The food handler must contribute to the preservation of the quality of the food supplied to the customers of the establishment where he works.
Contents
- 1 What should food workers use to handle ready to eat pastries?
- 2 What do best before and use-by dates mean?
- 3 Can I still eat food after the best before date?
- 4 What is the difference to the use by date?
- 5 What do the storage conditions mean?
- 6 Can food still be sold in the best before date or the use-by date has been exceeded?
What should food workers use to handle ready to eat pastries?
Food workers should use gloves, utensils (forks, spoons), and disposable paper to handle ready to eat pastries.
Food handler function
In addition to trying to wear a uniform within the required conditions, it is essential that the food handler is concerned with respecting this set of basic personal hygiene rules to reduce or even eliminate the possibilities of contamination of food during its handling.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the function of the food handler goes far beyond the concern to offer beautiful and tasty dishes, but also reaches an important social role, which is to contribute to the preservation of the quality of the food provided to the establishment’s customers. what is your work?
Therefore, there are basic hygiene rules to be followed by food handlers, which are:
Use of uniforms
The hygiene of food handlers should start with the use of appropriate uniforms. For this, they must have the following characteristics:
- Be light in colour, preferably white;
- Be in good condition, that is, without holes, without torn or patched parts;
- Present a good visual aspect, that is, clean and properly ironed;
- They must be changed daily;
- Pants and blouses must be made of cotton fabrics and made without pockets, and they must be comfortable, in order to allow the necessary movements of the arms and legs, during the activities;
- Aprons should be made of fabric, to be used when the activity to be performed does not involve the use of water, or rubber, to be used when working with water.
- Shoes should be closed and boots made of white rubber;
- Net or cap are accessories that will compose the uniform and have the function of keeping the hair of the handlers trapped, to prevent them from falling on food. When choosing to use burrows, they must be of the same fabric and colour as the pants and blouses.
What do best before and use-by dates mean?
By definition, the best before date (BBD) indicates the point in time up to which the manufacturer guarantees that the unopened food will retain its specific properties, such as smell, taste and nutritional value if stored correctly throughout.
For some foods, the shelf life depends on certain conditions, such as the storage temperature. This must then be stated on the label.
In the case of foodstuffs with a shelf life of fewer than three months, the day and month must be specified, for foods with a shelf life of 3 to 18 months, the month and year.
For foods that have a shelf life of more than 18 months, it is sufficient to indicate the year.
No best-before date is stipulated for certain foods, for example, fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, drinks with an alcohol content of 10 or more per cent by volume, chewing gum, sugar, table salt or vinegar.
Food that perishes very easily and can pose an immediate health risk after a short period of time is marked with the use-by date.
The use-by date indicates the last day on which the food can still be consumed.
Can I still eat food after the best before date?
If the originally sealed packaging has been stored correctly, the product can often still be enjoyed after the “expired best-before date” and not automatically spoiled.
In addition, some manufacturers set the best before the date to be on the safe side.
If the best before the date for the yoghurt from the refrigerator has expired, that does not mean that the dairy product is bad and can no longer be eaten.
Whether products are still edible or not can be checked with your own senses: See, smell and taste – trust your own senses!
This is usually also done with foods that do not have a best before date, for example, fruit, vegetables or bread from the baker.
Can you see mould, does it smell unpleasant, does it taste sour, or tingles on the tongue? Then hands off!
Attention: If a food package has already been opened and will be stored further, the best before date no longer applies. This only applies to the unopened packaging.
After opening the packaging, oxygen, moisture and microorganisms can cause the food to spoil more quickly.
What is the difference to the use by date?
A use-by date is stipulated for particularly perishable and sensitive foods – for example, minced meat or fresh fish.
Packaged, perishable foods with the express label “to be used by” may no longer be sold after the specified date has passed. After the use-by date has expired, germs can pose a health risk.
Therefore, the food may then no longer be eaten. For these products, the use-by date indicates the end of their shelf life – these foods are to be consumed in good time and, if possible before the use-by date is reached.
What do the storage conditions mean?
In certain cases, near the best before date or the use-by date, there is an indication of the storage and use conditions for the packaged food.
Instructions such as “store in a cool, dry place” or “protect from heat and moisture” should be followed to ensure shelf life.
It is also very important to adhere to the cooling recommendations on the packaging, for example, 2 degrees Celsius for minced meat.
Information such as “store dry and cool” for example for biscuits and coffee or “store dry and protected from light” for example for bread unfortunately does not provide precise recommendations.
Manufacturers also interpret these formulations differently; in case of doubt, only a request from the respective producer can provide clarity.
Can food still be sold in the best before date or the use-by date has been exceeded?
In retail, an expired best-before date does not trigger a sales ban. These foods can therefore be resold after the expiry date.
However, it must be ensured that the goods are in perfect condition.
As soon as the best-before date is reached, the manufacturer is no longer liable, but the responsibility is then borne by the food company or grocer who puts the goods on the market.
It is common practice in many shops that these foods are offered separately, for example at a reduced price or with an information sign. But this is not required by law.
I am Margaret Anderson founder of TheStaticFoodBin.com.
I am a professional content writer especially in food, health and fitness-related content. I have several food and fitness-related blogs and TheStaticFoodBin is one of them.