Food Safety Focus | Kill Step

• Share
• Bookmark
• Print
• Email

Hello All! 

I hope this message finds all of you and your families safe and well.

In this food safety focus, I want to talk about a phrase you may or may not have heard before called a “kill-step.”  Sounds brutal, I know but the name may mean something different from what you think.  

In food processing, a kill-step is described as a step in the process where all the pathogens that could cause harm to a person are removed from the food.  An example of doing this kill-step yourself would be cooking your food to a safe internal temperature of 140F.  An example of having this kill-step done for you before you consume would be when you buy milk that has been pasteurized.  Milk is pasteurized using temperature controlled steel plates that have been heated up to kill pathogens and then the milk is quickly cooled down to keep out anything harmful.  So, when you open that carton of milk, you can have a sense of peace that it’s safe to drink.

Temperature controlled “Ready to Eat” foods or “RTE” foods for short are foods that have had this last kill-step completed and uses a temperature-controlled environment to keep those nasty germs out.  RTE foods can be anything from produce you can pick up and eat to ready-made sandwiches you may buy in a vending machine or store.  It is vital that RTE foods are kept at the proper temperatures they should be stored at.  There is no step afterward to kill any dangerous bacteria that may have formed before eating.  Remember our docks may not be 40F so it is important that we get these products in their temperature-controlled rooms as soon as possible to control the spread of pathogens to make sure all the food we store stays the safest it can be for our families.

Thank you for all that you do every Day!

Justin Straka

Corporate Food Safety Manager

• Food Safety Focus | Fruitcake
• Food Safety Focus | Food Safety
• Food Safety Focus | Focus on Cotton Candy
• Food Safety Focus | Focus on Trailer Inspections
• Food Safety Focus | Cinnamon
• Food Safety Focus | The Winds of Stress
• Food Safety Focus | National Taco Day
• Food Safety Focus | MHE Safety
• Food Safety Focus | Peanut History
• Food Safety Focus | Pre-Cooled is the Coolest Way to Be
• Food Safety Focus | Marshmallows
• Food Safety Focus | Sanitation
• Food Safety Focus | Wrap It Up Clean
• Food Safety Focus | Focus On Popsicles
• Food Safety Focus | National Hotdog Day
• Food Safety Focus | Apple Turnover Day
• Food Safety Focus | Safety Culture
• Food Safety Focus | National Cucumber Day
• Food Safety Focus | Pet Food Safety
• Food Safety Focus | Asparagus
• Food Safety Focus | Happy Walnut Day!
• Food Safety Focus | Talkin’ Trash
• Food Safety Focus | Hazard Analysis
• Food Safety Focus | Trailer Inspections
• Food Safety Focus | A Place for Everything
• Food Safety Focus | The Right Temperature
• Food Safety Focus | Don’t Stress
• Food Safety Focus | Seals
• Food Safety Focus | I Love It When A Plan Comes Together!
• Food Safety Focus | Baby Formula News
• Food Safety Focus | Space Food
• Food Safety Focus | I Love It When A Plan Comes Together!
• Food Safety Focus | Focus On Taking Time Off
• Food Safety Focus | No Added Flavor Needed
• Food Safety Focus | Focus
• Food Safety EXTRA | The Turkey Prince
• Food Safety Focus | Doors & History
• Food Safety Focus | Keep Common Sense Common
• Food Safety Focus | Gourmet Coffee Legend and History
• Food Safety Focus | EMA
• Food Safety Focus | New Allergen – Sesame
• Food Safety Focus | Food Poisoning
• Food Safety Focus | Cell Based Meat
• Food Safety Focus | No Waste is a Tasty Idea!
• Food Safety Focus | Floors
• Food Safety Focus | Hand Washing Culture
• Food Safety Focus | Falling Cases
• Food Safety Focus | Turkey Myths
• Food Safety Focus | Root Cause Analysis
• Food Safety Focus | Chemicals
• Food Safety Focus | Focus on Drips
• Food Safety Focus | Freezer Gear Housekeeping
• Food Safety Focus | Eat and Drink in the Right Place
• Food Safety Focus | Food Safety During the Storm
• Food Safety Focus | High Quality H20
• Food Safety Focus | Who is Responsible for Food Safety?
• Food Safety Focus | Baby Food & Avoiding Toxic Metals
• Food Safety Focus | MHE Impact
• Food Safety Focus | Kill Step
• Food Safety Focus | MHE Inspections
• Food Safety Focus | Product Weight Limits
• Food Safety Focus | Awareness Part 2
• Food Safety Focus | Awareness Part 1
• Food Safety Focus | FDA Reported Listeria Outbreak
• Food Safety Focus | Listeria
• Food Safety Focus | Hot Dogs
• Food Safety Focus | Recall Classes
• Food Safety Focus | Mock Recall – Getting Started
• Food Safety Focus | Don’t Cause a Recall
• Food Safety Focus | Product Hold
• Food Safety Focus | Labels and Recalls
• Food Safety Focus | Allergen Update – Sesame Seeds
• Food Safety Focus | Ceilings
• Food Safety Focus | Floors
• Food Safety Focus | Damage Control
• Food Safety Focus | Pest Control
• Food Safety Focus | Dumpster Duty
• Food Safety Focus | Standing Water
• Food Safety Focus | Wrap Care
• Food Safety Focus | Foreign Matter
• Food Safety Focus | See Something, Say Something
• Food Safety Focus | Pallet Identification
• Food Safety Focus | Tunnel Vision
• Food Safety Focus | Super Bowl Safety
• Food Safety Focus | Receiving Temps
• Food Safety Focus | Food Safety Attitude
• Food Safety Focus | MHE
• Food Safety Focus | Pallets, Racks & Racking
• Food Safety Focus | Security
• Food Safety Focus | Hand Washing Importance
• Food Safety Focus | Holiday Food Safety
• Food Safety Focus | Accurate Record Keeping
• Food Safety Focus | Importance of Training
• Food Safety Focus | Thermometer Checks
• Food Safety Focus | Allergen Storage
• Food Safety Focus | Pest Control
• Food Safety Focus | PPE
• Food Safety Focus | Food Safety Culture