An inservice presented for the culinary staff at Elmhurst Extended Care Center

1. Safe, Sanitary,
and Effective
Food Storage
Laura Hutchinson
Dietetic Intern
Elmhurst Extended Care Center

2. General Storage
Guidelines
Following proper storage guidelines for
both food and nonfood items will keep
items safe and preserve their quality.

3. Labeling
• All new products must be
dated with month, day,
and year when putting
deliveries on shelves.
• All food prepared in
house must include the
name of the food, the
date, the time of
preparation, and the date
by which it must be
thrown out.

4. Rotation
Use the FIFO Method.
1) Identify the food item’s
use-by or expiration
date.
2) Store items with the
earliest use-by date or
expiration dates in front
of items with later
dates.
3) Once shelved, use
those items stored in
front first.

5. Product Placement
• Store food, linens, and single-use items away from
walls and at least 6 inches off the floor.
• Always store food in containers intended for food.
• Never use empty food containers to store
chemicals.
• Never put food in empty chemical containers.

6. Cleaning
• Clean refrigerators thoroughly once a week.
o If necessary, use a stiff brush.
o Rinse with a weak baking soda solution.
• Defrost and thoroughly clean the freezer monthly.
o Follow the same procedure as the refrigerator using alcohol and water to
avoid unsafe freezing.
• Clean all storage areas per cleaning schedule.
• Always store food in containers that have been
cleaned and sanitized.
• Clean carts, transporters, and dollies as often as
possible.

7. Dry Storage
• Keep dry storage areas cool and dry.
• Store food away from walls, and at least 6 inches off
the floor
• The temperature of dry storage areas must be
between 50°F and 70°F.

8. Refrigerated Storage
• All potentially hazardous foods prepared on site or
open containers must be dated and refrigerated for
no longer than 7 days.
• If the dated product is NOT used within 7 days from
preparation or opening, it must be discarded.
• This date (7 days from prep/opening) is the use-by
date. The day of preparation counts as day one.

9. Refrigerated Storage
• The refrigerator must
keep an internal
temperature of 41°F or
lower at all times.
• Keep refrigerator and
freezer doors closed
except when in use.
One of the most important
practices in safe food
handling is proper
refrigeration.

10. Preventing CrossContamination
Always wrap or cover food.
Store foods in the following order:
TOP: Ready-to-eat food
Whole raw fish/seafood
Whole raw meats
Ground raw meats
BOTTOM: Raw whole and ground poultry

12. Frozen Storage
• Freezers must be kept at 0°F or below.
• Make sure both refrigerator and cooler
thermometers are visible, in working order, and
record temperatures per protocol.
If you have a question as to how long a food can be
kept frozen or refrigerated, please see Beth or Laura
to refer to
DuPage County Health Department Cold
Storage Chart

13. Apply: Load the Cooler
Put the foods in order, from
top (1) to bottom (4), of where
they should be stored.
_____ Whole Meat
_____ Whole Chicken
_____ Pecan Pie
_____ Raw ground beef

14. References
1. National Restaurant Association. (2010). ServSafe
Essentials, 5th Edition.
2. Safe Food Handlers Corporation. (2012).
Comprehensive Food Safety Training Manual, 19th
Edition.
3. Elmhurst Extended Care Center Dietary Policies and
Procedures