Facility/Equipment Safety (DE1545, Reviewed April 2020)
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Food Safety Guidelines for Emergency Mass Feeding Shelters
Review plans for intermittent power outages.
If the water system is contaminated, use bottled water to clean equipment and surfaces.
Wash, rinse and sanitize all food preparation and serving areas. Store cleaning cloths in sanitizing solution.
Sanitizing solution*
Use 1 tablespoon of unscented household bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite) for each gallon of cool water. Make fresh solution daily.
Work surfaces: Wash, rinse and wipe/spray with sanitizer solution. Allow to air-dry.
Dishes, utensils, cutting boards: Wash and rinse. Soak for at least 2 minutes in bleach solution and air-dry.
Properly wash, rinse and sanitize all cooking and serving utensils.
- Scrape/remove solid foods
- Wash with detergent and water
- Rinse
- Sanitize with appropriate solution
- Air-dry
Provide hand-washing facilities or portable hand-washing stations equipped with soap, warm water and single-use towels.
Verify that the wastewater system is operable. Have a backup system to collect waste water if the system is compromised.
Provide trash containers. Remove trash regularly, and keep the waste covered as much as possible to avoid pest issues.
*This concentration is recommended by www.clorox.com. Your local health department’s sanitizer guidelines may be different. Consider using test strips to monitor bleach concentration.
