What do you need to know?
• Cooking does not necessarily make all food safe.
• Some foods must be kept cold (chilled or frozen) to stop bugs growing.
• Vending machines must store food at the correct temperature to stop bugs from growing.
• Food or ingredients must not be used or sold after their ‘Use By date’ (this includes food from vending machines).
• Only source food from a reputable supplier (e.g. registered food business).
What do you need to do?
• Only buy food from approved suppliers.
• When receiving food, record:
◦◦ the name and contact details of your supplier,
◦◦ the type and quantity of food,
◦◦ the temperature of the food, if it needs to be kept
at a certain temperature to make sure it is safe and suitable.
• When collecting or receiving chilled food, measure the temperature of it with a thermometer. You must check that:
◦◦ cold food is cold,
◦◦ frozen food is frozen,
◦◦ packaging is not damaged or dirty,
◦◦ food is not past its Use By date.
• Store food safely. Put chilled food away first, then frozen food, then food that can be stored at room temperature.
• Arrange your supplies so food with the closest Use By or Best Before dates is used first.
• Throw out food at its Use By date.
• Store food covered and clearly labelled.
• Follow the 2-hour/4-hour rule, as shown in the diagram below:
What do you need to show?
• Your verifier will check:
◦◦ records of your approved supplier list and supplier assurances,
◦◦ records of:
◦◦ the name and contact details of your supplier,
◦◦ the type and quantity of food,
◦◦ the temperature of the food, if it needs to be
kept at a certain temperature to make sure it is safe and suitable.
• Show your verifier that food is stored, labelled and covered.
