ServSafe Chapter 5: Ordering, Receiving, and Storage

Main Ideas / Lessons (ServSafe Chapter 5: Ordering, Receiving, and Storage)

• Goal: You can’t “fix” unsafe food later—start by only purchasing safe food from approved sources, then follow correct receiving and storage procedures to protect food safety and quality.
• The chapter focuses on three stages:
  1. Purchasing from approved suppliers
  2. Accepting/rejecting deliveries using proper receiving procedures
  3. Storing food correctly after receipt
• Core themes repeated throughout:
  • Prevent time/temperature abuse
  • Prevent contamination (including cross-contamination)
  • Maintain proper labeling, dating, rotation, and storage conditions
  • Follow documentation and recall procedures to avoid serving unsafe products

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Methodology / Instructions Presented

A) “What should I do” — Ensure Food Is Safe Before Acceptance

• Only purchase from approved, reputable suppliers.
• Confirm suppliers:
  • Have inspection(s) and can provide an inspection report
  • Meet local, state, and federal laws
  • Are included in your operation’s approved supplier list (based on your standards/specs)
• Build a relationship with suppliers and review their most recent inspection reports.
  • Reports may come from USDA, FDA, or third-party inspectors
• When reviewing inspection reports, look for coverage of:
  • Receiving and storage
  • Processing
  • Shipping
  • Cleaning and sanitizing
  • Personal hygiene
  • Staff training
  • Recall program
  • HACCP (mentioned as “Hassett program”) / other food safety systems

B) Scheduling and Staffing Receiving

• Schedule deliveries for times when staff can inspect correctly (don’t accept during peak rush when you can’t receive safely).
• Assign specific staff responsibility for receiving.
• Train receiving staff in food safety guidelines.
• Provide tools:
  • Purchase orders
  • Thermometers
  • Scales
• Ensure enough trained staff are available for prompt inspection.

C) Receiving Procedure for Normal Deliveries (Accept/Reject)

1. Inspect immediately upon receipt.
2. Visual inspection of the delivery truck:
   • Walk around the truck
   • Check for contamination signs
   • Check for pests/pest evidence
   • If there’s any issue with the truck, reject the entire delivery
3. Visual inspection of the food items:
   • Verify correct condition
   • Verify items were received at the correct temperature
4. Store quickly after inspection—especially refrigerated and frozen items.

D) Key Drop Deliveries (Delivery When Operation Is Closed)

• The delivery is inspected as soon as kitchen manager/assigned staff arrives next day.
• Requirements:
  • Must come from an approved source
  • Must be placed in the correct storage location
  • Must maintain correct temperature
  • Must be protected from contamination overnight
  • Exterior must match the interior (what it says it is must match what it contains)
• If rejecting items:
  • Set rejected items aside from accepted items
  • Tell delivery person exactly what’s wrong
  • Obtain a signed adjustment/credit slip
  • Log the incident on the invoice/receiving document
• Note: Recalls/reconditioning are mentioned as possible in some cases (e.g., cleaning contaminated cans), but damaged items may not be reconditionable.

E) Recall Procedures (If Notified the Food Is Recalled)

• Monitor vendor recall notices and FDA/USDA recall notifications.
• If notified:
  • Identify recalled items by matching recall notice details (e.g., manufacturer ID, manufacture time, “use by” dates)
  • Remove from inventory
  • Place in a secure, separate location (cooler/dry storage area)
  • Store separately from other food, utensils, equipment, linens, and even single-use items
  • Label clearly to prevent reuse (e.g., “DO NOT USE” / “DO NOT DISCARD”)
  • Tell staff what to do based on the recall notice:
    • Throw away and/or
    • Return to vendor (if instructed)

F) Temperature Verification Rules During Receiving (TCS and Other Items)

• General cold TCS foods: Receive at 41°F (or lower)
• Live shellfish (oysters, mussels, clams, scallops):
  • Receive at 45°F (air temperature)
  • Internal temperature no more than 50°F
  • Cool to 41°F or lower within 4 hours
• Shucked shellfish:
  • Receive at 45°F
  • Cool to 41°F or lower as quickly as possible, within 4 hours
• Milk: Receive at 45°F; cool to 41°F or lower within 4 hours
• Eggs: Receive at 45°F; cool to 41°F or lower within 4 hours
• Hot foods (less common for restaurants):
  • Receive at 135°F or hotter
• Frozen food rejection criteria:
  • Reject if you see fluid/water stains (possible time/temperature abuse)
  • Reject if you see ice crystals on top (thawed then refrozen)
• Clarification: egg “45°F” refers to air temperature in the refrigerated truck, not inside the egg case.

G) Documentation and Identification Tags (Seafood/Raw Consumption)

• For seafood served raw or partially cooked (e.g., sushi, raw fish) and/or farm-raised fish:
  • Keep identification tags/documents for 90 days
• Shellstock identification tags (oysters, clams, mussels, scallops):
  • Must be received with the shipment
  • Indicate harvest time/location and approved source/waterway
  • Store shellfish in the original container
  • Do not remove the tag until the last unit is sold
  • Date the tag on the last sale and keep for 90 days
• Fish documentation:
  • Must indicate fish was correctly frozen prior to receiving
  • Keep documents for 90 days from the sale
• Farm-raised fish:
  • Must have documentation stating it was raised to FDA standards

H) Rejecting Food/Non-Food Items (Quality, Contamination, Packaging, Labeling)

Reject items if there are problems such as:

• Food quality/condition
  • Moldy or abnormal color
  • Moist when it should be dry (example given: salami)
  • Pest signs/damage (including chew marks)
  • Texture issues:
    • Slimy or sticky (meat/fish/poultry)
    • Dry or soft flesh that leaves an imprint
  • Abnormal/unpleasant odor
  • Does not meet your restaurant’s quality standards
• Packaging problems
  • Packaging not intact or clean; tears/holes/punctures
  • Dirty/discolored packaging
  • Broken cartons/seals
  • Appears tampered with
• Reduced oxygen/vacuum-packed items
  • Must reject if package is bloated or leaking
• Canned foods rejection reasons
  • Big dents (including severe dents)
  • Dents in/near seams
  • Missing/torn labels
  • Swollen/bulging ends
  • Holes or signs of leaking
  • Rust
• Date labeling
  • Reject if missing required use by/expiration date
  • Reject if passed use by/expiration date
• Additional rejected conditions mentioned
  • Wet/dried out packaging water stains
  • Any evidence of pest contamination

I) Storage “How Should I Do It” — Labeling, Temperature, Rotation, Contamination Control

1) Labeling Requirements

• Label items not in original containers.
• Labels should include:
  • Common name of the food (or statement that clearly identifies it)
• Prep food held > 24 hours must be labeled with:
  • Item name
  • Date prepared
  • Date the item must be discarded
  • (Person who prepared may be included, but not required in the subtitles)
• Ready-to-eat TCS food held > 24 hours:
  • Must be marked with when it will be sold/eaten/discarded
  • Can be stored for 7 days only if held at 41°F or lower
  • Discard date counting begins the day it was prepped/opened
• Customer take-home packaged food (bottled dressing etc.):
  • Must include common name/clear identity, quantity, ingredient list (descending order by weight if multiple ingredients),
  • Artificial colors/flavors, preservatives (if any),
  • Manufacturer/packer/distributor name,
  • Source of major allergens (unless already in common name of ingredient)
• Leftover customer food is exempt.

2) Date Marking Rules When Mixing Foods

• When commercially processed items have shorter use-by dates:
  • The prepared dish’s discard date is based on the earliest use-by date among ingredients.
• Example concept taught:
  • Jambalaya discard date = the date the first ingredient goes bad, not 7 days from prep.

3) Storage Temperature Rules and Equipment Requirements

• Cold TCS: store at 41°F or lower
• Hot TCS: store at 135°F or higher
• Refrigerators must have:
  • At least one air temperature measuring device
  • Accurate within ±3°F
  • Placed in the warmest part of the unit
• Don’t overload storage units:
  • Prevents airflow and makes it harder to keep safe temperatures
• Frequent opening adds warm air—avoid unnecessary door opening.
• Use open shelving (don’t block airflow with foil/sheet pans lining shelves).
• Monitor food temperatures regularly:
  • Randomly sample stored food temps
  • If food is not at correct temp, discard (because you can’t determine how long it was unsafe)

4) FIFO Rotation (First In, First Out)

• Rotate food to maintain quality and limit pathogen growth.
• Put earliest used-by/expiration items in front.
• Use first those in front, then move through.
• Discard anything past manufacturer use-by/expiration date.

5) Cross-Contamination Prevention During Storage

• Store foods in designated areas.
• Keep food away from:
  • Walls
  • Floors (store at least 6 inches off the floor)
• Store single-use items (gloves/cups/sleeves) in original packaging.
• Storage containers:
  • Use containers meant for food
  • Durable, leak-proof, sealable or covered
  • Never store chemicals in food containers
  • Never put food into empty chemical containers
• Keep storage areas clean and dry; promptly clean spills/leaks.
• Keep dirty linens away from food in clean non-absorbent containers or washable laundry bags.
• Avoid storing food where contamination risk exists (e.g., locker rooms, dressing rooms, restrooms, garbage rooms, unshielded sewer lines, leaking water lines).

6) Correct Storage Order in the Refrigerator/Freezer (Top-to-Bottom)

• Store raw meat/poultry/seafood separate from ready-to-eat when possible.
• If in the same refrigerator, follow top to bottom order:
  • Ready-to-eat foods (top)
  • Seafood whole cuts of beef/pork (including seafood/whole cuts)
  • Ground meats and ground fish
  • Whole and ground poultry (bottom)
• Special exception rules mentioned:
  • Raw meat/poultry/seafood should not be stored above ready-to-eat in the refrigerator
  • In the freezer, raw items can be below ready-to-eat if commercially processed/packaged
  • Thawing exceptions: thawing hamburger meat cannot be stored above ready-to-eat

7) Unsafe/Expired Items Held for Return (Risk Control)

• If items must be kept until vendor return:
  • Keep away from other food and equipment
  • Label clearly to prevent use (e.g., “DO NOT USE” sticker)

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Speakers / Sources Featured

• Speaker: Chef Bates (identified as “chef bates”)
• Referenced authorities/sources (not speakers):
  • USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
  • Third-party inspectors
  • HACCP (referenced as a food safety system)
  • Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
  • Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)