Section 11.4 Fruit and Vegetable Department: Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Storage, Handling & Display
Purpose
To ensure fresh Fruit and Vegetable is stored, handled & displayed in a manner that does not compromise its quality.
Delivery
All fresh Fruit and Vegetable is delivered either direct from markets or from Metcash approved warehouses. Most products are placed in coolroom storage upon delivery except some specific variants that don’t require refrigeration, such as potatoes.
Special attention must be exercised at delivery of Fruit and Vegetable when looking for signs of infestation.
Storage
Only what is required fresh for display is ordered and the coolroom is only used for overflow storage. Storage temperatures for cool rooms that specifically store Fruit and Vegetable is generally 8 – 100C. This is to maintain the integrity & shelf life of the Fruit and Vegetable.
Where cool rooms are shared with dairy or meat products the coolroom must be kept at or below 50C. Care must be exercised to ensure that Fruit and Vegetable integrity is maintained at this lower temperature.
Processing
It is recommended to rinse all Fruit and Vegetable, prior to cutting, from any dirt or debris.
All Fruit and Vegetable is cut in a hygienic manner, minimising handling, and is done so in sequence of:
- Any fruit salad preparation first
- Skinned fruit second (pineapples, melons, etc)
- Leafy vegetables last (celery, cabbage, etc)
Fruit and Vegetable cutting boards should be made of any material that does not pose a hygiene risk.
The cutting bench & all utensils are sanitised between variants to minimise cross contamination.
All cut Fruit and Vegetable is pre-weighed, prior to wrapping, then immediately and completely stretch-wrapped, labelled, and placed directly onto temperature-controlled display. Only a minimal amount of stock is cut for display.
Fruits and Vegetables cut or processed are to be stored under temperature control (Below 5 degrees) This prevents harmful food poisoning bacteria from multiplying to dangerous levels in the food.
By using the following 4hr / 2hr rule we can safely store cut produce in a non-refrigerated case to eliminate any food safety issue.
Under 2 hours – Food can only be on display (not refrigerated- ambient) for up to 2 hours. It has to go into a refrigerated case within the two hours.
2 to 4 hours – Food must be used immediately and cannot be re-refrigerated.
4 hours plus – Food must be discarded – it may have harmful levels of bacteria.
Each cut product we put on display in a non-refrigerated case/shelf we must wrap and label the product. Each label will have the time it was cut and out on display. This will ensure we re-refrigerate within the 2 hours. If we do not do this, we must dispose of this product after 4 hours.
The cutting bench, and the immediate area, are wiped or swept at the completion of the cutting run to prevent the risk of infestation. The cutting board is washed with the correct chemical, rinsed & left to dry immediately.
Important reminder – When cutting fruits and vegetables it is important to first wash the outside of the produce to remove any soils, harmful bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants that may be harmful if consumed. By washing the produce, you will prevent the knifer from transferring theses contaminants into the food e.g. washing the skin of watermelon to remove dirt before cutting the fruit.
Display
Displayed stock is generally rotated and audited consistently throughout trading to ensure its saleability. All Fruit and Vegetable that is below standard is discounted or weighed and recorded in the shrinkage records. (RF)
Pre-packaged stock with a date code is stored on the refrigerated display and monitored daily to ensure damaged or out-of-date stock is removed from sale.
All Fruit and Vegetable refrigeration temperatures are recorded on the relevant food safe check sheet.
Orange Juice Machine ZUMMO
The machine is to be cleaned daily following the Safe Cleaning / Operating procedure.
Empty Orange juice bottle are to be stored with their lid on to prevent any foreign objects going into the bottle.
Orange Juice is given a 3 day shelf life including day of juicing.
Juice bottle is to be date stamped when being made.