Issue View | Council III | 2023 Biennial Meeting
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Issue Number: Council III 029
Issue History
This is a brand new Issue.
Title
Modification of the Definition of TCS Foods
Issue you would like the Conference to consider
Modification of the definition of Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods
Public Health Significance
The current definition of TCS foods includes only a limited number of cut plant foods. The published literature provides ample evidence that this list could be expanded, and additional publication will likely continue to expand this list. The literature shows that if avocado, cucumbers, zucchini squash, dragon fruit, banana, starfruit, mango, pineapple, guava, or wax apple are cut/diced/peeled/comminuted they will permit significant growth of Listeria, pathogenic E. coli, and/or Salmonella at ambient temperatures. The ability of pathogens to grow on these cut fruits and vegetables (and likely many more) highlight the need to modify the definition of TCS by removing the incomplete list of plant foods and simplifying the code to include all cut fruits and vegetables.
A supporting document is attached (TCS Foods 2022 Food Code Locations) to highlight where the term TCS food occurs throughout the Food Code.
Recommended Solution: The Conference recommends...
that a letter be sent to the FDA requesting the definition of Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Food under 1-201.10(B) of the current Food Code be amended as follows:
Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food (formerly "potentially hazardous food (PHF)).
(1) "Time/temperature control for safety food" means a FOOD that requires time/temperature control for safety (TCS) to limit pathogenic microorganism growth or toxin formation.
(2) "Time/temperature control for safety food" includes:
(a) An animal FOOD that is raw or heat-treated; a plant FOOD that is raw and
cut/diced/sliced/peeled/comminuted or heat-treated or consists of raw seed and
sprouts, cut melons, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes or mixtures of cut tomatoes that
are not modified in a way so that they are unable to support pathogenic
microorganism growth or toxin formation, or garlic-in-oil mixtures that are not
modified in a way so that they are unable to support pathogenic microorganism
growth or toxin formation;
Supporting Attachments
Submitter Information 1
| Name | Ellen Shumaker |
| Organization | North Carolina State University |
| Address |
4101 BERYL RD
Raleigh, NC 27695 |
| Telephone | 9195159842 |
| ellen_shumaker@ncsu.edu |
Submitter Information 2
| Name | Don Schaffner |
| Organization | Rutgers University |
| Address |
65 Dudley Rd
New Brunswick, NJ 08901 |
| Telephone | (848) 932-5411 |
| don.schaffner@rutgers.edu |
