Untitled - Hospitality Maldives

Receiving:
Check It, Before You
Accept It
The beginning of every great meal begins
with the purchasing and receiving of the
freshest products available. Careful selection
of your suppliers is the first step in ensuring
you receive these fresh products. Question
your suppliers to ensure that they have established
food safety practices in place. You
should only buy from suppliers who are getting
their products from licensed reputable
manufacturers who adhere to all applicable
health regulations. Suppliers should meet the
following criteria:
• use a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point) system in their operations
• train all employees in sanitation
• use clean delivery trucks with proper
refrigeration
• package foods in leak proof, protective,
durable packaging
• should meet federal and state health
standards
You should let vendors know what you expect
from them by putting safety standards
in your purchase specification agreement and
note any deficiencies for further review.
Once your establishment has set up a relationship
with a supplier, be a smart customer.
Always inspect deliveries. Don’t take anything
for granted. Even though federal and
state agencies regulate and monitor the production
and transportation of food such as
meat, poultry, seafood, eggs dairy products,
and canned goods, it is your responsibility
to check the quality and safety of food that
comes into your establishment. Remember
that receiving is the first step where you can
control the safety and quality of the food in
your restaurant.
Make sure that you are prepared for your
shipment. Have clean handtrucks, carts or
dollies, and containers available in the receiving
area. Make sure you have enough space
in your storage areas prior to receiving a
shipment. If possible receive only one delivery
at a time. Inspect and store each delivery
before accepting another one to avoid product
abuse in the receiving area. If deliveries
arrive at a time that is not convenient ask the
supplier to come back at another time that
is. Schedule shipments so they arrive at the
non-peak times of the day. That way you can
ensure that your crew can check to see that
the food arrives in good condition.
Employees assigned to receive deliveries
should be trained to inspect food properly, as
well as to distinguish between products that
are acceptable and those that are not. They
should be authorized to reject products that
are not acceptable.
Take sample temperatures of all refrigerated
and frozen foods as well as the delivery
truck. Use a clean, calibrated thermometer
to check the products. All products – especially
meat, poultry, and fish – should be
checked for proper color, texture, and odor.
Live molluscan shellfish and crustacea must
be delivered alive. Eggs should be checked
for freshness and be checked for cleanliness
and cracked shells. Dairy products must be
checked for freshness. Produce should be
fresh and wholesome.
Make sure delivery trucks look and smell
clean and are equipped with proper storage
equipment. Ensure that the refrigerated
products are at the proper temperature of
41 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Make sure
frozen foods are in air-tight, moisture-proof
packaging. Broken boxes, leaky packages, or
dented cans may be signs of mishandling and
could be grounds for rejecting the shipment.
Check packaging for signs of re-freezing, prewetness,
and pest infestation. Just because a
product is dry or frozen upon receipt does
not mean it was not wet or had not thawed
during prior handling.
Label all items before storage with the delivery
date or the use-by date to ensure proper
food rotation. Put products away as soon as
possible, especially frozen food or foods that
require refrigeration. Keep the receiving area
clean and well lit to discourage pests.
It is your establishment’s right to refuse an
unacceptable delivery. If the product does
not adhere to these criteria when it arrives,
you have every right to refuse the shipment.
Having established procedures for inspecting
products can reduce hazards before they enter
your establishment.
Adapted with permission from ServSafe Essentials - Second Edition, ©2002 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
ServSafe is a registered trademark of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. This article is reprinted with permission by Daydots 2008.