Q & A - Salad Rolls and Time as a Control for Public Health

I don’t understand how so many carts and delis keep those salad rolls on the counter. I asked what was inside and one place said shrimp and vegetables. Shouldn’t they be refrigerated?

Yes, salad rolls do need to be refrigerated unless they are using Time as a Public Health Control. This means that, when properly implemented, food may be offered for sale at room temperature for up to four hours after removed from temperature control. Time as control is using only time rather than time and temperature to control growth of bacteria and keep food safe. This requires the operator to have a written protocol available for review at any of your inspections. All temperature controlled for safety foods (TCS) on a timing rule need to have a time stamp (either starting or discard time) or the time written down on a pad or white board.