More than most other products, food needs to be handled with special care and attention as it makes its way through the supply chain. From the moment it is produced to the time it is consumed, food needs to be carefully controlled in order to minimize the risk of illness to consumers.
Local, state, and federal agencies are devoted to monitoring and regulating the safe handling of food from manufacturers to stores and restaurants. The amount and complexity of regulations related to food handling can be staggering. But when it comes down to it, most food handling rules are based on common sense.
First In, First Out
Nearly every type of food produced is perishable. Some types of foods simply have shorter shelf lives than others.
Dried herbs and spices, for example, can be safely stored at room temperature for months or even years before their quality begins to decline, while dairy products, meat, and produce may last safely for only a few hours before they become potentially dangerous.
Regardless of the rate of their perishableness, nearly all food products benefit from “First In, First Out” — or FIFO — handling and storage protocols. FIFO rotation of food inventory promotes freshness because the first product loaded into storage is also the first product picked for distribution or preparation.
Line of Sight
Another important safety requirement is to visually monitor food quality whenever possible. For example, restaurant chefs will often cut open boxes of fresh produce as soon as they are delivered so that they can visually inspect for quality.
Highly perishable foods such as fish and meats are frequently moved from the cases in which they were delivered to clean, drainable storage containers so that chefs can maintain a continual visual inspection of perishable products.
The quality of many foods can be assessed visually. You can visually see when many foods are deteriorating, such as bruising in fresh fruits and vegetables, and discoloration of older meats, poultry, and fish.
Monitoring Control Points
Controlling and recording food handling conditions, such as refrigerator or freezer temperatures, is another effective way of ensuring food quality. Most commercial refrigerators and freezers produced today include automatic alarms that indicate when temperatures fall above or below safe levels for the foods they contain.
Similarly, temperature and quality of food products are also frequently monitored during transportation in trucks, trains, and other vehicles to ensure optimal conditions at all times.
Properly handling food products helps reduce risk and spoilage while enhancing safety and freshness.