Storage

Professional storage helps you to keep food articles safe and fresh for a
longer period of time.
Rotate the products in your storage and remember the rule first in first out. This is critical when the
product involved is highly perishable, such as pre-sliced meats. When you put your products away,
always date the boxes. Make sure your refrigerator and freezer are at the correct temperatures.
Refrigerated products must be stored between 2 and 7 degrees C (depending on product) and frozen
foods must be stored at -20 degrees C. Also, there should be enough room for circulation around and
under the stored product.
No canned or dry goods can be stored on the floor because they can be contaminated when you mop.
They should not be stored near cleaning chemicals as these might leak and contaminate your supplies
Store hot products in large shallow pans as this will enable the product to cool quickly. Never store
open canned products in their cans. Make sure left over food is covered and labelled.

Temperature controls
In order to observe the cold chain, you need to monitor the temperatures of
refrigerated areas (negative and positive cold) every day. Regulations
require that such readings be recorded and kept for one year.
The ideal set-up involves centralised recording coupled with an alarm system. If such an investment is
out of the question, an alternative solution is to use a thermometer equipped with a probe to measure
and record, on a daily basis temperatures and the time the reading was taken for each refrigerated
area.

Food storage in the freezer (-20 degrees C)

Freezing is one of the easiest, quickest, most versatile and most convenient methods of preserving
foods. Properly frozen foods maintain more of their original color, flavor and texture and generally
more of their nutrients than foods preserved by other methods. Because freezing can be the most
expensive method of preserving foods, good freezer management is important and saves money:

Place your freezer in a cool, dry area where the temperature is constant.

Keep your freezer at least full for efficient operation.

Continue to use and replace foods. Do not simply store them.

Open the freezer door as rarely as possible.

Make proper use of energy saving features on your freezer.

Keep door seals clean and check for proper sealing. Replace when necessary.

Defrost manual freezers regularly.

Keep the condenser coils clean.

Food storage in the refrigerator (between 2 and 7 degrees C)

Here are some tips to positioning food correctly:

The top of the fridge - has an average temperature of 7 degrees. This temperature is good for
butters and cheeses.

The middle of the fridge is best for fresh fish, cooked meats and dairy products, like soft
cheese, cream and yoghurts. This area of the fridge maintains optimum temperature of 5 degrees
centigrade.

The lower levels are the coldest part of the fridge and raw meats and chilled ready meals
are best stored in this area, as the temperature is maintained at 2 degrees centigrade.

The salad drawers have the perfect temperature of 7 degrees centigrade for your fruits and
vegetables. For the best possible storage times fruit and vegetables should be stored separately, as
these items give off toxins that can cause other items to deteriorate when stored together.
Keep refrigerated products cold until you work with them. Make sure all hot foods are prepared quickly
and that they reach the right temperature (80 degrees C for 3 minutes is safe).

Download PDF for your temperature documentation

The cold chain

Observance of the cold chain during the transportation phase is an issue to
be taken seriously.
Observance of the cold chain concerns all parties involved in the food chain. From production to
consumption, refrigerated and frozen foodstuffs need to be continuously stored at the correct
temperature. This is what is known as the cold chain.

Makro suppliers must monitor the conditions under which products are produced and
transported.

Makro selects its logistics providers (platforms and carriers), which are obliged to apply at all
times the correct temperature.

Makro conducts systematic audits upon delivery of goods and checks temperatures at each of
its warehouses. They are regularly audited by an independent laboratory.

The Makro cold chain

Find out how Makro observes the cold chain

The "transport" regulation (decree dated 20 July 1998)

Applies to all professionals.

Ensures the safest food products possible for the consumer.

Reduces the incidence of food poisoning.

Thanks to appropriate means of transport which keep products at the right temperature.
It is your responsibility to comply with regulations when transporting products from your Makro store to
your premises!

Official service will audit

Restaurateurs and craftsmen with little or no equipment for transporting products at the correct
temperature.

Frequent use of vans or ordinary motor vehicles, to transport fresh or frozen products
sometimes over great distances.
Various violations have been noted, resulting in reminders of regulations and affidavits of seizure,
destruction of goods and fines as well.

Cleaning method
A 7-step methodology - observe these seven steps when cleaning and
disinfecting.

1.

Clean the surfaces of the majority of the soiling

2.

Spray the surface with a degreasing agent

Good practice dictates that you need to remove grease from a surface before disinfecting it. The
grease-free surface allows the disinfectant to act effectively in the absence of any interfering
substances. However, to facilitate the cleaning of slightly soiled surfaces, certain manufacturers now

recommend disinfectant detergents, which perform these 2 operations in one step. Use of these
products does not eliminate the need to remove grease from the surface to be cleaned beforehand.

3.

Rinse
Rinsing is mandatory with regard to the legislation pertaining to products used for cleaning material
which can come into contact with foodstuffs.

4.

Spray the disinfectant

5.

Allow it to act for at least 5 min.

A minimum contact period of 5 min. is essential. This is the time required for the disinfectant to act on
the bacteria. For certain fungicidal products, the period of time required to act is longer. Always consult
the parameters indicated by the standard to which the disinfectant refers. Product dilution should also
conform to the parameters of the standard indicated in reference, as well as to the directions for use.
Don't forget that temperature also plays a part: if you dilute disinfectant with cold water, it is imperative
that you extend the contact period (see the Zinner circle).

6.

Rinse with drinking water

Rinsing is mandatory with regard to the legislation pertaining to products used for cleaning material
which can come into contact with foodstuffs.

7.

Leave to dry
"Leave to dry" is often mentioned as a precaution on manufacturers' directions for use. If you dry the
product with a contaminated cloth, the disinfecting process will have been in vain. You should also
protect the moving parts of disinfected items with cling film.
Dont forget to clean critical items in hidden areas like meat mincers and mixers (behind the
blades and inside the tool), boards (in the corners and under the lower side), icemakers and
other sensible tools.

Processing and serving food

Simple guidelines ensure safe processing and serving of food in your
restaurant.
Raw foods, especially raw meats, poultry and fish, can carry bacteria such as salmonella, whereas
with cooked foods, the bacteria has been killed off. Combining the two, or placing cooked foods where
a raw food that contained bacteria was placed, before cleaning it, can cause the bacteria to quickly
spread to the cooked food.
To avoid cross-contamination make sure that bacteria are not transferred from one surface to
another - eg on hands or cleaning cloths, or by raw meat coming into contact with other foods.

Defrosting
Raw or cooked meat, poultry or egg products, as any perishable foods, must be kept at a safe
temperature during defrosting. They are safe indefinitely while frozen. However, as soon as they begin
to thaw and become warmer than 4,4 degrees Celsius, bacteria that may have been present before
freezing can begin to multiply.
Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room
temperature for more than two hours.

Even though the center of the package may still be frozen as it thaws on the counter, the outer layer of
the food could be in the "Danger Zone," between 4,4 and 60 C - temperatures where bacteria multiply
rapidly.
When thawing frozen food, it's best to plan ahead and thaw in the refrigerator where it will remain at a
safe, constant temperature - at 4,4 C or below.

Avoid Refreezing!
Foods that have defrosted have no remaining ice crystals. If defrosted foods have warmed above
refrigerator temperature (4.4 C) they should not be refrozen, except for very high acid foods, such as
fruits.
Personal hygiene of employees is important! They must have clean hands, hair in place, clean
clothes or uniforms and each must be thoroughly trained in proper hand washing techniques
(before starting work, returning from the restroom, touching food or serving customers, after
cleaning assignments, handling money or non-food items, touching hair-face-or skin and in
between preparing different food products).

Food allergens
A food allergy is a response from the immune system towards a food that the body mistakenly believes
is harmful. Once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful, it will release massive
amounts of chemicals to protect the body once the food is reintroduced into the system. These
chemicals, in turn, trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system,
gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.
Allergic reactions are an increasing issue and restaurants must be prepared to support customers in
case of an issue:

REVIEW the food allergy with the guest and check ingredient labels.
REMEMBER to check the preparation procedure for potential cross-contact.
RESPOND to the guest and inform them of your findings.
8 major food allergens:

Milk

Eggs

Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)

Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp)

Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)

Peanuts

Wheat

Soybeans