SITXINV002 Maintain the quality of perishable items
STUDENT WORKBOOK SITXINV002 Maintain the quality of perishable items Participant guide This resource includes four sections. Section 1: Learning support material This provides content to support independent learning. Section 2: Pre-assessment This includes information to assist with establishing the needs of the participant and planning their assessment activities. Section 3: Assessment This includes details and information relevant to the assessment for this unit, instructions to participants and trainer/ assessors and recording sheets. Section 4: Validation and mapping and unit information This section lists elements, performance criteria, required skills, required knowledge and critical aspects for assessment. It maps assessment tasks against these to validate the unit. Section 1: Learning support material This section addresses the following performance criteria: Conduct temperature checks on delivered goods ensuring they are within specified tolerances Record temperature results according to organisational procedures Identify any deficiencies, with delivered food items, reject supply within scope of responsibility or report findings Choose and prepare correct environmental conditions for the storage of perishable supplies •Date code all perishable supplies to maximise use Promptly store supplies in appropriate storage area to minimise wastage and avoid food contamination uct temperature checks on delivered goods ensuring they are within specified tolerances; record temperature results according to organisational procedures and identify any deficiencies, with delivered food items, reject supply within scope of responsibility or report findings You will be required to identify and record information about the supplier when receiving deliveries. This information is often recorded in a log book. Information often recorded includes: name of supplier name of delivery person time delivery was accepted •supplies delivered temperature checks and results if required variations or discrepancies with delivery Temperature checks can be taken for a range of foods at different temperatures. Foods that can be temperature checked include: dry goods dairy products •raw meat, seafood and poultry frozen foods •fruit and vegetables •hot food Part of your food safety program involves checking temperatures of supplies delivered to your venue. These temperatures should be recorded and stored according to enterprise policies. Frozen foods and high-risk foods are more commonly temperature checked. It is unlikely that an enterprise will temperature check non-perishable supplies. To conduct a temperature check you will need a thermometer. A probe thermometer is best as it can be inserted into the item to check the core temperature. Cold supplies to be refrigerated should be delivered between the temperatures of 1-5 ·c; frozen foods should be frozen and not partly thawed and below-18 ·c, although this figure may differ between states and territories. It can be another temperature-provided the supplier can demonstrate that safe time limits have not been exceeded. If receiving hot foods, they should be above 60 ·c. Variations and discrepancies can arise when receiving and storing kitchen supplies and can include: · food that has been contaminated · food at the wrong temperature (eg food intended to be frozen and has thawed) · packed food that is exposed through damaged packaging · incorrect quantities amount of weights wrong supplies Variations and discrepancies that occur when receiving deliveries should be identified and recorded immediately. There are numerous ways to handle discrepancies and variances credit notes, cross off invoice and amend the total, verbal agreement to replace the item etc. The method your enterprise uses will depend on enterprise policies and the relationship with the supplier. The variation or discrepancy should be recorded on the tax invoice, delivery docket and purchase order when possible. The receiver and the supplier should both sign for any discrepancies. If you discover, when moving goods to the allocated storage areas, damaged or incorrect items, these must be correctly processed. Damaged items should be recorded and set aside for return to supplier for credit/ exchange. The supplier should be contacted and notified of the damage or discrepancy. It is important all discrepancies/ damages are actioned as suppliers usually place time limits on their acceptance of claims. If you do not have the authorisation to deal with suppliers, you should refer the matter to your supervisor/ manager. Variations and discrepancies should be reported to the appropriate person in your enterprise. This could include the head chef, manager, owner, designated stock receiver etc. Variations and discrepancies should be reported to monitor and control the relationship with the supplier. If suppliers are constantly making mistakes it could be time to look for a new supplier. Refer to activity1. Choose and prepare correct environmental conditions for the storage of perishable supplies Storage areas should be clean and hygienically maintained to ensure the environment is suitable for storage of perishable supplies. Shelves should be tidy and orderly and all empty boxes and packing material removed to appropriate recycling bins. Walkways, entrances and exits should be kept free of clutter. Tidy shelves and categorising of goods ensures that they can be easily located. Cleaning frequency and rosters have been discussed previously, however, in general, it should be part of the enterprise policy that storage areas be swept and cleaned after each delivery. Good housekeeping helps to ensure that: stock can be tracked · stock that is required can be easily located and identified stock checks are easy and straightforward · dispatch from one area to another is smoothly expedited A clean and orderly receiving area is also important for safety reasons. People must not be exposed to preventable hazards such as tripping and slipping over items and waste left lying around. All storage shelving must be well constructed-strong enough to safely hold the necessary quantities and weights. Shelves must be stable, so items will not fall off. The material from which the shelving is constructed must comply with health regulations-stainless steel shelving in cold rooms and freezers-and must be easily cleaned. Temperatures, temperature control, ventilation and protection from vermin should always be considered when choosing a suitable environment for storage. Your enterprise should have, in place, strategies for preventing infestation by vermin. Food storage areas should be sound and properly constructed so there are no gaps and/or places where rodents have easy access. Doors and windows should be well fitted, have sound fly screens and be properly sealed. General cleanliness, proper disposal of rubbish and correct storage (containers, packaging, shelving) will prevent most insect infestations. Fly zappers can be installed but must be placed where the dead insects cannot contaminate foods. Many Organisations, however, contract professional pest eradicators to make regular pest checks. Lighting As people require constant access to storage areas, lighting must be sufficiently good for them to clearly see what is in the store and what they are doing. Artificial lighting will be necessary in cold rooms, freezers and most dry storage areas. Sunlight will cause foods and other goods to deteriorate, therefore should be minimised. In most instances fluorescent lighting will be used because of the relatively cheap running costs and due to its lighting efficiency. Lights should be strategically placed so that corners and darker sections of the area are well lit. Tubes (or globes) should be kept clean and replaced as necessary. Switches should be easily accessed and must be regularly checked to ensure safety. Temperature and the environment Perishable and potentially hazardous goods should be moved into the appropriate storage area as rapidly as possible. They should spend minimum amounts of time at room temperature. Frozen goods must be transitioned rapidly so that they do not unfreeze. The two hour/ four-hour guide tells you how long food can be at room temperature and remain safe. Remember this is just a guide and whenever possible food should be stored in the appropriate area as quickly as possible. Provided your storage areas are at the correct temperatures and food is free from contamination you can use the two hour/ four-hour guide. If you hold food at a temperature between 5 ·c and 60 ·c for a total of less than two hours, you must then either return the food to the refrigerator for final use later or ensure it is used before the four-hour limit is up. If food has been held for longer than two hours but less than four hours, use it before the four-hour limit is up but note that food cannot be returned to the refrigerator or cool room. If the food has been held for longer than four hours, then discard it-it will not be safe to eat. All goods must be handled with care to avoid damage and to ensure they are not contaminated. Use clean equipment and ensure that your personal hygiene is of a high standard. Keep hands clean and wash them regularly (with warm water and sanitising soap) when handling goods. Make sure that your clothing is clean, nails are clean and short, and that hair is clean and tied back. Refer to activity2. code all perishable supplies to maximise use and promptly store supplies in appropriate storage area to minimise wastage and avoid food contamination Date codes should be used on all perishable supplies. Once a use-by date code has expired the food has the potential to cause food poisoning if consumed. It is an offence to sell food after a use-by date. A best before date is a date code used on shelf stable foods such as dried goods, tins, frozen food etc. A best before date is an indication of food quality not food safety. Fresh food that is frozen on the premises should be date coded to make sure that it is used within a satisfactory time. Storage times will vary depending on the type of food and on your freezer. If food is broken down into smaller amounts it should be re-coded with the original date code. Checking date codes is important when doing stock rotation to avoid using supplies which are stale or unsafe. Store supplies Food must be stored correctly to avoid contamination by bacteria, pests, foreign materials and chemicals. The methods you use to store goods must be compliant with your enterprise's HACCP or food safety plan and state or territory regulatory requirements. When storing goods remove from packing cases, and safely dispose of nails, staples and other sharp metallic objects that may cause injury. Use the correct tools to open boxes or other containers and be careful not to damage the product inside. Heavier items should be stored on lower shelves and keep all containers covered to keep out dust, insects and vermin. You should eliminate all loose or spilled foods to discourage insects and vermin from breeding and ensure that all goods are clearly and accurately labelled. Food container storage Some products will need to be removed from their delivery packaging and stored in correctly labelled containers. Labels should contain the name of the product plus the date on which it was received. Clear labelling will prevent confusing one product with another, for example diced beef and diced lamb. Accurate dating of products will prevent products from going stale or becoming spoiled-dating indicates when the products should be used. Make sure food storage containers have not been used to store things other than food; wash and sanitise them before use. If