What must a food handler do with an uneaten basket of dinner rolls that was returned to the kitchen?

Once food has been served to a customer, it cannot be re-served or repurposed. This includes items like bread, rolls, and garnishes that have been on a customer's table. These items are considered contaminated because they could have been touched, sneezed on, or otherwise exposed to pathogens by the customer. The only exception is for unopened, prepackaged food (e.g., wrapped crackers, condiment packets) that remains in a protective covering. Therefore, the uneaten rolls must be discarded.

B. Donate the rolls to a local shelter: Donating food that is considered contaminated is prohibited and poses a public health risk.

C. Repurpose the rolls as croutons: Re-serving or repurposing returned food in any form is a violation of food safety regulations.

D. Allow employees to eat: Staff should not consume returned food, as it carries the same risk of contamination as serving it to another guest.

- ServSafe Manager, 7th Edition. Chapter 6, "Holding Food," Section: "Re-serving Food," page 6.3. This section explicitly states, "Do NOT re-serve food returned by one customer to another customer," and specifies that returned menu items like bread must be thrown out.

- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2017). Food Code. Section 3-306.14, "Returned Food and Reservice of Food." This section specifies that food returned by a consumer may not be offered for human consumption.