Cold Chain Food Storage: the Golden Rules
The high and low-temperature criteria, as well as the amount of time a food product can be left unrefrigerated, are all defined for foods in the cold chain. The final guideline governing cold chain supply is to rotate stock to guarantee that products are sold before their expiration.
A continuous cold chain ensures that food is safe to ingest when it reaches the customer. Let’s find out below some of the rules in a cold chain supply.
1-Not Warmer Than
The ‘never warmer than‘ guideline establishes the highest temperature the food should be carried, kept, or handled. Chilled meals must also be inside an above temperature setting to prevent food from being harmed by freezing.
2-Maximum Out
This rule for the maximum out of refrigeration establishes the maximum amount of time a meal can be on the outside of a temperature-controlled area without compromising the cold chain.
3-FEFO or First Expiry – First Out
Foods with a shorter expiration date should be dispatched or used first. This straightforward stock rotation method reduces food waste, but it necessitates the use of an inventory management system.
4-Record Keeping
The only way to ensure that the cold chain remains intact is to keep meticulous records of it. Aside from failing to ensure customers that food has not been spoiled, sloppy record-keeping may also be grounds for rejecting items.
A cold chain software system makes cold chain compliance easier by allowing food producers and sellers to track quality, compliance, and temperature data along the supply chain.
