8 Ways to Protect Your Food Supply From the Start
Food safety begins at the source, at the farm or manufacturing facility. But for your business, it begins at your receiving point. This is a critical part of your food safety system and one that you should be paying attention to. Protect your food supply from the start.
You probably won’t be able to see all the pathogens lying around, waiting to cause trouble. This is why it’s important to have a plan and procedures in place so employees understand the risks and how to avoid them. After all, bacteria and other hazards are not just lurking in spoiled food, they are everywhere.
Here are eight ways to make sure you’re doing all you can to protect your food supply.
- Make sure you have a specified receiving area and assigned personnel to that area. If you are receiving food in alternate areas, you run the risk of it not being inspected properly and introducing pathogens to your process.
- Be sure that all employees at all stages of the food prep and serving process are familiar with the signs of spoiling and adulteration and know how to reject these products.
- Inspect everything carefully. Open boxes and check the contents. For refrigerated or frozen items, make sure they are thoroughly chilled. Pick a random box from the middle, open it up and check for core temperature to spot any issues
- Handle rejections appropriately. Mark rejected items clearly so that they will not be used accidentally or to keep the supplier from trying to deliver them to you again.
- If your receiving area uses carts for transport, make sure to clean and sanitize them regularly.
- When unpacking, make sure to keep track of all packing materials, such as staples and rubber bands, to avoid losing any in the food products.
- Take the time to unpack products from their original packing. This lessens the chance of insects and other contaminants entering your area.
- Ensure you are staffed properly and deliveries are timed properly to maintain the temperature of products. Especially in summer, it’s important to move deliveries quickly to refrigerated spaces.
Take the necessary time and give the proper attention to your food safety right from the start, when you receive it. Doing so is beyond cost effective and ensures the lowest risk of food borne illness and other contaminants.
To learn about the solutions we can customize for you, contact a Johnston representative at 800-800-7123 or by visiting our Contact Us page.