The storage of food can make or break your business, as even one outbreak of food poisoning can prevent people coming to your establishment, and in the worst case could get your business closed down. These tips will ensure that your food is always safe to eat…
Fridge storage – As you’re aware, many foods need to be kept refrigerated in order to stop the growth of bacteria. These foods include those with a ‘use by’ date, cooked foods, and foods that are ready to eat. To prevent food poisoning:
- Keep your fridge temperature below 5°C
- Keep all food refrigerated until you are ready to serve it
- Cool leftovers within 90 minutes before refrigerating
- When preparing food, keep it out of the fridge for as short a time as possible
- Do not place open cans in the fridge, as metal can transfer to the contents
Freezing/defrosting food – How you freeze and defrost food can have a huge impact upon the growth of bacteria. These tips will ensure that your products are frozen and defrosted safely:
- Only freeze a product before its use-by date
- When defrosting meat and fish, stand in a bowl to ensure that bacteria in the juices does not spread to other produce
- Defrost in the microwave if the meat will be cooked right away, but put in a fridge to thaw otherwise to prevent it getting too warm and allowing bacteria to spread
- Always eat meat or fish within 24 hours of defrosting.
- Never refreeze raw meat or fish that has been defrosted. Cooked meat can be refrozen once, as long as it is cooled before freezing.
- When reheating food, ensure it reaches a temperature of 70°C for two minutes
To ensure that your frozen and chilled food stays within safe temperature limits, Abacus Guardian offers 24 hour peace of mind with text alerts and an early warning service to detect problems with faulty equipment or your electricity supply.
Contact Abacus Guardian on 01582 52 80 82 to find out more.