Making Sanitizer

You can measure bleach by using 1 to 3 teaspoons or the lid of the container. Mix the measured bleach with one gallon of water. However you decide to measure the bleach, you will need to test the concentration to make sure it isn’t too weak or too strong.
Do not add soap to this mix because the sanitizer will not work with soap in it. (If you use another kind of sanitizing mix, be sure it is approved by the Health Department.)
Testing Sanitizer
100 ppm chlorine residual
The only way to know the concentration of the sanitizer is to use test strips made for the type of sanitizer you are using.
Use special test strips that are made for the sanitizer you are using. For chlorine or bleach, the test strip should turn a blue color that indicates 100 parts per million (ppm). Look at the color chart on the test strip container. If the sanitizer has less than 100 ppm it is too weak. If it has 200ppm, it is too strong and can make people sick.
Change the sanitizer when it starts to get dirty. The sanitizer stops working when it gets dirty.

In-Place Sanitizing

Meat slicers, grinders and cutting boards that are too big to run through the dishwasher or too big to wash in the sink, still need to be cleaned and sanitized.
In-Place Sanitizing must be done after the equipment has been used. To clean big pieces of equipment in-place, you need to:
1. Wash them with hot soapy water.
2. Rinse them with clean water.
3. Sanitize them with freshly prepared sanitizer.
Follow the cleaning directions for each piece of equipment.
Wiping Cloths
Use wiping cloths to put sanitizer onto the clean surface of cutting boards and equipment.
Between uses, store the wiping cloth in a sanitizer that is at least 100 parts per million (ppm) chlorine residual but not more than 200 ppm.

A Clean Workplace is Safer

It takes more than soap and water to keep a food business clean and safe. You will likely be using detergents and sanitizers.
Follow These Important Rules

Know what the directions say for using chemicals. Read the labels and talk to your boss about when to use them and how much to use. Be sure you understand the directions!

Keep all chemicals away from food. You must put them below food, never on a shelf above food, or above any area where you fix food.

Can you tell what the labels say? Are they easy to see? If they are not, tell the boss.

Keep all chemicals in the bottles or boxes they come in. If you put them in a different container, label them clearly.

Keep Foods Safe from Contamination

Wash your hands before handling food.
Wash, rinse and sanitize the cutting surface and all the utensils and knives every time you finish with a job or between preparing different foods.
Store wipe cloths used around raw meat areas separate from wipe cloths used for other purposes.
Use utensils to mix food.
Use a clean spoon or fork to taste food and do not reuse it.
Store bulk foods in covered bins and containers with labels.
Store scoops and tongs with handle extended out of the food.
Use clean utensils, instead of hands, for dispensing food.

Keep Foods Safe From Cross

As a food handler you must prevent cross contamination.
Here are some important ways that you can prevent cross contamination:

Store raw meat, fish and poultry on the lower shelves of the refrigerator.

Don't let raw meat, fish or poultry drip onto foods that will not be cooked before serving.

Separate different types of raw meat from each other.

Store unwashed food or raw food away from ready-to-eat food.

Wash your hands between handling raw meat and foods that will not be cooked before eating.

Never store foods that will not be cooked before serving in the same container as raw meat, fish or poultry.

Safe Storage Practices

You want all the food you use to be healthy and safe. This section talks about how to safely store and handle food.
Good Food Needs Good Storage

Keep all foods off the floor.

Store foods away from cleaners and poisons.

Be careful about storing foods in garbage cans or containers or plastic bags that are not made to store food.

Store food in food-grade containers to prevent chemicals getting into the food.
Cross Contamination
Cross contamination happens when germs from raw or unclean food get into foods that are ready to serve or that will not be cooked again before you serve them.