2. Label potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food prepared on-site, with either:
The date it was prepared
The date it should be sold, consumed, or discarded
Instructor Notes
Labeling is required when the food has been held for longer than twenty-four hours.
If an item has been previously cooked and stored and is later mixed with another food item to make a new dish, the label on the new dish must indicate the preparation or discard date for the previously cooked item.
For example, if ground beef has been cooked and stored at 41F (5C) or lower and is later used to make meat sauce, the meat sauce must be labeled with either the preparation or discard date of the ground beef.
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3. Discard food that has passed its manufacturer’s expiration date
Potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food that was prepared in-house
Can be stored for 7 days at 41F (5C) or lower
Must be discarded after 7 days
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4. Rotate products so the oldest inventory is used first
To follow FIFO:
Identify the use-by, expiration, or preparation date of products
Shelve products with earliest dates in front of those with later dates
Use products stored in front first
Instructor Notes
The first in, first out (FIFO) method is commonly used to ensure that refrigerated, frozen, and dry products are properly rotated during storage.
There are several ways to follow FIFO. This slide illustrates one way.
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5. Deplete product on a regular basis
If product is not sold or consumed by a predetermined date:
Discard it
Clean and sanitize the container
Refill the container with new product
Instructor Notes
Establish a schedule to ensure that stored product is depleted on a regular basis.
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6. Transfer food between containers properly
If you take food out of its original package:
Put it in a clean, sanitized container
Cover it
Label with product name and original use-by/expiration date
Instructor Notes
Never use empty food containers to store chemicals or put food in empty chemical containers.
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7. Keep potentially hazardous food out of the temperature danger zone
Store deliveries as soon as they have been inspected
Put prepared food away until needed
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8. Photo courtesy of Roger Bonafield and Dingbats
Check temperatures of stored food and storage areas
Instructor Notes
Temperatures should be checked at the beginning of the shift. Many establishments use a pre-shift checklist to guide employees through the process.
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Photo courtesy of Roger Bonafield and Dingbats

9. Store food only in designated storage areas
Do not store food:
Near chemicals or cleaning supplies
In restrooms
In locker rooms
In furnace rooms
In janitor closets
Under stairways or pipes
Instructor Notes
Food can be easily contaminated in the areas indicated.
Do not store food this way
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10. Keep all storage areas and equipment clean and dry
Clean up spills immediately
Clean dollies, carts, transporters, and trays often
Instructor Notes
Floors, walls, and shelving in refrigerators, freezers, dry storerooms, and heated holding cabinets should be properly cleaned on a regular basis.
Spills and leaks should be cleaned up immediately to keep them from contaminating other food.
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11. Today’s date is October 3rd. September has 30 days. Which food items
should be discarded?
Instructor Notes
Answers:
The tuna salad has been stored for eight days and should be discarded.
Both baines of vegetable soup should be discarded since one has been stored for eight days, and the other for nine days.
The salad is not potentially hazardous.
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12. Refrigerated Storage
Used to hold potentially hazardous food at 41F (5C) or lower
Slows the growth of microorganisms
Instructor Notes
Some jurisdictions allow food to be held at 45F (7C) or lower.
Refrigeration slows the growth of microorganisms and helps keep them from multiplying to levels high enough to cause illness.
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13. Air temperature should be at least 2F (1C) lower than the desired internal product temperature
Instructor Notes
For example, to hold poultry at an internal temperature of 41F (5C), the air temperature in the refrigerator should be at least 39F (4C).
Hanging thermometers can be used to check air temperature and should be placed in the warmest part of the unit. They should be checked for accuracy.
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14. Monitor food temperature regularly by:
Randomly sampling temperature with a calibrated thermometer
Using a product-mimicking device
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15. Do not: Overload a refrigerator Line shelving with foil or paper
Open refrigerator doors too frequently
Instructor Notes
These practices make the unit work harder to stay cold.
Overloading a refrigerator or lining shelving prevents good airflow in the unit.
Opening a refrigerator door too frequently lets warm air inside.
Overloaded refrigerator
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16. Never place hot food in the refrigerator
This can warm the interior—putting food into the temperature danger zone
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17. Store raw meat, poultry, and fish:
Separately from cooked and ready-to-eat food OR
Below cooked or ready-to-eat food
Do not store food this way
Instructor Notes
If they cannot be stored separately, store cooked or ready-to-eat food above raw meat, poultry, and fish. This will prevent raw product juices from dripping onto the prepared food and causing a foodborne illness.
It is also recommended that raw meat, poultry, and fish be stored in the following top-to-bottom order: whole fish, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meats and fish, whole and ground poultry. This order is based on the required minimum internal cooking temperature of each type of food.
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18. Wrap food properly
Leaving it uncovered can lead to cross-contamination
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19. Frozen Storage Slows the growth of microorganisms substantially
Used to hold potentially hazardous food at 0F (–18C) or lower
Storage temperature varies by product
Instructor Notes
Freezing does not kill all microorganisms.
Keep freezer temperatures at 0F (–18C) or lower unless the food you are storing requires a different temperature.
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20. To maintain proper freezer temperatures:
Check unit temperatures regularly
Do not store warm food inside
Do not overload units
Keep doors closed as much as possible
Defrost units regularly
Instructor Notes
Warm food can raise the temperature inside the unit and partially thaw the food inside.
Overloading a freezer unit makes it work harder, and makes it harder to find and rotate food properly.
Freezer units will operate more efficiently when free of frost. Food should be moved to another freezer while defrosting.
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21. Dry-storage areas are used to hold dry and canned food at:
50F to 70F (10C to 21C)
50% to 60% relative humidity
Instructor Notes
Storerooms must be cool, dry, and well ventilated, since moisture and heat are the biggest dangers to dry and canned food.
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22. Dry food must be stored:
At least 6 inches off the floor
Away from walls
Out of direct sunlight
In a clean area
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23. When storing fresh meat:
Store at an internal temperature of 41F (5C) or lower
Wrap it in airtight, moisture-proof material OR
Store it in a container
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24. When storing fresh poultry:
Store at an internal temperature of 41F (5C) or lower
Store ice-packed product as is, in self-draining containers
Instructor Notes
If poultry is stored in self-draining containers, the ice should be changed often and the container should be sanitized regularly.
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25. When storing fresh fish:
Keep at an internal temperature of 41F (5C) or lower
Store ice-packed product as is, in self-draining containers
Keep fillets and steaks in original packaging
Instructor Notes
If fish is stored in self-draining containers, the ice should be changed often and the container should be sanitized regularly.
Fish that will be served raw or partially cooked (with the exception of certain species of tuna) should be frozen by the processor to the following temperatures prior to shipment:
–4F (–20C) or lower for seven days (168 hours) in a storage freezer; or
–31F (–35C) or lower for fifteen hours in a blast freezer.
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26. When storing fresh shellfish:
Store alive at an air temperature of 45F (7C) or lower
Store in original containers
Keep shellstock tags for 90 days from date last shellfish was used
Instructor Notes
Molluscan shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels, scallops) can be stored in a display tank under one of two conditions:
The tanks carry a sign stating that the shellfish are for display only.
You obtain a variance from the health department to serve the shellfish on display.
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27. When storing shell eggs:
Store at an air temperature of 45F (7C) or lower
Keep eggs in refrigerated storage until used
Use eggs within 4–5 weeks of packing date
Instructor Notes
Liquid egg products should be stored according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Dried egg products can be stored in a dry and cool storeroom, but should be refrigerated at 41F (5C) or lower when reconstituted (mixed with water).
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28. When storing dairy: Store fresh at 41F (5C) or lower
Store frozen at 6F to 10F (–14C to –12C)
Follow FIFO
Discard product that has passed its use-by/expiration date
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29. When storing fresh produce:
Storage temperatures will vary by product
Product packed on ice can be stored that way
Do not wash product prior to storage
Instructor Notes
Product packed on ice, such as whole, raw produce and raw, cut vegetables, must be stored in self-draining containers. Ice should be changed regularly.
Most produce should not be washed prior to storage.
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30. When storing MAP, vacuum-packed, and sous vide food:
Store at temperatures recommended by manufacturer
Discard product if:
Use-by/expiration dates have expired
Package is torn
Package is slimy or contains excessive liquid
Product bubbles
Instructor Notes
If a temperature is not specified by the manufacturer, store product at 41F (5C) or lower.
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31. UHT Products Aseptically Packaged
Store product at room temperature
Once opened, store at 41F (5C) or lower
UHT Products Not Aseptically Packaged
Store at 41F (5C) or lower
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32. When storing canned and dry products:
Store product at 50F to 70F (10C to 21C)
Store in original package or in airtight, clearly labeled containers
Keep storerooms dry
Check packages for insect or rodent damage
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33. Find the unsafe storage practices in this picture
Instructor Notes
Answers: There are ten unsafe storage practices in this picture:
The chef is going to place a large amount of hot food into the refrigerator.
The chef is going to store an uncovered stockpot of cooked food in the refrigerator.
The refrigerator is overloaded.
The chef is smoking a cigarette.
The chef has an uncovered bandage on his hand.
Some items in the refrigerator are labeled, while others are not.
Food has been stored on the floor and one bag has a tear.
Chemicals and cleaning tools have been stored with food.
Many of the dry goods stored on the shelf are missing labels.
From the cobwebs, it appears the establishment does not do a good job cleaning the storeroom and rotating stock.
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