Purchasing, Receiving, Storage, and Food Preparation
Purchasing and receiving set the safety ceiling; storage and preparation decide whether you stay under it. Buy only from approved, reputable suppliers and keep receiving records.
Receiving
Check temperature of TCS foods at 41°F or below, frozen food solid with no signs of thaw and refreeze, shell eggs at 45°F or lower, milk at 41°F, and live shellfish at 45°F with shellstock identification tags kept 90 days from the last sale. Reject cans with dents on seams, swollen ends, or rust, and packaging that is torn, wet, or shows pest activity. Put deliveries away promptly, refrigerated items first.
Storage
Label, date, and rotate using FIFO. Keep food 6 inches off the floor and away from walls; hold dry goods at 50–70°F with low humidity. Store raw food below ready-to-eat, top to bottom: cooked and RTE foods, whole fish, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat, then poultry on the bottom. Date-mark TCS food prepared on site for 7 days at 41°F, counting the preparation day.
Preparation
Thaw under refrigeration, under running water at 70°F or below, in a microwave followed by immediate cooking, or as part of cooking. Minimum internal temperatures: 165°F for poultry and stuffed foods; 155°F for ground meat and ratites; 145°F for whole seafood and whole cuts of pork or beef with a 4-minute rest. Cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours and to 41°F within 6 hours total; reheat to 165°F within 2 hours; hold hot at 135°F and cold at 41°F.
Trap: the two-hour cooling milestone is measured to 70°F, not to 41°F.