Keeping your food safe and fresh will not only grab the attention of customers but it also keeps your guests safe from food poisoning. If you do not take necessary measures to prevent your food from contamination then it can affect your sales and ultimately threaten your business. As a result of this, you may face loss in the form of wealth and also it will badly hit your reputation. To ensure that your customers are eating safe food then you must consider following food storage tips.
Basically, food poisoning is the result of bacteria present in food that is not properly stored, handled, or cooked. Sometimes it is difficult to detect spoiled food which is contaminated with these bacteria. If the food storage is not done properly then bacteria can grow to harmful levels.
What is the Cause of Food Spoilage?
It is caused due to continual growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds in the food. In addition to this, food is also spoiled due to enzymes naturally present in it. These processes get fast due to moisture in the air, temperature, and the existence of oxygen.
Practical Food Storage Tips For Buyers
Once you have purchased the food, store it immediately. Secondly, only get a reasonable amount of food that you can eat easily in the time you feel hungry. Must read the date of expiry of the food before you buy it. While picking items in the superstore, remember to put cold or frozen foods in the cart lastly. Moreover, during the summer season bring insulated bags or an ice chest to keep you safe from heat. Once you reach home, try to put frozen foods first in the refrigerator.
6 Food Storage Tips & Safety Guidelines to Prevent Contamination
Following food storage guidelines will be helpful to store your food safely and increase food business grew rapidly.
1. Suitable Temperature
The temperature danger zone is the range between 5°C and 60°C where food-poisoning bacteria grow and multiply rapidly. It's essential to keep high-risk food out of this temperature zone to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
2. Take Special Measures To Care for High-Risk Foods
Some foods need special care to make them safe from contamination. It is because these items are more vulnerable to bacterial growth as compared to others. This will surely cause food poisoning. Following are examples of high-risk foods:
Raw and Cooked Meat
Foods like chicken and minced meat. Moreover, those foods consist of casseroles, curries, and lasagna.
Dairy Products
Dairy items are more likely to spoil such as custard and dairy-based desserts. In addition to this, items like custard tarts and cheesecake are suitable examples in this category.
Eggs and Egg Products
It is a kind of product like mousse.
Small Goods
Particular small items such as ham and salami.
Seafood
Seafood is also a high-risk food item. More specifically, items like salad, patties, fish balls, stews, and fish stock should be stored in deep freezers.
Prepared Salads
In this category, dishes like coleslaws, pasta salads, rice salads, and prepared food salads.
Ready-To-Eat Foods
Foods like sandwiches, pizzas, and rolls can contain bacteria that cause contamination.
Similarly, various packaged foods like cans and jars are also high-risk foods once opened. So make sure to handle and store them properly.
3. Temperature-Controlled Fridge
In order to store items in the fridge, keep the temperature of it at 5 °C or below. In addition to this, make sure to set the freezer temperature below -15 °C. To check the temperature in the fridge, you can take help from the thermometer.
4. Separation between Cooked & Raw Food
Both foods like cooked and raw food have separate qualities. To keep them safe, you must store cooked food separately from raw food. If bacteria from raw food come into contact with cold-cooked food, it can cause contamination. Unless the food is cooked thoroughly again, the bacteria can multiply quickly and become more dangerous.
If you have to store raw foodstuffs then use only sealed food storage containers at the bottom of the fridge. It is advised that, keep cooked food above and raw food below in the fridge. This arrangement can prevent liquids like meat juices from dripping down and contaminating the cooked food.
5. High-End Food Packaging
Use high-end food containers and packaging which are in clean and perfect condition. Don’t store food in other containers. For this purpose, you can take help from mylar vacuum seal bags. Make sure to airtight the lid of the container or use plastic foil to minimize the potential damage. If you have taken food from opened cans then transfer it to suitable containers.
6. Arrange Items According To Date of Expiry
Managing food items according to the date of expiry is an important point of Food safety tips. For example, use the previous month's leftover food items first even if you have purchased a new one. When you store your food items in the kitchen cabinets or fridge then put older ones in plain sight. So, you can use them as first priority.
Similarly, dairy and fresh products are relatively faster than other food items. So, it's essential to store them in a visible and accessible location.
If you have a large amount of canned food that hasn't expired yet, then it's a good idea to use the older items first or donate to those local needy people. This prevents the food from going to waste and ensures that it serves a noble purpose.
Food Safety Tips To Keep Fruits & Vegetables Fresh
The proper storage of quickly decayed food items can be a challenging task for anyone. Particularly it becomes more difficult when dealing with a large number of items that need to be stored differently. For instance, fruits and vegetables must be kept dry before refrigeration and washed only before use. Try to store the items in their original packaging or you can use a food-safe container to place the item in the fridge. This will help to prevent food contamination.
If you see visible dirt on the food, then wash it before putting it back into the fridge. Onions and garlic do not need to be refrigerated, but you should store them in a separate dark place, like a bag or sack. These food storage hacks will surely keep your food out of danger.
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