As it should be, food storage is a business that must come with plenty of caution and regulation. This is certainly the case if you want to keep your products and customers safe. Do you happen to work in food storage? If so, it is extremely likely that you understand just how important it is to prevent cross-contamination and cross-contact between food products. You should also consider allergens with cross-contamination, including peanuts, seafood and more. However, are you doing everything you can to prevent cross-contamination in your food storage?
What you can do to Prevent Cross-Contamination in your Food Storage
The prevention of food contamination and allergens can be quite a chore to deal with. However, once you know exactly where you should begin and what to look for next, everything should fall into place better than you could predict.
Understanding your Products
The first thing you need to do is make sure you understand the products that you stock. Different foods will come with different allergens, different needs for storage and different ways of preventing contamination. It is imperative that you understand these different needs if you want to prevent any issues surrounding health or hygiene.
Be sure to take stock of everything that is stored in your warehouse and give careful consideration into how they can all affect one another. For example, do you have any uncooked meats that need to be frozen or kept in cold storage? What about dried foods? Should that be touching anything? Being fully aware of your inventory is a fantastic first step in keeping allergies or contamination at bay.
Contamination vs Contact
Be sure to keep your staff well-informed on the difference between contamination and contact. Too many places make the mistake of using “cross-contamination” and “cross-contact” interchangeably. While both may have similar impacts on the products and customers, knowing the difference can have a huge impact on how you store and handle the products.
Cross-contamination is the transference of biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses that naturally form in foods and can be harmful to other food types. However, cross-contact occurs when an allergen is accidentally transferred between two foods of different food types. This can still happen when the foods themselves are still fresh and unspoiled. Both of these need different methods of handling and, in some warehouses, preparation. Understanding the difference and what foods require what is essential.
Storage
Use proper storage for all types of food. Food storage, especially when thinking about allergens, need careful and considerate storage, as well as the proper use of materials. You must use germ-free NSF shelving and restaurant shelving to prevent the spread of germs. What’s more, you must ensure all different food products are specially separated and stored as per federal and manufacturer guidelines. This is to prevent the further spreading of allergens as well as keeping food fresh.
Make sure you double check the guidelines for temperatures for all food products. This includes the foods that do not need cold storage. Be sure to prevent sunlight exposure, open air and follow all guidelines for rotations for products that must be disposed of after their expiration date.
Disposing of Food
Finally, make sure how you dispose of expired food is done properly. Many foods can still be an allergen hazard beyond the date of their expiration. This is why they must be disposed of far away from the rest of the inventory. Be sure to keep al allergenic products in their own dumpsters to avoid risk of them touching other products. Make sure your staff are equipped with proper handling materials and don’t forget disposable or washable gloves! This will stop allergens from coming back into the warehouse with them.
Talk to Monarch Shelving Ltd
Now you know what to do with your food, it’s time to find the right storage solutions for your business. Contact Monarch Shelving Ltd today to see how we can help.
