Best Food Safety Practices to Avoid Food Labeling Confusion

Mislabeling or not labeling food in restaurants may seem like a minor oversight, but it can lead to major food safety failures. During a study on risk factors contributing to foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration found date marking out-of-compliance as high as 81 percent within restaurants and other food storage facilities.*

Don’t allow your restaurant to be part of the problem. (And get ahead of the next health inspection by downloading our free Health Inspection Guide.)

Date marking should be a common practice at your restaurant for foods that are ready to eat, refrigerated or being held for more than 24 hours. Train your staff to correctly label food by using the following best practices:

• Label food with “Best if Used By (or Before)” date recommendation for best flavor or quality.
• Include the “Use-By” date set by the manufacturer as the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality.
• Practice “First In, First Out” (FIFO) as a general rule, and discard any food that has gone beyond seven days.

And remember, when in doubt about the expiration date, the rule is to always throw it out.

For more ways to encourage your staff to improve food safety, watch our 5 Common Food Safety Mistakes video and download the resource. Check out our free Health Inspection Guide, too.

*Food and Drug Administration; FDA Report on the Occurrence of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors in Selected Institutional Foodservice, Restaurant, and Retail Food Store Facility Types; 2009

Want more? You might also like:

Facility Check-Up: Pest Management and Sanitation During COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought operations for many businesses to an abrupt halt, and those that continued to operate likely experienced lower production or disrupted schedules. Balancing the delicate requirements of proper sanitation, and peace of mind for customers and employees, now constitu …

Keep Reading »

Checklist: Integrated Pest Management for Essential Businesses During COVID-19

If your business is designated as an essential service provider and is operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re probably already facing a lot of pressure. Between maintaining a hygienic environment, making a profit and providing good service, pest management may not be top of mind. But whether …

Keep Reading »

How Food Processing Managers Should Document Pest Management Activity

Part of helping maintain a pest-free food processing facility involves tracking your Integrated Pest Management (IPM) efforts. For managers, this means having the right documentation on hand to monitor trend data and determine whether changes to the program are necessary. While this documentation is …

Keep Reading »