Ready-to-eat foods

Food delivery, storage and display

Overview

Ready-to-eat foods are foods that do not require any further preparation and are eaten in the same state that they are sold in.

For example, hot pies, sandwiches, pastries and noodle dishes.

As a general rule, the total time a ready-to-eat and potentially hazardous food can be kept in the temperature danger zone is four hours.

Do

clean and sanitise utensils, like tongs, spoons and spatulas before use
hold the food using a piece of food grade greaseproof paper, a paper serviette or a plastic bag turned inside-out
cover or wrap ready-to-eat foods on display where people could handle, cough or sneeze on them
be aware of how long the food has been on display and out of temperature control.

Don't

use tags or labels directly on the food items
touch the food with your bare hands without thoroughly washing them first.

Remember the temperature danger zone! Keep hot food HOT at 60 °C or hotter and cold food COLD at or below 5 °C.

Answer this practice question...

Which of the following foods are ready-to-eat? A potatoes B flour C uncooked sausages D salad

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