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Food storage

Food delivery, storage and display

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.

Do

  • 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.

Don't

  • 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.

Answer this practice question...

Dry storage foods should be

Incorrect! Why is this?

Correct! Why is this?

You have the right to reject the delivery if you find the food unsafe

3 of 5 subject areas

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