Subway on Westwood - Inspection Report

Inspection Information:

This facility was given a low hazard rating.
More information on hazard ratings.

Violations:
A summary of the violations found during the inspection are listed below.

Code	Description
204	Critical Food not cooked or reheated in a manner that makes it safe to eat [s. 14(1)] Observation: (CORRECTED DURING INSPECTION) The meat balls were held in hot holding unit at a temperature of 20°C during the inspection. The staff explained that the meat balls and egg patties were frozen, then reheated by microwave, then held in hot holding unit for the rest of the day; the left-over meatballs from the day were stored back in cooler overnight and it is not reheated again the next day but directly put in hot holding unit as repeated reheating could affect the quality of meat balls. Potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) intended for hot holding must be reheated to an internal temperature of 74°C before putting in hot holding unit and should be reheated only once to reduce the time it passes through the temperature "danger zone". The potential for growth of foodborne pathogens is greater in reheated foods than in raw foods because spoilage bacteria which inhibit the growth of pathogens by competition on raw foods are killed during cooking. When PHFs are manufactured, transported, prepared and served, it could pass through the temperature "danger zone" several times, thus allowing pathogen growth and toxin production. Proper reheating provides a degree of assurance that pathogens will be eliminated and reheating only once reduces the time it passes through the temperature "danger zone". Corrective Action: PHFs that have been cooked then cooled to 4°C (40°F) should, if intended for hot holding, be reheated to 74°C (165°F) or higher with the total time between 4°C and 74°C (40°F and 165°F) not to exceed 2 hours. The staff was instructed to reheat meatballs by microwave immediately and to use probe thermometer to verify the internal temperature to achieve 74°C before putting it back on the hot holding unit. To ensure both the food safety and food quality, PHFs intended for hot holding should be reheated only once (for example, operator could consider using small portions/batches of PHFs that can be used up in one day so the need to reheat food again and again may not be required). When using microwave for reheating, PHFs should be rotated or stirred throughout or midway during cooking to compensate for uneven distribution of heating and should be allowed to stand covered for a minimum of 2 minutes after cooking to obtain temperature equilibrium. Lastly, PHFs temperature should be verified by thermometer at multiple sites to ensure it reaches at least 74°C (165°F).