Commercial Refrigeration Food Safety Tips

Refrigeration plays an important role in food safety. It is one of the biggest reasons we can safely consume fresh foods from all over the world. But, even with refrigeration, foodborne illnesses affect many every year. So, it’s a good time to freshen up on some food safety tips for commercial refrigeration.

What are the main causes of foodborne illnesses?

One of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses is from not storing, holding, cooking, or cooling foods at proper temperatures. This is because between 40°F and 140°F, also referred to as the “danger zone,” pathogenic bacteria can rapidly grow. Another common cause is cross-contamination from bacteria found in raw foods and their juices. This happens when staff prepare foods on contaminated surfaces or do not properly wash their hands.

How serious are foodborne illnesses?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), roughly one in six people (48 million people) in the U.S. fall ill to foodborne illnesses every year. Of those people, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die every year. Due to this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that foodborne illnesses cost the U.S. economy more than $15 billion each year.

You can help prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses with these simple tips for your commercial refrigeration.

Commercial refrigeration food safety tips:

• Store perishables in stable temperatures between 40°F and 0°F.
• Load deliveries into your refrigeration as soon as you get them.
• Do not let food sit out in temperatures above 40°F for more than two hours.
• Do not leave your refrigeration’s doors open for long periods of time. This can cause the temperature to rise into the danger zone.
• Keep the inside of your refrigeration clean. You should clean up spills as soon as they happen.
• Throw out product that is past its expiration date. If you are in doubt if something is still safe to eat, then throw it out.
• Have ice machines cleaned often to eliminate and prevent the growth of mold and bacteria in your ice.
• Have draft beer lines cleaned often to prevent buildup in the lines.

More food safety tips:

If you want to ensure proper food safety with your commercial cooking equipment, then visit Cooking Equipment Specialist’s blog for more tips.

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