Storage

Establishments must have the proper hygienic-sanitary conditions for the storage of food, to avoid contamination, minimize damage and deterioration.
The storage area will have stowage in sanitary material and shelves for the purpose; the location in any case will be at least 15 centimeters from the floor and at least 60 centimeters from the walls, to facilitate aeration, verification procedures and cleaning of the area. Dirty or deteriorated stowage should not be used. From the reception and during the storage time, special care will be taken to label the different batches of raw material, being of great help for the rotation of the products, under the principle «the first thing that enters, the first thing that leaves».

The maximum time in which a food retains all its organoleptic, nutritional and sanitary properties is called SHELF LIFE.

The most frequent and traditional conservation systems used are:

By cold: refrigeration (Between 0º and 5ºC), freezing (less than -18ºC). The COLD CHAIN must be maintained, which consists of maintaining the cold (refrigeration or freezing) throughout the process through which the food passes: production, transport, reception, storage, sale to the consumer.

If the right temperature is not maintained throughout the process, the food will suffer IRREVERSIBLE consequences.

By heat: only microorganisms are destroyed with heat. The best known are:
pasteurization, cooking, sterilization and uperization. Removing part of the water from the feed: desiccation, salting, curing, sugaring, smoking.

Others: pickling, use of preservatives.

PACKAGING AND LABELLING

Packaging, in addition to protecting the food, also serves the function of facilitating distribution and use (dosing).

The LABELS of the products must inform us of everything related to the food it contains, and must contain mandatory information that is:

1. Denomination (the name).
2. Ingredients.
3. Alcohol content (if you have it).
4. Weight or units.
5. Instructions for conservation and use.
6. Expiration date or preferential consumption.
7. Business name or name of the manufacturer or packer and its domicile.
8. Batch (code with which we could «track» that product in case there are problems with it). They are products that are manufactured or packaged in similar circumstances.

The batch is very important, because it relates to the traceability or traceability of a product. We understand traceability as the «ability to follow or reconstruct the life of a food from its origin to its sale to the final consumer«.

*Source RINCÓN DEL VAGO // CO FORMACIÓN