Food Safety: Storage

Food Storage Safety Risks and Remedies

Our last post reviewed safe receiving practices. The next step to safely shepherding food to the table is storage. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by one of the following three things: time and temperature abuse, poor personal hygiene, or cross-contamination. When it comes to food storage, cross-contamination is the most common culprit since food is all-too-often stored in a vulnerable manner.

Risky Food Storage Practices

Disposable coverings such as plastic film and aluminum foil are used extensively across the foodservice industry. They are inexpensive and convenient, but they pose some serious drawbacks that increase risk of cross-contamination and reduced shelf life.

A single pan or container with a properly applied disposable cover typically doesn’t cause a problem until it’s accessed more than once, or it’s stacked on other pans or containers. Each time a disposable cover is lifted, pulled, or pushed back to access contents, its ability to tightly seal or completely cover food is compromised. Foils can tear, leaving gaps where contaminants can leak or fall in.

Stacked food pans with soft covers sink down into each other, pushing wraps and foils down into the lower pan and pulling the wrap away from the sides. Air, moisture, and contaminants from other containers or circulating in the air can enter through tears or gaps in foils and wraps, exponentially increasing risk of cross-contamination and rapidly reducing shelf life. Over time, cost also becomes a factor since disposable wraps and foils increase consumable costs and waste, which runs counter to sustainability efforts.

Reusing single-use, non-commercial grade containers such as pickle and mayonnaise buckets is another common practice that poses risks from both a food safety perspective and issues with the health department. But weren’t these containers designed to safely hold food? The answer is yes, but it’s a little more complicated. Plastic food packaging is made of food safe materials that are approved for use one time. They are not NSF listed, which means that they cannot be safely washed and sanitized for repeated use since they are not designed for it.

Dishwashing chemicals are too strong, and temperatures are too high for single-use plastics to endure, so they will begin to degrade over time. This can lead to plastic particles breaking off into food and deep scratches that harbor bacteria or other dangerous pathogens. Consumer-grade food storage products or containers that weren’t designed for food storage, such as office or home improvement storage containers, present similar risk.

Remedies to Support Safer Food Storage

Safe storage starts with commercial grade, NSF listed food storage containers and pans made with FDA approved materials. Commercial grade storage containers are available in a variety of materials and price points. Clear or translucent materials are safest since they allow staff to see contents, which keeps them from having to peek inside. It also gives a visual warning when food is starting to turn. Translucent polypropylene is a great way to save on cold and ambient storage costs since it costs less, but still provides a view of contents.

A solid cover is the next step. We are huge fans of the Seal Cover for Cambro food pans. It’s made of translucent polypropylene, so it provides content visibility, a tight seal, and a stable stacking platform all at the same time. Durable enough for years of use, it will be around far longer and cost far less over time than disposable foils and films. It’s also been laboratory tested to provide 2-3 extra days of shelf life of produce and proteins, which helps you take advantage of volume pricing while protecting your inventory in the event of drops in demand. Seal Covers for Camsquares and Rounds will produce the same results of extended shelf life, stacking capability and most importantly, protection against cross-contamination.

To ensure that food that goes in first gets used first, dissolvable food rotation labels such as Cambro’s StoreSafe Labels make it a lot easier to manage a FIFO inventory system and consistently serve the freshest food while reducing waste. StoreSafe labels completely dissolve in the dishwasher or after 30 seconds under running water, leaving no residue behind.

Good food storage practices are key to maintaining food safety and improving operational efficiency. We can help take the guesswork out of setting up a system that works for you. Contact us.