Food can become unsafe at any stage: at delivery, in storage, during preparation. Here you learn how to check goods, store them correctly and stop germs from passing from one food to another.
Receiving goods
Goods checks are one of the subjects of Annex 1 to the LMHV. At every delivery, check:
- Delivery note and order: Do the type and quantity match?
- Condition of the packaging: No holes, tears or dents in cans, no wetness, no mould.
- Temperature: Chilled and frozen goods must arrive cold. For perishable goods, measure as your business requires. Frozen goods must not be partly thawed.
- Date: Best-before date and use-by date. Do not accept goods that are past their date or have too little shelf life left.
- Appearance and smell: Anything unusual, pests or dirt is a reason to reject the goods.
- Vehicle and supplier: Is the transport clean and chilled?
In doubt? Do not accept. Tell your supervisor. Faults are documented. The delivery notes and batch details help later with traceability (lesson 7).
Put chilled goods into the cold immediately. They must not stand for long at room temperature on the ramp or in the kitchen.
Storing correctly
- FIFO: first in, first out. What came first is used first. Where the date matters, FEFO helps: what expires first goes out first.
- Do not store anything on the floor. Shelves should make it possible to clean underneath.
- Store food covered and in suitable containers. Transfer opened cans to another container and label them.
- Label containers with the contents and the date.
- Chemicals (cleaning products, disinfectants, pest control products) never belong near food, never in food containers and only in separate, labelled areas.
- The storeroom should be dry, clean and cool. Doors and windows are closed or secured.
- Always chill perishable food. Frozen goods belong in the freezer, not in the fridge for storage.
Order in the fridge
From top to bottom the rule is: ready-to-eat food on top, raw food at the bottom.
- Top: prepared dishes, sliced cold meats, cheese, dairy products, desserts.
- Middle: ingredients and vegetables that will still be cooked.
- Bottom: raw meat, raw poultry and raw fish, in closed containers or on trays. This way nothing drips onto food below.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination means germs move from one food, one surface or one person to other food. It is especially dangerous when raw goods meet ready-to-eat goods that are not heated afterwards, for example salad, sliced cold meats or desserts.
Ways it spreads:
- hands that touch raw meat first and then salad,
- knives, boards and equipment used for different things without cleaning,
- cloths and sponges that spread germs,
- drips and thawing water from raw meat or poultry,
- splashes when washing and preparing food,
- storing raw and ready-to-eat goods together.
What helps:
- Keep clean and dirty apart (rein und unrein): by space (separate areas) or by time (ready-to-eat first, then raw, with thorough cleaning in between).
- Use separate boards, knives and containers for raw meat, poultry, fish, vegetables and ready-to-eat food. Colour systems help.
- Wash your hands between work steps.
- Clean surfaces and equipment after every raw product.
- Use fresh cloths and change them often. A damp cloth carries germs.
- Wash fruit, vegetables and salad under running water.
- Do not crack raw eggs next to other food. Wash your hands afterwards.
Allergen cross-contact
Allergens can be passed on too: for example traces of peanut on a knife or traces of milk in a pan. This is called cross-contact. It is just as dangerous for people with allergies. More on this in lesson 8.
Key points
- Check goods when they arrive: packaging, temperature, date, condition. If in doubt, reject.
- Chill chilled goods immediately, follow FIFO, store nothing on the floor.
- Ready-to-eat food on top, raw meat and poultry at the bottom.
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat food apart: boards, knives, hands, surfaces.