa County sanitation course.
2. The school kitchen can be rented by contacting Community Education at 602.449.2200. The cafeteria manager can also be hired through Community Education to work the event. All cafeteria managers have the proper certification required by the County.
3. Hire a catering company with an approved Maricopa County permit to service the function. The vendor must possess the proper permit to cater. The vendor must be completely self-reliant.  Caterer must have necessary supplies for the function and be able to comply with County regulations with regard to safety and sanitation.

Although a food handler’s card is not required for a Miscellaneous Food Permit or a Retail Grocery Permit, it is required for those assisting with food preparation in a food service kitchen.  Food handler’s cards are obtained by reading a booklet about safe food handling and taking a test.  Booklets are available for review at the test location.

Testing is conducted at the Northern Region office of the Maricopa County Department of Environmental Services at 3101 East Shea, Suite #220.  The cost is $12 and must be paid in cash.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact
PVUSD Nutrition & Wellness at 602.449.2274
OR
Maricopa County Dept. of Environmental Services
Northern Region at 602.867.1780.

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