Expert opinions on improvement of current food code related to hygiene management standards for cooked foods in restaurants

Purpose: Needs for reevaluation of food code standards and regulations for cooked foods produced in restaurants and institutional foodservice to minimize risk factors leading to foodborne outbreaks are on the rise. The purpose of the study was to propose updated standards for cooked foods of restaurants by testing whether or not experts agree to include them as a standard. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied via a survey by email and workshop hold for experts panel discussions. Results: Seven newly proposed standards were selected as follows: (1) sanitizing vegetables and fruits with no heating process after washing, (2) rapid cooling of cooked foods after heating process, (3) monitoring cooking temperatures, (4) minimum 2 hours holding after cooking for temperature control of safety (TCS) foods without temperature control, (5) banning practices for workers such as bare hands handling of ready-to-eat foods, (6) maintaining cleanliness of food contact surfaces for disposable products, and (7) cold holding standards for sushi. Conclusion: The proposed proposal can be utilized as control measures for preventing foodborne illness in restaurants. However, a feasibility study should be conducted to test whether they are applicable to the field of restaurant operation.