This document discusses safe sandwich preparation and identifies key food safety concerns. It notes that ready-to-eat sandwiches pose risks as they involve no kill step to eliminate pathogens. Proper hand washing, avoiding bare hand contact with foods when possible, and using gloves are recommended to prevent cross-contamination. Separate storage, preparation surfaces, and equipment should be used for raw and ready-to-eat ingredients to control bacteria. Maintaining proper temperature control of ingredients and finished sandwiches also limits microbial growth.

1. SAFE SANDWICH
K I M A N T H O N Y M . M A L O N Z O

2. 2 TYPES OF SANDWICH
•Ready-to-Eat (RTE)
•Cooked

3. SANDWICH
SAFETY
CONCERNS
• Ready-to-eat sandwiches will not have
a cook step or a “kill step.”
• Making sandwiches may involve bare
hand contact by the food handler.
• Ingredients may include raw produce
such as lettuce, sprouts and tomatoes
which may carry disease causing organisms.

4. BARE HAND
FOOD CONTACT
• Eliminate use of bare hands where possible
when handling ingredients.
• Effective hand washing is essential when
bare hands are used to handle ingredients.
• Glove use is one option to avoid bare hand contact
contact with food. What are other options?

5. HAND WASHING STEPS
1. Wet hands using warm water.
2. Apply soap.
3. Work up a soapy lather.
4. Rub lathered hands together for 20 seconds.
5. With fingernail brush, work lather under fingernails.
6. Rinse well and dry with single-use towel.

6. AVOID CROSS CONTAMINATION
• Improper storage of
ingredients can result
in contamination.
• Store ready-to-eat
ingredients separate
from raw ingredients.
• Cover ready-to-eat
ingredients properly.

7. RAW VERSUS READY-TO-EAT
•Use separate cutting boards for raw
food and ready-to-eat ingredients.
Why?
•Use clean and sanitized equipment for
each different task.

8. TEMPERATURE CONTROL
• Keep hot foods hot and
keep cold foods cold to
control microorganism
growth.
• Pre-chilling of ingredients
is a key to
temperature control
during some sandwich
making.