Secrets to Making Food Last Longer

 

Managing Food Inventory with Inconsistent Demand

Have you found yourself struggling with forecasting, running out of key ingredients, or throwing them out when they’re no longer presentable? You’re not alone. It seems these days that only one thing is predictable: unpredictability! Business can be up one day and down the next. Meanwhile, menu items wax and wane in popularity. If your choices have been limited to run out or throw out, here are some strategies to protect your food inventory investment, regardless of demand. 

Getting Extra Days of Shelf Life

Plastic wraps and foils are inexpensive go-to food storage covers for many fast-paced operations, but did you know they shorten shelf life? Seal Covers by Cambro are the secret to extending shelf life up to 3 days. With an inner seal that fits snugly against Cambro Camwear and Translucent Food Pans, Seal Covers keep out air, moisture, and other contaminants that work together to begin the food decomposition process. They are flexible yet strong enough for stable stacking, saving space, and protecting against cross-contamination all at the same time. For a small initial investment, Seal Covers pay for themselves many times over.

 

Getting Extra Weeks of Shelf Life

There’s nothing like vacuum sealing and refrigerating or freezing to save the shelf life of raw or cooked foods—especially valuable proteins—during dips in demand or unexpected service disruptions. Sammic corporate chef Enrique Fleischmann was one of the many catering professionals affected when COVID-19 struck. According to Chef Enrique, vacuum sealing enabled him to save a large quantity of ingredients that would have otherwise been discarded, responding to an extraordinary situation with a safe, professional, and efficient solution, "With the vacuum [Sammic Vacuum Sealer], we ensure that we maintain a quality that will allow us to return to our business and make the most of our ingredients." Among the goods he stored were beef fillet, bone-in chops, foie gras terrine, prawns, cheeses, hams, and much more.

 

Due to the airtight nature of their packaging, canned foods have a long shelf life, typically from 1 to 4 years, depending upon the contents. According to the USDA, proper storage in a cool, dark place where cans can remain undented and protected is key to extending shelf life. Whether you keep a small or large inventory of canned goods, the Ultimate #10 Can Rack from Cambro keeps cans organized and undamaged with a front-loading, gravity-fed FIFO system.

 

Safe Food Rotation

Dissolvable labels such as StoreSafe labels by Cambro are essential for labeling foods to maintain a first in, first out (FIFO) food storage and handling system. Labels dissolve completely in less than 30 seconds in the dishwasher or under running water, leaving no sticky residue on the container. Microwave and freezer safe, they are useful for all types of food storage. 

Need help customizing a shelf life extension solution for your operation? Contact us.