Redwood Middle School

Official Wording

Proper hot and cold holding temperatures

Inspector’s Notes

In the food service area, in the hot holding unit, measured pepperoni pizza at 124F. Per operator, pepperoni pizza received from vendor about 30 minutes prior. [CA] Ensure potentially hazardous foods are held hot at 135F and above to prevent bacterial growth. Potentially hazardous foods that cannot be maintained by temperature shall be maintained by time. Potentially hazardous foods maintained by time shall be time labeled when removed from temperature control and served within 4 hours or discard. [SA] Operator to serve pizzas by end of lunch service at 12:40pm, within 4 hours from when received from vendor. Vendor to start time marking/time logging when pizzas are removed from temperature control to ensure completion of food service within 4 hours.

In Plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.