A food worker at a catered event finds grilled shrimp that have been held at room temperature for the last four hours. What should she do with the shrimp? a. Discard them b. Cool them to \( 41^{\circ} \mathrm{F}\left(5^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\right) \) within two hours c. Reheat them to \( 175^{\circ} \mathrm{F}\left(79^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\right) \) before serving to additional customers
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is a. Discard them.
Explanation:
When food is held at room temperature for too long, it enters the “danger zone” (between 41°F and 135°F or 5°C and 57°C), which is the temperature range in which harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, can rapidly grow. According to food safety guidelines, foods should not be left in the danger zone for more than 2 hours. For shrimp, a highly perishable seafood product, this is even more critical due to the potential for fast bacterial growth in the warm environment.
In this scenario, the shrimp were held at room temperature for four hours, which exceeds the safe time limit for keeping cooked food at this temperature. As a result, the shrimp could be contaminated with bacteria, which could cause foodborne illness if consumed. Simply cooling the shrimp or reheating them does not guarantee that all bacteria or toxins produced during the time the shrimp were improperly stored will be destroyed. Some bacteria can survive and produce heat-resistant toxins that are not destroyed by reheating.
Here’s a breakdown of the options:
- Option a (Discard them): This is the correct choice because food that has been left out for over 2 hours at room temperature cannot be made safe again. The safest course of action is to discard the shrimp to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.
- Option b (Cool them to 41°F within 2 hours): This option is not safe. If the shrimp were left out for 4 hours at room temperature, cooling them within 2 hours would not mitigate the risk of bacterial growth that already occurred.
- Option c (Reheat them to 175°F before serving to additional customers): While reheating to a high temperature might kill some bacteria, it does not address the potential for toxins that may have formed while the shrimp were sitting at room temperature. Reheating is not a substitute for proper food storage practices.
Conclusion: To ensure food safety and protect public health, the best option is to discard the shrimp.