Coffee Shops and Cafes,
Professional Chefs,
Restaurants,
Tips and Tricks
How to Keep Food Fresh for Delivery
OK, you have
a top chef working in your kitchen, a unique menu and active social media
profiles promoting your foodservice business. But, do you think all that is
more important than the quality of your food upon delivery? Of course not - all
that is irrelevant if your food arrives at its destination shaken or spoiled by
the journey. So how can you avoid this scenario?
Segment Your Food Deliveries
Each and
every food item requires a different approach to handling and storage for fresh
delivery. That’s why you should segment your foods into separate types to
ensure you guarantee freshness for each:
● Dairy
● Red Meat
● Seafood
● Fruits and Vegetables
● Prepared Food (Ready to Eat)
● Poultry
● Frozen Foods
Each of
these requires a certain temperature range for storage. For example, frozen
foods should be kept at anywhere between -24 and -18 degrees Celsius. Fresh
goods, such as fruits and dairy products, should be kept between 4-8 degrees.
Double check the items you intend to take into transit to ensure you have the
facilities to keep the right temperature levels for your foods.
Watch Those High-Risk Foods
In addition
to segmenting your food deliveries, you should also be particularly mindful of
high-risk items. These include anything from raw meats and poultry to eggs and
seafood. Bacteria that lead to food poisoning multiply and grow particularly
quickly in these items, which means that any mistakes can be extremely costly.
Remember that even food that comes in secure packaging that has a long sell-by
date can become a ‘high risk’ item once opened.
Check Temperatures
When your
food arrives at its destination, you may want to consider checking temperatures
just to make sure the food is still fresh. This is particularly important if
you’re trying new methods or if you’re just starting in the catering industry –
perfecting your methodology early on will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Of course,
this can be a little tricky, as some products will either be sealed for direct
consumer sale or opening the packaging may tamper with the food’s shelf life.
There are
two ways you can circumvent this issue:
● the first is by holding two
identical items together and placing your thermometer’s tip right in between.
The metal tip should be completely enveloped as otherwise you’ll get an air
temperature reading.
● the second is our preferred
method, due to its accuracy: using an infrared
thermometer is
quick and simple to use, allowing you to accurately gauge a product’s surface
temperature without tampering with the packaging.
Should you
not be directly responsible for the transit itself, you have a right (and
obligation!) to verify that your supplier has kept the correct logs, adhered to
government standards, and safeguarded the freshness of food during transit.
Check the temperatures yourself upon delivery and refuse produce that isn’t in
the right range.
Pack Foods Properly
When it
comes to keeping food fresh for delivery, containers play a critical role. It’s
important that food is packed tightly and that containers close securely.
Ideally, look for containers that:
● have fasteners to ensure they
don’t pop open during transit.
● are non-toxic
● easy to clean, ensuring
contamination risk is kept to a minimum
Also,
remember that some packaging isn’t suitable for freezing or high temperatures,
so be watchful before making your purchase.
Foods that
require to be kept within a certain temperature range should be placed within
insulated bags or containers, or refrigerated units. For example, our insulated food
delivery bag has been specifically designed to keep food
warm during transit. For quick food deliveries to local businesses, it can make
quite the difference.
Finally,
creating the ideal environment for food delivery is not enough - it needs to be
consistent. Temperature levels should never drop or increase by large amounts,
nor should the process chop and change too much from one day to the next. Your
staff members should know their roles, the correct storage and temperature
equipment used, and each type of food handled according to requirements – if
you tick these three items off your list, you shouldn’t run into any problems!
Find this interesting? Check out these other blogs:
How To Keep Buffet Food Fresh
2016 Restaurant Food Trends
What Equipment Do I Need To Open A Cafe?
Find this interesting? Check out these other blogs:
How To Keep Buffet Food Fresh
2016 Restaurant Food Trends
What Equipment Do I Need To Open A Cafe?
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