It all comes down to your ingredients. Top quality food is created from ingredients that have been safely stored with care. From receiving to delivery, proper food storage is imperative to keeping your food safe and fresh. In our Ultimate Food Storage Guide blog series, we’ll explore the different ways Cambro products keep food safe from the Danger Zone, cross contamination and handling. First things first: how to keep food safe when it first enters your business.

1. Always inspect product deliveries.

Food safety protocols start the minute a driver arrives with fresh produce. Before food can be stored, it is essential that it’s inspected and anything that doesn’t appear or smell fresh is rejected. Don’t allow the inspection process to happen inside your business. Set up Dunnage Racks outside when produce arrives in order to keep everything safely off the ground while it’s being checked. Plus, Dunnage Racks are permanently molded with an antimicrobial protection that inhibits the growth of mold, fungus and bacteria.

2. Immediately replace all corrugated cardboard.

Cardboard boxes are only meant to be used as a mode of transportation. Produce is packed and carted through fields and on dirty trucks before it arrives to your business. There are countless opportunities for dirt, pests and bacteria to make its way into the boxes, settling into its crevasses. After you’ve inspected product, immediately transfer everything to clean Camwear® Food Boxes with Lids. Our clear Camwear material allows you to quickly and easily see what is inside. If you’re transporting a significant amount of product inside, we suggest bringing a KD Utility Cart or Camshelving Premium® Series Flex Station loaded with empty Camwear Food Boxes outside to increase efficiency.

3. Store perishables in a cooler within 15 minutes.

Upon receiving delicate produce like lettuce, we recommend utilizing our Colander Kits. Comprised of one Colander, a Camwear Food Box and a SlidingLid, Colander Kits allow chefs to keep produce as fresh and safe as possible before it’s prepped. Once you’ve filled up all of your Camwear Food Boxes, promptly move them to your cooler to discourage the growth of harmful bacteria.

Receiving is just the beginning of your ingredients’ food storage journey. Now that they’ve been properly accepted and stored, it won’t be long before your chefs transform produce during the preparation process. In our next Ultimate Food Storage Guide blog series, we’ll explore Food Storage Containers that will keep your prepped food safer and fresher for much longer. Contact your Cambro rep today to get a personalized food storage evaluation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER AT CAMBRO.