All SNP Volunteers must follow Safe Food Handling Protocols and School Procedures.

SNPs that PREPARE food must have at least one person on-site who has a valid Food Safety Certificate.

Food Safety Certificates are valid for 5 years.

Student Nutrition Ontario Safe Food Handling Training Course is available to everyone free of charge. A Food Safety Certificate is required for one person per shift in SNPs where food is being prepared (washed, chopped, cooked).

The Safe Food Handling Training Course for SNPs has been specifically developed for volunteers supporting breakfast, morning meals, and lunch programs.

The program has been recognized by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Halton Region Public Health to be acceptable at all school sites offering Student Nutrition Programs.

SNP volunteers can sign-up and complete the course by visiting Student Nutrition Ontario website under Resources or at courses.studentnutritionontario.ca/.

Starting Your Shift

Checking and recording temperatures

Cleaning and sanitizing

Preparing and serving food

Food storage and transporting food

3-Point Check for Allergens

Halton Region Health Inspections

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Food Recalls

Sign-in for your shift.

Confine long hair.

If preparing or serving food, wear a clean apron.

Wash your hands in designated handwashing sink in food prep area.

If no separate handwashing sink is available, designate one of the prep sinks for handwashing only. If using the sink for any other purpose, you must sanitize the sink before resuming handwashing.

Wash hands every time after stopping food prep and starting another task.

Cover cuts on hands with bandages and wear a glove over the hand with the cut.

Not all schools have a dedicated handwashing sink.

Halton Region Health Inspectors may allow the use of the restroom sink close to the prep area, but generally prefer a sink in the food prep area.

Designate one of the prep sinks as HANDWASHING ONLY by posting a sign, cleaning out the sink, and sanitizing it before handwashing and before using it for other purposes.

DO NOT USE handwashing sink for washing dishes or fruits/vegetables unless the sink has been sanitized.

Dry

Use paper towels or air dryer to dry hands and use a paper towel to turn off the faucet.

Rinse

Thoroughly rinse hands under running water to ensure removal of residual germs.

20 secs

Continue rubbing hands together for 20 seconds – sing Happy Birthday twice in your head!

Lather

Lather by rubbing hands together and be sure to cover all surfaces.

Apply soap

Wet your hands with clean water – warm, if available - and apply soap.

Stay home if you are ill

Inform your SNP lead and do not come in for your shift.

Cover Coughs or Sneezes

Cough into your elbow, arm or using a tissue.

Wash your hands often

Wash your hands whenever you stop food prep for another task.

• Place a thermometer in each refrigerator and freezer used by the Student Nutrition Program.

Place Thermometers

• Temperatures should be taken at least once per week. Record the date and temperature of each refrigerator and freezer on the monthly log. Template available from HFFT.

Record Temperatures

• Completed logs are to be kept in the program materials for the entire school year.

Save Monthly Logs

Hot food must be kept above 60⁰C or 140⁰F.

Cold food (refrigerator) temperatures must be below 4⁰C or 39⁰F.

Frozen food temperatures must be below -18⁰C or 0⁰F (not always attainable in freezers designed for domestic use).

Clear all sinks and prep surfaces.

Wash surfaces and sinks with warm, soapy water.

Sanitize by spraying surfaces, sinks, and carts with approved VESTEC 222 Ready to Use Sanitizer.

Leave on surfaces for at least two minutes.

Air dry or wipe dry with paper towels or single use cloth.

Empty the bins completely removing any leftover items or debris. Wash the bins with warm, soapy water if needed.

Empty & Clean

Spray both bins and lids with VESTEC 222 Ready to Use Sanitizer.

Spray

Leave on surface for at least two minutes.

Leave for 2 minutes

Air dry or wipe dry with paper towels or single use cloth.

Dry

Wash Hands

Wash hands again before you begin food preparation.

Wash Produce

Wash all fruit and vegetables under cold running water for at least two minutes before cutting or serving.

Use a Scrubber

Use a vegetable scrubber for fruit or vegetables with rough surfaces.

Use a clean and sanitized cutting board and knife when switching from one food item to another, i.e., slicing cheese to cutting fruit.

Avoid cross-contamination by using a separate cutting board for each different food product.

Only use equipment that has been washed and sanitized using correct procedures.

Always wash hands before preparing or serving food.

Wear gloves or use serving tools (tongs, spoons, etc.) when serving food.

Single use gloves are not to be reused! When interruption in service happens, wash your hands and change gloves.

Cover food between delivery and service.

Prepared food cannot sit out for more than two hours from point of delivery to when it is served (cumulative).

Do not save unused prepared food that has been sitting out unsupervised or that has been in a classroom. “When in doubt throw it out.”

Regular dish soap is used to wash equipment, dishes, and surfaces.

Use VESTEC 222 to sanitize all prep surfaces, dishes, carts, large equipment, and tables. Small kitchen items must be washed using the 2 or 3 sink method or cleaned in a dishwasher.

VESTEC 222 Ready to Use Sanitizer is approved for use by both school boards and public health. Do not use other sanitizers. VESTEC 222 is from Flexo and available through your custodial team.

Cleaning products must be stored safely away from food in a labelled cupboard.

The manufacturer suggests testing the VESTEC 222 periodically to guarantee that it is still viable.

Each school should also have a roll of test strips. Store the test strips in a dry place.

To test VESTEC 222, take a small amount of test strip, spray with VESTEC 222 and wait 10-15 seconds.

The strip should turn greenish indicating 200 ppm. If the strip remains orange, the VESTEC 222 is no longer viable.

Scrape

Scrape or remove debris.

Wash

Wash in hot soapy water in first sink.

Rinse

Rinse with clear water in second sink.

Spray

Place items in sanitized rack or on sanitized surface. Spray items with VESTEC 222 Ready to Use Sanitizer. Be sure to cover all surfaces.

Wait 2 Mins

Allow sanitizer to sit on surface for 2 minutes before drying.

Dry

Air dry or dry with clean cloth or paper towels.

Scrape excess and rinse off debris.

For non-commercial dishwashers, use sani-cycle or most thorough cycle. Use VESTEC 222 to sanitize items in place after cycle is complete. Follow instructions for sanitizing in place.

Food must be stored in a cupboard, in a plastic bin on open shelves, or in another container to keep it free from pests.

Put food away immediately upon delivery.

Rotate stock – use First In First Out rule.

Store food at least 15 cm (6 inches) from the ground.

In the refrigerator, store ready-to-eat food above to avoid cross-contamination.

Food for the student nutrition program must be stored separately from other programs/food sources.

Use clean bags and keep separate from pets, chemicals, or cleaning supplies.

Deliver directly to the school and store appropriately.

Do not store food at home or prepare food at home or off-site.

Food traceability is vital. Student Nutrition Programs must be able to trace the food from point of purchase to point of delivery to the students.

Schools are only allowed to purchase directly from approved farms.

Approach your HFFT CDM with the name of the farm and they will assist with verifying if the farm is approved.

Do not bring in produce from a home garden or food prepared in your home.

Read the food ingredient label at the time of purchase to ensure that it adheres to the school’s anaphylaxis policy and does not contain peanuts/tree nuts.

1

Read the label for the second time when putting products away.

2

Food prep volunteers must read the label again before preparing the meal for that day or filling the bins.

3

Student Nutrition Programs can expect visits from the Halton Region Health Inspectors. For programs with food prep, post copies of your volunteer’s Food Safety Certificate in the prep area or keep in binder/folder.

Health Inspectors are a valuable resource and an important partner for Student Nutrition Programs.

Please notify your CDM if you have had a health inspector visit and provide a copy of the inspection report to your CDM if there are any issues.

Health inspectors may, as part of the report, ask you to correct or make changes to your program. Your HFFT CDM can assist you.

Health inspectors will conduct follow-up inspections to ensure the changes have been made.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency or CFIA sends out food recalls via email or through social media.

Student Nutrition Program teams must sign up for the CFIA food recall at https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/subscribe.

Read the food recall notice, check to see if you have the recalled product by checking the UPD and/or date codes.

DO NOT CONSUME the product. Dispose of it as instructed by CFIA.