Temperature Control Safety Foods (TCS) are classified as the most controlled food in commercial stands. Microbial growth is highly prone to these TCS foods. Preventing pathogen or microbial growth is the most challenging for a food technologist.
TCS stands for time and temperature control safety. Foodstuffs that require strict time and temperature control are considered TCS. Pathogens love them because they present an ideal environment to grow and spread.
List of TCS foods
Preventing foods from entering the danger zone and becoming time-temperature abuse is a critical food safety practice. These are the high-risk TCS foods that should be closely monitored at all times:
- Milk and dairy products
- Meat and poultry
- Sprouts and sprout seeds
- Cut tomatoes, melons, and leafy greens
- Untreated garlic and oil mixtures
- Fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
- Tofu, soy protein, or other plant-based meat alternatives
- Shell eggs
- Baked potatoes
- Cooked rice, beans, and vegetables
The above listed are highly perishable food products. The processing and storage are highly temperature-dependent. As per HACCP; the critical control points reduce the hazard level in the process. A food safety Officer must look throughout the process till storage with temperature and perfect documentation.
Author: Meera Jacob
A Food Safety Officer and Food Technologist in nature. Auditing and observing food safety systems is a prior interest. Writing and describing my experience is another passion. The food Industry is a diverse area with food safety as its prime focus to flourish. And that makes me more enthusiastic to work on various Non-Conformances and Risk Analysis. Happy Food Safetying to all Food Safety Professionals !!!
