Video Two: Transporting and Receiving

Transcript: Welcome back to the second of four videos from Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. I’m Ethan Minton, major gift officer for the food bank, and I’m very grateful for you taking the time to learn about food safety. In this segment, we’ll be talking about safe ways to transport and receive products from food bank retailers and individual donations. First up, here are guidelines for safe transportation. Transporting food should absolutely be done in as little time as possible. You’ll remember from our previous video the temperature danger zone for foods is between 41 degrees and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. If foods reach this temperature, rain pathogens will begin to grow, and food safety is at risk. Coolers and thermal blankets should be used during transport to help keep food at a safe temperature. Never leave product outside or unsupervised, do not use a vehicle that was used to transport garbage, only except food from safe food sources, and always inspect upon delivery. You’ll want to check for signs of insects or pests, temperatures, and the overall condition of the product. Do not accept or distribute homemade products. This is because you don’t know the conditions in which these items were prepared.

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Implementation of a food inventory system is one of the easiest ways to combat food safety issues. Check all code dates as the product is received and set up a first expired, first out system. Date and label everything that comes in during receiving and inspection. To identify the shelf life of the products, inspect all of your inventory to ensure that products aren’t being given out that have passed their acceptable safe date. Refer to the Food Keeper Guide for more information on how long the product is good for beyond their code dates. Thank you for completing the second of four videos in Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Food Safety Training course. Great news. You are halfway there. Next up, inspecting product and food safety recalls.