Tips for Time and Temperature Control for Safety Foods
Temperature-controlled food supplies require strict adherence to time and temperature regulations. Time/Temperature Control for Safety, commonly known as TCS foods, are particularly prone to grow bacteria more easily and quickly than other types of food.
TCS foods are known because they require specific time and temperature controls to ensure you can safely eat them. Due to this precarious nature, these foods are also known as potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) because they threaten your health if the bacteria growth goes out of your control.
What are some examples of TCS foods?
Common TCS foods that are more susceptible to bacteria growth include high carbohydrates and proteins. They are either neutral or slightly acidic and contain moisture. The most common would be the following:
- Meat products
- Eggs
- Fish and shellfish
- Dairy
- Cream or custard
- Cooked vegetables
- Potato dishes
- Protein-rich plants
- Raw sprouts
- Cut leafy greens
- Cut garlic in oil
- Sliced melons and tomatoes
Why do these TCS foods pose such a threat?
Simple, bacteria need three elements to thrive, which these PHFs all have: food, moisture, and warmth. Just a single bacterium doubles every 20 minutes in the conditions above. Now, imagine reaching a trillionfold in a mere 24 hours with poor attention to food safety. However, these potentially dangerous foods are common ingredients in a home kitchen, so how do you eat/process them safely?
The temperature danger zone between 41℉ and 135℉ is the breeding ground for these pathogens. These microorganisms can cause illness in just a matter of four short hours. To avoid this scenario, the foods in question must be kept out of the danger zone. This can be done with time and temperature control.
How do you ensure TCS foods are safely transported?
While home cooks have plenty of tips to ensure safe TCS food preparation, the safety standards do not start there. It all begins with temperature-controlled transport operations. The same rules of time and temperature control apply, which is why it’s doubly important to keep the cold chain supply unbroken. Otherwise, the risk of bacteria invading your system grows higher.
Food and beverage businesses rely heavily on efficient cold supply chain logistics. Otherwise, food safety and quality are compromised, and things go downhill from there. So if you’re still looking for a reliable logistics service in Singapore, then you need to know what to look for.
To avoid the worst-case scenario of spoiled and hazardous food supplies, you need to collaborate with a well-versed company in food safety management, be up-to-date with the latest technology and have a unified plan for emergencies. This is where a reliable logistics service in Singapore like TreeLogs comes into the picture. Partnering with TreeDots, its arm for the ugly food marketplace, you can rest assured that our services are optimised to your needs while cutting down the time for the cold supply chain to reach the full circle. So when you choose to partner with us, not only do you help us in our advocacy to stop food waste and food loss, you can rest assured that you get what we promise: quality service.