We are lucky a Polysec Coldrooms Limited to work with many companies who use cold storage facilities to support their business. Without such solutions, it would be impossible for mainstream food retailers, catering companies, restaurants and providers of food logistics to safely store perishable items of produce on their premises.
Even with commercial cold storage solutions, it pays to follow a strict code of practice when you are storing food for your business. Follow some of this advice and you will do all you can to ensure your food is fresh and ready to deliver or prepare for your customers.
Rotate the stock you are storing
Keep a close eye on dates and monitor the movement of items that are being taken out of or delivered to your cold storage chiller. Put newer items at the back of shelves and bring older produce forward so you are using them first. Adopt this system and you ensure the items that need using first are given top priority.
Be mindful of what goes where
Certain produce should be placed on the lower shelves of the cold storage unit. Meat, for example, needs to be placed right on the bottom shelf away from other perishables. This will prevent juices from dripping down and contaminating other food stock you are storing.
Monitor interior temperatures
The right temperature is vital if you want refrigerators and cold stores to work safely with the greatest efficiency. Check the temperature is adjusted accordingly to keep food well preserved and within the recommended guidelines.
Containerise the food
Air-tight containers can be very useful when you are storing food items. They help to extend the life of produce and prevent it spoiling quite as quickly. Once the food comes into contact with air it already starts to spoil. Make sure you give it the longest shelf life possible and pop it into an air-tight container.
Keep food storage areas clean
A clean kitchen is a healthy kitchen so make sure you sanitise storage and food preparation areas on a regular basis to minimise the chance of bacteria growing. You can organize shelves in cold stores and wipe them clean, whilst addressing other areas of the kitchen at the same time. Pay close attention to food spills. These should be wiped up immediately to prevent bacterial growth which could lead to spores spreading.
If you have any doubts about the quality of the food you are storing it’s always best to throw it away. Check use-by dates and monitor the shelf life of any produce you are storing inside cold storage facilities to be on the safe side.
Should you require walk-in cold rooms, need modular refrigeration units or drive-in cold stores, we have the ideal solutions for you here at Polysec and you can contact us today or call us on 01905 458551.