What are TCS foods? The complete list

Executive summary: what to know about TCS foods

• TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) foods are moist, low-acid, nutrient-rich foods that need time and temperature control to stay safe because they support rapid bacterial growth or toxin formation.

• Common TCS foods include meat, poultry, seafood, shell eggs, dairy, cooked rice and beans, heat-treated vegetables, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes, cut melons, sprouts, tofu and untreated garlic-in-oil.
• Cutting, cooking or opening a package can turn a shelf-stable item into a TCS food, which is why cooked rice, cut melon and sliced tomatoes are easier to mishandle than raw chicken.
• Cold TCS food must be held at 41°F or below and hot TCS food at 135°F or above, and food held without temperature control must be served or discarded within 4 hours (6 hours for cold food that never goes above 70°F).
• Ready-to-eat TCS food held more than 24 hours must be date marked and used or discarded within 7 days at 41°F or below, so consistent labels are what make these rules enforceable at every location.

What are TCS foods?

TCS foods are Time/Temperature Control for Safety foods: items that require time and temperature control to stay safe, because they support the rapid growth of bacteria or the production of toxins. If a food is moist, protein-rich, and low in acid, bacteria thrive in it, and it almost certainly lands on the TCS list.

You may also hear these called “potentially hazardous foods.” That is the older term. The FDA Food Code replaced it with TCS to make the meaning precise: the food is not inherently dangerous. It simply needs time and temperature control in order to stay safe.

The science: what actually makes a food TCS

This is not an arbitrary list. Three measurable properties decide it, and they map directly to what bacteria need to grow.

Water activity (aw): Not total moisture, but available water. Bacteria can only use water that is not chemically bound to sugar, salt, or other solids. Foods with a water activity above roughly 0.85 support bacterial growth. This is why beef jerky is safe at room temperature and a fresh steak is not, despite both being meat.

Acidity (pH): Bacteria struggle in acidic conditions. Foods with a pH above roughly 4.6 are hospitable. This is why pickles, most jams, and citrus are not TCS, and why acidifying sushi rice below 4.6 is a recognized method of making it shelf-stable, though it requires an approved variance to do so.

Nutrients: Protein-rich, nutrient-dense foods feed bacterial growth.

When a food is moist, low-acid, and nutritious, pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli multiply rapidly if the temperature cooperates. Under FDA Food Code interaction tables, water activity and pH are evaluated together, because a food can be safe on one measure and unsafe on the other.

The one-question shortcut: “Is it moist, low in acid, and nutritious?”

If yes to all three, treat the item as TCS until you have specific evidence proving otherwise. Kitchens do not need a pH meter, they need a default method such as this that’s safe to rely on.

The complete list of TCS foods

The FDA Food Code identifies the foods that commonly require time and temperature control:

Proteins

• Meat and poultry, raw or cooked

• Fish, shellfish, and other seafood

• Shell eggs and egg products

Dairy

• Milk and milk products

• Soft cheeses and dairy-based sauces

Cooked starches and vegetables

• Cooked rice, beans, pasta, and other cooked grains

• Heat-treated vegetables (baked potatoes, cooked beans, sauteed onions)

Cut produce

• Cut leafy greens

• Cut tomatoes and mixtures containing them

• Cut melons

Other

• Sprouts and sprout seeds

• Tofu and other soy proteins

• Untreated garlic-in-oil mixtures

The four TCS foods that can surprise people

Teams handle raw chicken carefully because it looks dangerous. The foods that cause problems are the ones that look innocent.

Cooked rice: Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking and germinate as rice cools. Rice left at room temperature is a classic cause of foodborne illness, and it is the single most under-appreciated TCS food in foodservice.

Cut leafy greens: Whole heads are not TCS. Cutting ruptures cells, releases nutrients and moisture, and creates surfaces bacteria can colonize. Bagged, chopped, or shredded greens are fully TCS.

Cut tomatoes: Whole tomatoes are acidic enough to be safe on the counter. Cutting exposes the low-acid interior flesh, and cut tomatoes become TCS immediately.

Cut melons: The rind protects the interior. Once cut, melon is moist, low-acid, nutrient-rich, and among the highest-risk items in a kitchen.

What your team needs to know: cutting or cooking changes the rules

A whole tomato is perfectly safe on the counter, but a sliced one is instantly a TCS food.
A bag of rice is harmless, but a pan of cooked rice requires strict monitoring.

Remember: What’s been done to the food counts as much as what the food is.

What is not a TCS food

Just as valuable for training is knowing what falls off the list:

• Dry goods: flour, sugar, uncooked pasta, uncooked rice

• Unopened commercially canned goods

• Most breads and baked goods without moist, protein-rich fillings

• High-acid foods: most pickles, jams, and citrus

• Whole, uncut raw produce

• Dried and cured products with low water activity, such as jerky

The moment a shelf-stable TCS item is opened, it becomes TCS. An unopened carton of shelf-stable milk sits on a dry shelf safely. An opened one belongs in the cooler, and it follows exactly the same rules as anything made from scratch.

Why TCS foods need control: the danger zone and the 4-hour rule

TCS foods are the reason the temperature danger zone exists as a concept. The danger zone is 41°F to 135°F, the range where bacteria multiply fastest, and three rules govern how TCS foods move through it.

The time limit in that last row covers every stretch the food spends out of temperature control across prep, transport, and service, not just one uninterrupted sitting, so short gaps add up.

Our full guide to the temperature danger zone covers the time limits, reheating and the six-hour cold option in more detail. Cooked TCS foods also have to cool on a deadline, from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and down to 41°F within the next 4, which our guide to cooling foods safely walks through step by step.

The rule people forget: date marking

Here is a requirement inspectors check constantly and teams routinely miss, and it applies specifically to TCS foods.

Under FDA Food Code 3-501.17, ready-to-eat TCS food prepared on-site and held for more than 24 hours must be date marked with a discard date, and it may be held for a maximum of 7 days at 41°F or below, counting the day of preparation as day 1.

That 7-day clock is completely invisible unless someone writes it on the container. A kitchen with flawless holding temperatures and no date marking still fails this check, and the guest is still at risk. This is where TCS control and labeling stop being separate topics.

Managing TCS foods across multiple locations

Identifying TCS foods is the easy part. The hard part is proving, at every location, that those foods stayed controlled all day.

That takes two disciplines running together: date and time labels applied when TCS items are prepped or opened, so the discard clock is visible to whoever picks up the container next, and reliable temperature records for every cooler and hot-holding unit, so safe holding can be shown rather than asserted.

Labeling is where most kitchens slip, because the date math happens at the prep table, often during a rush. Counting the day of prep as day 1, carrying the earliest date forward when components are combined, and applying a brand’s shorter shelf life on top of the Food Code maximum are all easy to get wrong by hand. BOHA! Labeling prints prep labels with prep and use-by dates automatically, so the discard date doesn’t depend on hand math at every location.

Continuous temperature monitoring, such as BOHA! Sense, confirms that cold holding actually held all shift, including overnight, without depending on someone remembering to grab a clipboard. Together they turn “we control our TCS foods” from a claim into a record.

The short version: the TCS essentials

Keep this summary handy to ensure your team understands the critical requirements for maintaining food safety.

The rule to remember

Cutting or cooking can turn a food into a TCS food. Whole tomatoes, melons, and leafy greens generally do not require temperature control, but once cut, they do. Dry rice is shelf-stable; cooked rice is TCS.

What food counts?

The obvious: Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and eggs

The easily missed: Cooked rice and other grains, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes, and cut melons

TCS foods are generally moist, low in acid, and nutrient-rich:

1. Water activity above 0.85
2. pH above 4.6
3. Enough nutrients to support bacterial growth

Three controls to remember

1. Control temperature: Keep TCS foods at 41°F or below or 135°F or above.
2. Track time: When time is used instead of temperature control, follow the 4-hour cumulative limit and discard the food when time expires.
3. Date mark correctly: Ready-to-eat TCS food held for more than 24 hours may be kept for a maximum of 7 days at 41°F or below, with the preparation day counted as Day 1.

The daily operating habit

Label containers with the information teams need to identify and discard food correctly.

Log temperatures and required checks consistently across every shift and location.

Bottom line: Recognize when a food becomes TCS, control its time and temperature, and document the process consistently.

Download the free Safe Temperatures Wall Card to keep these numbers in view on every prep line, or see how BOHA! handles date marking and temperature records across every location. For how labeling, monitoring and checklists support daily compliance, see our food safety and compliance overview.

Frequently asked questions about TCS foods

What does TCS stand for in food?

TCS stands for Time/Temperature Control for Safety. TCS foods require time and temperature control to limit bacterial growth and toxin formation.

What are examples of TCS foods?

Meat, poultry, seafood, milk and dairy, shell eggs, cooked rice and beans, cooked vegetables, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes, cut melons, sprouts, and tofu.

Is rice a TCS food?

Yes. Once cooked, rice is a TCS food. Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking and germinate as the rice cools, which is why cooked rice left at room temperature is a common cause of foodborne illness.

Are cut tomatoes and cut melons really TCS foods?

Yes. A whole tomato is acidic enough to be safe, and a melon rind protects its interior. Cutting exposes the moist, low-acid flesh, so cut tomatoes, cut melons, and cut leafy greens all require temperature control.

What makes a food a TCS food?

Water activity above roughly 0.85, pH above roughly 4.6, and nutrient content. Moist, low-acid, nutrient-rich foods support rapid bacterial growth.

What is the difference between TCS foods and potentially hazardous foods?

They mean the same thing. “Potentially hazardous food” is the older term, and the FDA Food Code now uses “Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) food.”

What foods are not TCS?

Dry goods, unopened canned goods, most breads, high-acid foods like pickles and jams, whole uncut produce, and low-water-activity items like jerky. Once opened, cut, or cooked, many of these become TCS.

What temperature is needed when cold holding TCS foods?

Cold TCS food must be held at 41°F (5°C) or below under the FDA Food Code. Many operators set coolers to 38°F or lower so door openings and equipment drift don’t push product above the limit.

How long can hot TCS food be held without temperature control?

A maximum of 4 hours. Under the Food Code’s time as a public health control provision, hot food must start at 135°F or above, be marked with the time it was removed from temperature control, and be served or discarded within 4 hours, and the operation needs written procedures for the practice.

How many days can ready-to-eat TCS food be stored?

A maximum of 7 days at 41°F or below, counting the preparation day as day 1, and it must be date marked if held longer than 24 hours.