Unit 5 of 10
Receiving, storage and transport
Receiving goods
When a delivery arrives, check the temperature (chilled at 5 °C or below, frozen at −18 °C or below), the condition of the packaging (no dents, bulges or tears), the labelling (name, batch, dates, allergens) and the cleanliness of the vehicle. Anything that does not comply is rejected and recorded.
Dates
- Use-by date (“use by…”): highly perishable foods. After the date the food may not be safe and must not be eaten.
- Best-before date (“best before…”): shows until when the food keeps all its qualities. After the date it may still be safe if it has been stored properly, even if it has lost flavour or texture.
Storage
- Dry store: a cool, ventilated, clean place; products more than 10 cm off the floor and away from the wall; no contact with cleaning products.
- Refrigeration: between 0 and 5 °C, with a visible thermometer. Raw separated from cooked; if they share a fridge, cooked food on top and raw underneath, everything covered and labelled.
- Freezing: −18 °C or below. Do not overload the freezers or open them more than necessary.
- FIFO rotation: first in, first out. Put new stock at the back.
- Opened products: transfer tinned food to suitable containers with lids, label with the opening date and refrigerate. Semi-preserves (anchovies) always need refrigeration.
Transport
Clean vehicles and, where needed, refrigerated; keep the cold chain; do not transport food together with non-food or cleaning products; protect food from sun and dust.
Records: writing down the fridge and freezer temperatures every day is part of self-control and the proof for the health authorities that the cold chain is being monitored.