Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Food Safety for Bake Sales



Bake sales are a popular way for organizations to raise money. Who can say no to delicious homemade baked goods for a good cause? When the time for a bake sale comes around, remember to keep food safety a top priority.

 No permit is needed for a nonprofit organization bake sale for charitable, educational, or religious purposes. However, there are some rules that are in an organization’s best interest to follow.

Only sell non-potentially hazardous food items.
Non-potentially hazardous foods are considered low risk for foodborne illness. Some examples are cookies, brownies, doughnuts, muffins, scones, fudge, fruit pies, cake, bread, or candy.
Potentially hazardous foods should not be included in a bake sale. These are items that are higher risk for foodborne illness and require refrigeration. Some examples are cream filled desserts, home canned foods, whipped cream, cream cheese, pumpkin pie, lemon meringue pie, cheesecakes, and custard desserts. 

Protect food from contamination sources.
Food sold to the public must be protected from exposure to bacteria, virus, and other contamination sources. 
   - Always wear clean disposable gloves or use tongs or bakery paper to transfer food items.
   - Protect foods by packaging them in food grade plastic wraps, bags, foil, or paper plates.
   - Cloth napkins and paper towels are not acceptable packaging.
   - Pre-wrapping items is a great way to protect the food.
   - Bake sale items should not be self serve, unless they are all pre-wrapped. There should be no bare hand contact with any of the food items.

Make sure consumers know their risk.
Post a sign in a clearly visible place that states that food items were prepared in a kitchen that is not inspected regularly by a regulatory authority.

Bake sales are a great way to raise funds. They allow us to share a group or organization’s mission as well as homemade goodies. To ensure that your bake sale is successful, be sure to follow all food safety precautions. 

More information about bake sales and food safety is available at our website at:

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