Final answer:
d) The soup is safe for consumption The chef's corrective action of reheating the soup to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds made it safe for consumption as it kills harmful bacteria, complying with food safety protocols.
Step-by-step explanation:
The corrective action taken by the chef is (d) The soup is safe for consumption.Upon discovering that the minestrone soup was below the critical limit of 135 degrees F, the chef followed proper food safety protocol by recording the temperature in the log and reheating the soup to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds. This process sufficiently raised the temperature to eliminate harmful microbes, making the soup safe for consumption. It is crucial that hot-held foods are maintained above the minimum temperature to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria, which generally occurs between 40 and 140 degrees F. Reaching an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F is effective in ensuring food safety, as it kills harmful bacteria that may be present in the food.
The corrective action in this situation would be to reheat the soup to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds within 2 hours. This ensures that any potentially harmful bacteria in the soup are killed and makes it safe for consumption.When the soup initially measured 120 degrees F, it did not meet the operation's critical limit of 135 degrees F. Therefore, it needed to be reheated to a higher temperature to ensure food safety. Reheating to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds within 2 hours is the recommended temperature and time combination to destroy any bacteria present.