Food storage

Overview

Types of food storage

When you receive a delivery of food you need to store it in the appropriate storage area to help prevent contamination.

You should always follow the food storage instructions on the labels.

Depending upon the food being stored, there are several kinds of storage options available.

dry storage is for ‘dry’ foods that have a long shelf-life and can be kept at room temperature, such as flour, tea, coffee, dried pasta, sugar, canned food, biscuits, rice and other uncooked grains.
cold storage is for foods that must be kept in the refrigerator or cool room below 5 °C.
frozen storage is for foods that need to be kept frozen solid at -15 °C or colder.

store cooked food above raw food
clean and defrost the refrigerator and freezer on a regular basis
check the refrigerator, freezer and cool room temperatures regularly
keep the opening and closing of the fridge or freezer to a minimum
regularly check food, in particular packaged food items, for signs of dampness, expired use-by dates, dented or rusty cans, holes in packaging or signs of pest infestation
cover, label and date the food on delivery
rotate the food stock by using the first in-first out rule
tell your supervisor or manager if you notice a pest problem in the storage area.

overload or over-stock the refrigerator, as the cold air won’t be able to circulate properly
store food on the floor
store food with items like chemicals, cleaning equipment, clothing and personal belongings
store food in toilets or airlocks.

Dry storage foods should be A checked regularly for use-by dates B stored on the floor C stored with chemicals D kept in the locker area

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