The Food Service Sanitation Rules & Regulations state that food employees cannot handle ready-to-eat foods with their bare hands. Ready-to-eat foods are foods that will be consumed without additional washing, cooking or preparation.
How long can you keep ready to-eat food out?
two hours
What is the meaning of ready to-eat food?
Ready-to-eat food is food that will not be cooked or reheated before serving. This includes salads, cooked meats, smoked fish, desserts, sandwiches, cheese and food that you have cooked in advance to serve cold.
What is not considered a ready to-eat food?
Some common examples of foods that do not meet the requirements for ready-to-eat foods are bulk salads and pastas; cheese trays or party trays; sliced meat, poultry or cheese being sold separately; uncooked, prepacked pizzas, garlic breads, and like items; cold cooked chicken; cold stuffed clams and processed seafood ...
What is ready to eat products?
Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are a group of food products that are pre-cleaned, precooked, mostly packaged and ready for consumption without prior preparation or cooking. According to the 2009 US Food code (FDA, 2009), RTE foods should be in an edible form without an additional preparation step to achieve food safety.