An Investigation of the Degree of Compliance of Crosscare

Portland Row’s Community Café and Dublin Food Bank

Facilities, with Requirements of

Irish Standard 340: 2007

Submitted to the School of Food Science & Environmental Health,

Dublin Institute of Technology, Cathal Brugha Street,

By

Ben Kidd

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Science In Food Innovation

Name of Supervisor

Greg Burke

January 2016

Declaration Page

I certify that this thesis which I now submit for examination for the award of (insert name of program here) is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work.

This thesis was prepared according to the regulations of the Dublin Institute ofTechnology and has not been submitted in whole or in part for an award in any otherInstitute or University.

The Institute has permission to keep, to lend or to copy this thesis in whole or in part, on condition that any such use of the material of the thesis be duly acknowledged.

Signed:_____________________________ Date: _____________________

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the help I received from my supervisor Mr Greg

Burke, who provided me with guidance and support throughout the project.

I would also to acknowledge all the staff at Crosscare Portland Row, in particular

my supervisor at the premises, Louise, for allowing me preform my project at

their facility.

Abstract

Crosscare is a social support agency based in Dublin. From their café in Portland

Row, they provide the local community with cooked meals at affordable prices.

Crosscare also manages the Dublin Food Bank in Santry, Dublin 9. During this

project the degree of compliance at both facilities was determined with the

requirements of the Irish Standards 340: 2007.

This degree of compliance was determined by conducting stock checks, measuring

temperatures and by tracking foods in storage areas. The condition of products’

packaging was also focused on as well as the temperature of foods upon delivery.

Through gathering this data and comparing the results with the requirements as

outlined in the Irish Standards 340: 2007 conclusions were made as to the degree of

compliance present at the two facilities.

From observation of the two facilities and collection of data it was clear that both

showed a very high level of compliance. The food bank managed food donation to a

compliant standard ensuring they supplied safe foods while the community café

stored, prepared and cooked foods to standards that allowed for a high level of

compliance to be achieved.

Table of contents

Declaration

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Tables of content

List of graphs and figures

Chapter 1

Literary Review

1.1 Introduction

1.2 The Dublin Food Bank

1.2.1 Damaged food packaging

1.3 Irish Standards 340/2007.

1.3.1 Food deliveries

1.3.2 Stock rotation

1.3.3 Refrigeration

1.3.4 Frozen food storage

1.3.5 Cold storage requirements

1.3.6 Temperature measuring equipment

1.3.7 Ambient food storage

1.3.8 Thawing

1.3.9 Food cooking

1.3.10 Food cooling

1.3.11 Hot holding of food

1.3.12 Pest control

Chapter 2

Methodology

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Temperature measuring equipment

2.2.1 Infrared Thermometer

2.2.2 Food Probe

2.3 The Dublin food bank facilities

2.3.1 Ambient stock rotation

2.3.2 Conditions of stocks packaging

2.4 The Kitchen facility

2.4.1 Food deliveries

2.4.2 Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen foods

2.4.3 Kitchen fridge stock checks

2.4.4 Kitchen fridge temperatures

2.4.5 Kitchen freezer temperatures

2.4.6 Thawing of foods

2.4.7 Food cooking times and temperatures

2.4.8 Food cooling

2.4.9 Food holding for service

2.5 Pest Control

Chapter 3

Results

3.1 Results from the food bank

3.1.1 Stock checks of the food banks ambient products

3.1.2 Condition of the food banks stocks packaging

3.2 Results from the kitchen facility

3.2.1 Food deliveries

3.2.2 Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen foods

3.3.3 Kitchen refrigeration temperatures

3.3.4 Kitchen freezer temperatures

3.3.5 Thawing foods

3.3.6 Food cooking

3.3.7 Hot holding for service

3.3.8 Blast chilling

3.3 Pest control

Chapter 4

Discussions

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Food deliveries

4.3 Ambient food storage

4.3.1 food bank stock checks

4.3.2 Condition of the food bank stocks packaging

4.3.3 Ambient food storage at the Crosscare cafe

4.4 Cold storage

4.4.1 food tracking in cold storage areas

4.4.2 Cold storage temperatures

4.4.3 Thawing

4.4.4 Blast chilling

4.5 Cooking and hot holding for service

4.5.1 The cooking process

4.5.2 Hot holding for service

4.6 Pest control

Chapter 5

Conclusions

Chapter 6

Recommendations

References

List of Appendix

Appendix 1: External Calibration of Probe

Appendix 2: Stock checks of the food banks ambient products from the 29/10/2014

Appendix 3: Conditions of food bank stocks packaging

Appendix 4: Food delivery data

Appendix 5: Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen stock from the 28/09/2015

Appendix 6: Kitchen refrigeration and freezer temperature data from the 29/10/2014

to the 05/11/2014

Appendix 7: Thawing foods data

Appendix 8: Food cooking temperatures data

Appendix 9: Hot holding data

Appendix 10: Blast chiller data

List of Graphs and Figures:

Figure 3.1.1: Ambient storage area in the food bank where stock checks took place.

Graph 3.1.2: Line graph illustrating the temperatures in degrees Celsius of foods on

each of the refrigerator units 3 shelves

Graph 3.1.3: Bar chart representing the average of the temperatures recorded in the

freezer compared to the legally required temperature in degrees Celsius.

Graph 3.2.1: Graph representing the readout temperatures compared to the actual

temperatures recorded on visits to the refrigeration unit.

Figure 3.2.2: Picture of foods on the fridge shelves taken during a stock check.

Graph 3.2.3: Chart representing the temperatures on freezer shelves on dates visited in

degrees Celsius

Graph 3.2.4: Graph representing the average temperatures in degrees Celsius of the

food groups on each of the four months from September to December.

Graph 3.2.5: The temperature of foods entering and leaving the blast chiller in degrees

Celsius.

Graph 2.3.6: Bar chart representing the temperatures of foods before and after being

cooked in degrees Celsius.

Graph 3.2.7: Temperatures in Degrees Celsius of food upon being delivered

Figure: 3.3.1: Bait map of traps in the food bank.

Literature Review

1.1 Introduction

High levels of homelessness currently exist in Ireland. Up to 60,000 people are said to

be suffering from some form of food poverty as a result of the downturn, while one in

five Irish children is going to school hungry on a daily basis. (Irish Times 2014)

Extreme poverty and demand for meals by the homeless and others in various difficult

situations is a cause for real concern.

Crosscare is a social support agency based in Dublin. From their centre in Portland

Row, they provide the local community with affordable home-cooked meals in a

friendly welcoming environment.

Affiliated to the Crosscare Community Café is the Dublin Food Bank. Both facilities

once operated out of Portland Row. However the food bank has now moved to a

larger premises based in Santry, Dublin 9.

Hygiene is the science of preserving health. There is a lot more to food hygiene than

cleanliness alone. It involves measures necessary to ensure the safety and

wholesomeness of food during preparation, processing, storage, handling, and

offering for sale to the customer. (Sprenger 2014) It is a moral as well as a legal

obligation that high standards of hygiene are maintained at all levels in food

preparation (Murphy, 1985) while safe food is also a basic human right(Farber, 2000).

To ensure high levels of food hygiene and safety are maintained, food businesses

must provide a suitable premises and follow food standards to ensure the foods

prepared and provided to customers are safe.

By law, all food business operators must comply with Irish and EU legislation

governing food hygiene. The legal requirements for catering are set out in the Irish

Standards 340:2007 Hygiene in Catering. These NSAI standards are broken down into

sections which cover all legal requirements for a catering business.

1.2 The Food Bank

The Dublin food bank collects surplus foods and foods with slight imperfections such

as damaged packaging. These foods are donated by supermarket chains, farmers and

food processors when food is surplus to requirements and is within a normal shelf life.

Food is also donated through local food drives organised by Crosscare throughout the

Dublin area. These donated foods are redistributed to charities across the city such as

St Vincent De Paul and The Salvation Army.

Foods such as cosmetically imperfect vegetables and stock which has been

mislabelled or which has damaged packaging are examples of waste which spill out

from the food chain at all levels. These foods are often perfectly edible, however they

are ending up being used for animal feed or being dumped in landfill. (Irish Times

2014)

Crosscare Food Bank has been designed to collect these surplus foods from food

producers, supermarkets and manufacturers. The service provided by Crosscare

diverted 750 tons of food away from landfill in 2013 and provided the food to those

most in need. These foods that have been collected are being redistributed by

Crosscare volunteers to homeless projects and over 70 charities across Dublin.

(Irishtimes, 2014)

1.2.1 Damaged food packaging

It is advised by Sprenger that when dealing with damaged stock it is important to

segregate and thoroughly examine each item before placing it on a shelf. If there is

any doubt regarding a foodstuffs fitness, then it should be discarded. (Sprenger,

2014).

Damage to foods packaging can be caused by a variety of reasons including

perforation by nails, sharp crates and mishandling of stock. Significance should be

placed on damaged cans, in particular cans with badly damaged seams. Cans with

damage of this kind are susceptible to post process bacterial contamination through

these seams. Cans with this form of damage should not be put in to stock and should

be rejected by food businesses. (Sprenger, 2014)

There are no obvious signs of bacterial infection to cans, however bulging cans and

cans with a poor smell can be signs of a bacterial presence. Clostridium botulinum is a

bacteria which is capable of contaminating canned foods. It is an anaerobic bacteria

which prefers an oxygen free environment and low acidity. Improperly canned low

acid foods such as green beans, olives, beef and fish can provide this environment.

(Meggitt, 2003) Clostridium botulinum is unable to grow below a pH of 4.5 or in the

presence of nitrites. If it does become present in canned food it produces a toxin

called Botulin which effects the human nervous system. (Johns, 1995)

1.3 Irish Standards 340: 2007

The Irish Standards 340: 2007 is a national standard that had been drafted by a

specialist working group of the food industry consultative committee of the National

Standards Authority of Ireland. Food Businesses may use this standard as a guide to

food hygiene regulations. (I.S. 340: 2007)

All food business operators, including those in the food catering sector, are obliged to

ensure that the food they produce is safe and that their food operations are in

compliance with regulation (EC) No. 852/2004. They are also required to manage the

cold chain in order to maintain food at the correct temperatures. These requirements

may be achieved with the guidance provided in the Irish Standards 340: 2007 (I.S.

340: 2007)

Food business operators are not required by law to comply with best practice outlined

in the Irish Standards 340: 2007. However, food businesses are recommended to give

consideration to the guidance to assist them in providing safe food. (I.S 340: 2007)

The standards apply to food businesses where food is prepared and served to

consumers and examples include restaurants, hotels, cafes and catering facilities. (I.S.

340: 2007)

1.3.1 Food deliveries

Vehicles used for the distribution of high risk foods must always be insulated or

refrigerated. It is important that both the roof and floor of delivery vehicles are

correctly insulated as well as the floors. (Sprenger, 2014). This insulation is required

to prevent extremes of temperatures occurring. (Aston, 1997)

The temperature of foods when received should be monitored to ensure that certain

foods have had their correct temperatures maintained (I.S. 340: 2007). Foods which

require refrigerated storage should be rejected if above 8°C upon delivery while

frozen foods should be rejected if they are above -12°C (Sprenger, 2014). Food

poisoning bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and certain strands of Clostridium

botulinum can grow rapidly in foods when above 5°C (Aston, 1997) and food

poisoning bacteria can also grow in frozen food if allowed to thaw (Safe Catering,

2015). Ready to eat foods should be monitored for delivery at the correct temperature

as these foods do not undergo cooking or reheating before being served. (Safe

Catering, 2012)

Refrigerated vehicles are designed to maintain the temperatures of chilled or frozen

food and warm foods should not be loaded onto them. It is important that loading and

unloading of foods is carried out quickly to avoid any unacceptable temperature rises.

It is also important that vehicles are kept in clean condition with raw and high risk

foods completely segregated to avoid the risk of contamination. (Sprenger, 2014). It

is important that chilled food is at its required temperature before being loaded into

delivery vehicles as refrigeration systems in these vehicles are generally not designed

to extract heat from food. These vehicles merely maintain foods temperatures during

deliveries. (James, 2008)

Raw meat, poultry and fish should have their temperatures taken upon delivery with

a separate probe to ‘ready to eat foods’ to avoid any risk of contamination to the

‘ready to eat’ products. It is also advisable that the probe used for raw meat is not

inserted into the meat as this could transfer food poisoning bacteria from the meat’s

surface into its centre. (Safe Catering, 2012)

Food business operators should assess the hygiene of the delivery unit and delivery

personnel (I.S 340:2007) and deliveries should be unloaded in a clean separate area.

(Safe Catering, 2012)

1.3.2 Stock Rotation

Effective stock control is an important part of managing food safety. (Safe Catering,

2015). Shelf life is defined in European legislation as the date of minimum durability

and this means the date until which a food retains its specific properties when stored

correctly. The date of minimum durability is determined by one of two indicators of

food shelf life, use by and best before dates. The ‘use by date’ is used for food which

from a microbiological point of view is highly perishable while the ‘best before date’

is more related to foods quality characteristics. (FSAI Guidance Note No.18, 2014)

Food should be rotated and used on a first in / first out basis taking into account the

shelf life and any other information as appropriate such as these best before and use

by dates (I.S. 340:2007). Stock rotation can be defined as the practice of ensuring the

oldest stock is used first and that stock is used within its shelf life. (Sprenger, 2014)

Stock rotation applies to all types of food with long shelf life foods such as ambient

stored foods and frozen foods requiring examination as well as short shelf life

perishable foods. (Sprenger, 2014). Perishable foods require daily checks in relation

to stock rotation while for foods which have a longer shelf life a weekly stock

examination may suffice. (Sprenger, 2014). Certain perishable stock can be frozen if

it won’t be used before its ‘use by’ date. While doing this, stickers should be placed

on the foods packaging to record the date of freezing (Safe Catering, 2015). Stock

rotation of frozen food should be carried out to ensure stock is not affected by freezer

burn. This freezer burn can damage foods as it causes moisture loss from the foods

surface. (Sprenger, 2008). Responsibility for food safety should rest with food

business operators and they should be able to verify the safety of food over its shelf

life. (FSAI, 2014) .

1.3.2 Stock Rotation

Effective stock control is an important part of managing food safety. (Safe Catering,

2015). Shelf life is defined in European legislation as the date of minimum durability

and this means the date until which a food retains its specific properties when stored

correctly. The date of minimum durability is determined by one of two indicators of

food shelf life, use by and best before dates. The ‘use by date’ is used for food which

from a microbiological point of view is highly perishable while the ‘best before date’

is more related to foods quality characteristics. (FSAI Guidance Note No.18, 2014)

Food should be rotated and used on a first in / first out basis taking into account the

shelf life and any other information as appropriate such as these best before and use

by dates (I.S. 340:2007). Stock rotation can be defined as the practice of ensuring the

oldest stock is used first and that stock is used within its shelf life. (Sprenger, 2014)

Stock rotation applies to all types of food with long shelf life foods such as ambient

stored foods and frozen foods requiring examination as well as short shelf life

perishable foods. (Sprenger, 2014). Perishable foods require daily checks in relation

to stock rotation while for foods which have a longer shelf life a weekly stock

examination may suffice. (Sprenger, 2014). Certain perishable stock can be frozen if

it won’t be used before its ‘use by’ date. While doing this, stickers should be placed

on the foods packaging to record the date of freezing (Safe Catering, 2015). Stock

rotation of frozen food should be carried out to ensure stock is not affected by freezer

burn. This freezer burn can damage foods as it causes moisture loss from the foods

surface. (Sprenger, 2008). Responsibility for food safety should rest with food

business operators and they should be able to verify the safety of food over its shelf

life. (FSAI Guidance Note No.18, 2014).

1.3.3 Refrigeration

There is no strict definition as to what constitutes a chilled food. It generally covers

foods which have their temperature reduced and maintained at a temperature below

that of an ambient temperature, but above the temperature where foods begin to

freeze. (James, 2014)

All chilled foods are vulnerable to temperature abuse during distribution, display and

storage. (FSAI ,2006). As of this, it is important to monitor the temperatures of foods

and their storage areas throughout the cold chain. The temperatures of cold storage

facilities must be capable of maintaining food at their required chilled or frozen

temperatures. (I.S. 340: 2007) Chilled food must be kept at or below 5 C and to⁰ achieve this, fridges display equipment should be set below this required temperature. In relation to freezers, they should operate at a temperature of at least -18 C. (Safe Catering, 2015). Doors to⁰ these cold storage areas should be kept closed except when putting in and taking out food and during cleaning. (I.S. 340: 2007). The

basic requirements for safe chilled and frozen foods are no different to those needed

for other foods. If operations are carried out according to the principles of good

hygiene practices, food can be kept safe throughout its storage. (James, 2014)

Air is the most widely used method of chilling and freezing food because it is

economical and hygienic. (James, 2014). Air temperatures in chilled food storage

areas should be between -1⁰C to 5⁰C and these temperatures should be monitored

using calibrated temperature recording equipment. The accuracy of this equipment

should be checked at least annually (FSAI, 2006). It is important that refrigerated

storage areas have adequate space for air to circulate to allow for required

temperatures to be maintained. The shelves present in these refrigerated areas should

be off the floor and away from walls as this will further aid the air circulation

(Targeting Hygiene, 2001)

1.3.4 Frozen food storage

Freezers should operate at -18⁰C and at this temperature a gradual loss of flavour and

a toughening of texture occurs. It is important that correct temperatures are present in

frozen storage as at above -10⁰C spoilage organisms such as osmophilic yeasts and

halophilic bacteria, can begin to grow. (Sprenger, 2014). Frozen storage life will be

limited by physical and biochemical reactions, which despite being slow, will

continue to take place at frozen temperatures. These reactions will ultimately affect

the quality of the frozen product. (James, 2014). Frozen food should be placed into

freezer storage as soon as it is delivered and any fresh food which is frozen should be

date coded to ensure it is used within a satisfactory time period. (Safe Catering, 2015).

1.3.5 Cold Storage Requirements

Failure to maintain satisfactory storage conditions and correct temperatures can result

in the shelf life of foods being reduced while also leaving high risk foods susceptible

to causing food poisoning. (Sprenger. 2014). Bacteria will grow on high protein

foods such as dairy and meat products and these bacteria can multiply fast if food is

not stored correctly. (FSAI, 2010).

Food business operators should demonstrate that cold storage facilities are working

effectively by checking the temperature of food stored in the cold storage facilities.

(I.S. 340: 2007). The temperature in most fridges is between 3°C to 5°C which is

adequate to stop the increase of food poisoning bacteria. (Murphy, 1985). Higher

temperatures allow greater bacterial activity, prolonging the time food remains in the

danger zone. (Sprenger, 2014). Inadequate storage conditions too can result in food

being unsafe (Targeting Hygiene, 2001). These areas and their temperatures require

high levels of monitoring to ensure foods are constantly stored safely. If chilled food

is not stored at the correct temperature it can enter the danger zone, where food

poisoning bacteria can start to grow. (FSAI, 2010)

Different food groups need to be kept apart while storing foods and it is important to

segregate high risk foods from both each other and ready to eat foods. (MacDonald,

2001). ‘Ready to eat’ foods are intended for human consumption without the need for

cooking or other processing to eliminate or reduce microorganisms of concern. Food

business operators should ensure ‘ready to eat’ foods are stored in a way which is

consistent with the products labelling. (FSAI Guidance Note No.18, 2014). Raw

products, especially raw meats and poultry may contain harmful bacteria which can

be transferred onto ready to eat food during storage, known as cross contamination.

(FSAI, 2010). Bacteria are largely static and rely on being transferred on to food

(Sprenger, 2008), so segregation during storage is vital to ensure foods are safely kept

in cold storage. Some foods have natural barriers that provide different levels of

protection from external contamination. Egg shells and vegetable skins are examples

of these natural barriers and when these barriers are removed from foods, it is

recommended that a method is used to reduce microorganisms. Washing, trimming

and filtration are appropriate methods which can be used. (FSAI, 2014)

1.3.6 Temperature measuring equipment

Food businesses should always have a method of verifying temperatures available to

them. They should be able to demonstrate that their temperature measuring devices

are accurate. This can be done either by internal accuracy checks or external

calibration and the probes should have an accuracy of at least +/- 0.5°C. (I.S. 340:

2007). Thermometers will need calibrating as often as is recommended by the

manufacturers. This calibrating can be undertaken in slush ice and boiling water or by

electronic calibration devices. (Sprenger, 2014).

Cold-holding equipment such as refrigerators and freezers should have integral

thermometers which have readout displays on the outside of their units. These

readouts should clearly indicate temperatures so that any rise above required

temperatures can be can easily noticed. (Johns, 1995). Temperature monitoring

should be recorded at least twice daily, preferably at the beginning and end of the

business hours. (Sprenger, 2014).

Many businesses maintain detailed temperature records which are either written or on

data logger print outs. Data loggers are often preferred by businesses as they can

trigger an alarm when temperatures rise above a predetermined level. These records

are necessary to verify that temperature monitoring has been carried out correctly.

(Sprenger, 2014).

1.3.7 Ambient Food storage

Ambient food storage refers to foods which are stored at room temperature. Correct

storage is fundamental to the hygienic operation of any food business. (Sprenger,

2014). Food kept in ambient storage should be kept off the floor and placed in

covered food graded containers. (Safe Catering, 2015). Dry foods such as flour and

rice should be stored in rooms which are clean dry and well ventilated. (Safe Catering,

2015). After these foods are opened they should be stored in covered containers. (I.S.

340: 2007). These ambient foodstuffs shall be stored off the floor on racks or

shelving at a height which can be easily cleaned. (I.S 340: 2007) This is important as

floors can be damp after being mopped and this dampness could penetrate through

food boxes and affect their contents. (Ward, 2000).

Ambient storage generally consists of products such as canned and dried food

products. Canned foods are generally sterilised during processing and this sterilisation

destroys contaminating organisms present in the food. (Meggitt, 2003). This

sterilisation allows canned foods to have a long shelf life, however these foods should

not be stored indefinitely as there can be uncertainty as to the true age of the food.

(Meggitt, 2003). Unopened canned foods should be stored in a dry area to prevent

rusting. (I.S. 340: 2007)

As with canned foods, dried foods too have a long shelf life. These foods are

dehydrated and this process slows the growth of micro-organisms through the

removal of water. It is important that these foods are kept dry during storage as any

micro-organisms remaining in the foods after the drying process, can become active

again when water is present (Meggitt, 2003).

The majority of food present in ambient storage is contained in some form of

packaging. This packaging has primary functions such as containment, protection,

convenience and communication. (Robertson, 2013) All finished products shall be

protected from contamination during storage by this appropriate external packaging.

(BRC/LoP, 2004) Foods Packaging helps control both the gas atmosphere and the

relative humidity of foods (FSAI, 2014) and this can allow for packaged foods to have

a long self-life. Swollen or blown packaging can be a sign of bacteria or yeast growth

in packaged food and it is advisable to throw away any badly dented cans or

punctured or blown vacuum packs of food as there is a risk of microbial presence.

(Safe Catering, 2015)

1.3.8 Thawing

All frozen food shall be thawed prior to cooking or serving, with the exception of

foods where the manufacturer states otherwise. (I.S. 340: 2007). Foods such as

poultry, joints of meat and other large items must be thawed before being cooked,

while other foods can be cooked straight from a frozen state. (Sprenger, 2014). If

food is thawed in a refrigerator it must be kept separate from other foods. (Sprenger,

2008). Latent heat required for thawing takes a considerable amount of time to be

present when thawing in a refrigerator. This is due to the small temperature difference

between refrigeration temperatures operating at below 5⁰C and that of the frozen

food. The food thaws slowly due to the low thermal diffusivity of food at 0⁰C. When

the surface thaws it acts as an insulating layer and this prevents heat getting into the

thawing food product, (Sprenger, 2014) further slowing the process.

Thawing food at room temperature is a faster process than refrigeration thawing of

frozen food. However, thawing at room temperatures between 25⁰C and 30⁰C may

result in the multiplication of bacteria on the foods’ warm surface while its centre

continues to thaw. (Sprenger, 2008).

After thawing is completed, the core temperature of the food should be between 0⁰C

and 5⁰C. All thawed food should be checked to ensure this and if these temperatures

are not present, foods should be allowed continue to thaw until the required

temperature is reached. (I.S. 340: 2007). Food poisoning bacteria can grow in food

which is not defrosted properly. If food is still partly frozen, the outside of the food

could be cooked with the centre undercooked. (Safe Catering, 2015). Ice is likely to

be present in food if it is not thawed completely. The heat from the subsequent

cooking will be used to melt the ice and not raise the internal temperature above that

required to destroy pathogens. (Springer, 2014). Salmonella food poisoning has often

been caused due to poultry not being thoroughly defrosted. (Trickett, 1992).

1.3.9 Food cooking

Ideally, cooking should take place immediately after food preparation to limit and

prevent any microbial spoilage or pathogenic growth. (FSAI, 2006). Food should be

cooked until its centre has reached a temperature of 75⁰C, instantaneously or an

equivalent combination of time left cooking of food at a certain temperature. An

example of this would be to cook food at 70⁰C for 2 minutes and cooking for this

amount of time will ensure the food is safe for consumption. (I.S. 340: 2007). The

time and temperature of cooking should be sufficient to ensure that heat penetration to

foods core will be capable of eliminating the vegetative stages of any pathogenic

microorganisms which could be present in the food. (FSAI, 2006)

In the event that the food being cooked has not reached required temperatures, the

Irish Standards 340: 2007 states that the cooking time for the food should be extended

or the cooking temperature for the food should be increased.

Prior to cooking, equipment being used such as ovens or grills should be preheated. If

equipment is used without being preheated, it will take longer for food to cook and

can cause manufacturers cooking instructions to be affected. (Safe Catering, 2015).

Cooking is the last hope for destruction of pathogenic microorganisms in food.

Undercooking may allow harmful bacteria such as species of Salmonella to remain

present in foods. Undercooking could also serve to incubate the bacteria inherent in

many raw foods. (Ward, 2000).

It is important to check that foods are properly cooked before being served or cooled.

For foods such as sausages or beef burgers, they should be piping hot throughout with

no red or pink colour visible in the foods’ centre. When checking combination dishes

it is again important to ensure they are steaming hot in the centre and it should also be

noted that these dishes can often require a longer cooking time than standard foods.

(Safe Catering, 2015).

Caterers should know the signs and tests which establish whether food is properly/

cooked such as changes to foods’ colour and texture. These changes can vary

depending on the dish being cooked and the use of a probe thermometer is always

recommended to validate signs that a food is cooked. (Ward, 2000).

1.3.10 Food cooling

In order to ensure the optimum safety of cook-chill food, chilling should begin within

a maximum of 30 minutes following the completion of cooking. (FSAI 2006). Hot

food passes through the temperature danger zone as it cools, so its temperature needs

to be reduced fast. (Meggitt, 2003). Cooling must rapidly reduce temperatures of

food to prevent changes in quality and control the growth of microorganisms which

have survived cooking. (Brown, 2008).

Specially designed rapid chilling equipment, such as blast chillers, should be used if

rapid reduction of temperatures is to be achieved. (FSAI, 2006)

The time of cooling should be monitored to ensure that the cooling method used is

adequate for the food being cooled. (I.S. 340: 2007). In order to achieve

recommended chilling times, the chilling equipment used must be capable of reducing

food from high post cooking temperatures to temperatures of 3⁰C or below. This

should be done in a period of time no longer than 150 minutes (FSAI ,2006)

A longer cooling time than stated above, is often required for large whole joints of

meats. These large meat joints are generally above 2.5kg in weight and have a greater

thickness and height than regular foods. Before being placed in refrigeration these

foods should be cooled to below 5⁰C within 6 hours following being cooked. This is

important to ensure these whole joints don’t increase the temperature of foods already

present in refrigeration. (I.S. 340: 2007).

Dividing foods into smaller portions can help speed up the cooling process (Safe

Catering, 2015), while stirring liquids will also speed up cooling as this disperses

heat. (I.S. 340: 2007).

Foods coming from chilling equipment should be placed immediately into chilled

storage to avoid the risk of contamination and temperature fluctuations. (FSAI, 2006)

1.3.11 Hot Holding Food

Food must be cooked to high temperatures which will destroy pathogenic

microorganisms while also making food palatable to eat. Foods such as poultry and

pork should reach a core temperature of 75⁰C with the outside of the food often

reaching temperatures well above this. Once this core temperature is achieved it is

then satisfactory to hold the cooked food in hot cupboard or on a hot tray under hot

lamps. (Ward, 2000).

During this hot holding the food should be kept at or about 63⁰C and the temperature

of this food should be monitored during service to ensure correct temperatures are

being maintained. (I.S.340: 2007). This particular temperature is used for hot holding

as it is high enough to ensure that spore forming bacteria do not come within the

danger zone where these spores may germinate and produce living bacteria again.

63⁰C is also an adequate hot holding temperature as this level of heat food should not

continue cooking food. (Ward, 2000).

Equipment such as hot cupboards should always be preheated before being used to

store food. Putting food into equipment which is not preheated may prevent it

keeping food hot and this could allow for pathogenic bacteria to grow. (Safe Catering,

2015).

If Food is below 63⁰C at any point during hot holding there are two correction

methods. The food can be reheated until it is piping hot, ideally 70⁰C or hotter and

then it can be returned to hot holding above 63⁰C. Another correction method is to

cool the food to below 5⁰C and reheat it later prior to service. (Safe Catering, 2015).

If food in hot holding has been below 63⁰C for longer than two hours, it should be

discarded. (Sprenger, 2008).

1.3.12 Pest control

It is a requirement that food business establish and maintain an environment that is

suitable to produce safe products (BCR, 2015). In order to establish this environment

in vital that pests are controlled. Pests usually refers to rodents and insects, but may

also include both domesticated and wild animals. Flies and cockroaches are pests

which pose a great threat to food safety. Cockroaches pick up pathogens and disperse

them to other areas, while there are approximately 21 species of flies which are

hazardous to human health from contact with food. (Knechtges, 2012).

Kitchens and food stores make ideal refuges for pests as they are a source of both

nourishment and warmth. The presence of pests in food faculties is unwelcome as

they can cause economic loss by spoiling foods while also contaminating foods with

pathogenic organisms carried in or on their bodies. (Stretch, 1991).

If evidence of pest infestation is found, immediate action should be taken to eliminate

it. (I.S. 340: 2007). Insects can multiply rapidly and infestations can soon spread

throughout a food premises. (Sprenger, 2014).

Pest contractors can be used to assist a business with pest control. These pest

contractors often employ fully trained personnel who are able to give an accurate

thorough estimate of the time and cost of a particular job. (Murphy 1985). These

contractors should be employed to lay rodent bait and traps while also controlling pest

infestations should they arise. (Sprenger, 2014). Detailed pest inspections of the food

premises should be carried out at least every three months and records of these

inspections should be retained by the food business. (I.S. 340: 2007).

2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 Introduction

During this project, food safety indicators were measured at Crosscares community

café in Portland Row. Indicators such as temperatures were measured when food was

delivered to the facility and until food was hot held for service.

Indicators such as temperatures of food in storage and temperatures of foods during

the cooking, cooling and the hot holding process were measured. The period of time

given to defrost food and the time required during cooking were also recorded at the

premises. Stock in the fridge, freezer and ambient storage areas were tagged and

tracked to get a better understanding of stock turnover and rotation at the premises.

This allowed for the periods of time stock remained present at the premises to be

recorded. Through this tracking of stock and recording of temperatures of food during

stages from delivery to service it was possible to determine Crosscare cafes degree of

compliance with requirements of the Irish Standards 340: 2007.

Food safety indicators were also measured at the Dublin food bank facility. At this

facility stock checks were performed and the ‘best before dates’ of foods were

recorded. Foods were also inspected and the condition and type of foods packing were

also recorded.

2.2 Temperature measuring Equipment

Food temperature measurements can be made using a variety of equipment such as a

thermocouple, food probe and infrared thermometer. The calibration of any

equipment used is important, to ensure the information they provide is accurate as

inaccuracies in relation to food preparation and storage can have fatal consequences.

While collecting data at the Crosscares café, a food probe and an infrared

thermometer were used to record temperature data.

2.2.1 Infrared Thermometer

One of the pieces of equipment used to record temperatures was an infrared

thermometer. The Infrared thermometer has two features that make it ideal for

monitoring temperatures. Firstly, it does not come into contact with the food being

measured. This is useful as it prevents the possibility of cross contamination and also

prevents foods measured becoming damaged. Secondly heat is not drawn away from

the food being measured as can be the case with direct contact thermometers.

Infrared thermometers provide their temperature readings by measuring amounts of

radiant energy passing through the food. This energy is converted to an electrical

signal at the infrared thermometers detector. This converted signal is displayed as a

temperature in (°C) (foodsafetymagazine, 2006). The thermometer used for this

project was a CEN-TECH non-contact infrared thermometer.

2.2.2. Food Probe

The other piece of equipment used to collect temperature data was a food probe.

While the infrared thermometer provided the surface temperature of foods, the food

probe could be used to measure the foods core temperature. It was important to

sanitise the probe thermometer using antibacterial/sterile wipes before and after its

use, to prevent cross contamination. To ensure Crosscares food probe gave accurate

temperature readings, it was externally calibrated on a yearly basis. These external

calibrations were done by Catering Calibrations and a certificate was present in the

kitchen with results after each calibration. Food Probe thermometers should have an

accuracy of at least +/- 0.5⁰C (I.S. 340: 2007)

2.3 The Dublin food bank facility

2.3.1 Ambient Stock Rotation

The main focus of data in the food bank was in the area of its ambient stock. Stock

was documented in each of the six rows of shelves in the food bank. The shelves

differed in with as the first three shelves focused on contained three rows (a, b and c)

while the second three shelves contained four rows of shelves (a, b, c, and d). For

each of the foods present the brand and ‘best before date’ of the product were

documented. These stock checks gave an indication of how long stock remained

present on the shelves.

2.3.2 Conditions of stocks packaging

While collecting this data, three aspects of each form of stock present were focused

on. One area focused on was the quantity of each stock present. Each form of stock

recorded was counted, allowing for comparisons to be made between levels of

damaged and undamaged stock packaging. Another aspect of each stock which was

documented was the type of packaging used to conceal the different stock present.

Packaging materials recorded were tin cans, cardboard boxes, plastic packets and

containers and foil wrapping. The final aspect of each stock focused on was the

condition of its packaging. Each piece of stock of the different foods present in the

food bank had its packaging individually examined. If outer packaging’s were

noticeably out of shape, ripped, dented or parochially opened, these stocks were

considered damaged. Collecting this data allowed for finding to made in relation to

the levels of damaged and undamaged stock present on the food banks shelves.

2.4 The Kitchen facility

2.4.1 Food deliveries

When food deliveries arrived to the premises three areas of data were collected. The

type of foods being delivered were noted along with the date and time at which the

delivery took place. The temperatures of foods were also recorded upon delivery

before foods were put into storage. These temperatures were recorded using a food

probe.

2.4.2 Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen foods

Foods stored in the kitchens fridge, freezer and ambient storage areas were tracked.

Small stickers were used to tag the outer packaging of foods and this allowed for the

foods to be tracked. Any foods which didn’t have packaging such as vegetables or

defrosting meats had the stickers placed on the containers they were held in. Each

food item tagged had its location documented along with the type of food and the date

which it was tagged on. On each visit to the facility the tagged foods were checked

and weather they were used or present was recorded. Tagged foods were considered

used if the item tagged could not be found in the storage area. If a tagged food was

found in a different area to where it was first tagged this was also documented.

2.4.3 Kitchen fridge temperatures

Data was recorded on each of the three shelves present in the fridge at Crosscare. The

temperature of a food present on each of the three shelves was recorded using an

infrared thermometer. The temperature shown on the fridge readout was also recorded

on each visit to the fridge along with the actual temperature inside the fridge.

2.4.5 Kitchen Freezer temperatures

The freezer located in Crosscares kitchen was another area in which data was

collected. Once again an infrared thermometer was used to record temperature data in

this area. This data was collected from the freezers top, middle and bottom shelves by

recording the temperature of a food present on each of the three shelves in the freezer

area. As with the fridge, the temperature given on the dial outside the freezer was also

documented along with the actual temperature inside the freezer.

2.4.6 Thawing of food

For the thawing of frozen food two dates were documented, the date thawing began

and the date the thawed food was used. The time at which thawing began was also

noted along with type of food being thawed. The temperature of thawed food was

also recorded before its use and through the documenting of dates it was possible to

note the amount of day’s foods were stored for while thawing.

2.4.7 Cooking times and temperatures

The temperatures of foods were recorded prior to the cooking process and again when

cooking was complete. The type of food which underwent cooking was documented

and the period of time which food was cooked for was also noted. This was done was

documenting the time as foods began cooking and again when foods were finished

cooking.

2.4.8 Food cooling

In the kitchen at Crosscare the blast chiller was used to rapidly cool cooked foods

having been cooked. The temperature of foods was recorded before and after being

placed in the blast chiller. This was done using the kitchens food probe which was

sanitised before and after its use. The amount of time foods was kept in the blast

chiller was documented. The period of time between when food had finished cooking

and prior to being placed in the blast chiller was also recorded.

2.4.9 Hot holding for service

In the kitchen data was recorded in three different areas. One of these areas was the

hot holding area where cooked food was stored. In this area the foods present must be

stored at or above 63⁰. Temperatures of foods in the hot holding area were recorded

with a food probe which was sanitised before and after each use.

2.5 Pest Control

Crosscare’s premises was monitored in relation to its pest control. The premises used

EFK’s, bait traps and netted windows to control pests. Crosscare’s documents from an

independent pest control company, to record pest control data. The data focused on in

this area was the bait maps.

3 Results

3.1 Results from the food bank

3.1.1: Stock checks of the food bank ambient products

The food banks ambient storage area consisted of two shelving units, one with three

rows of shelves and one with four rows of shelves. During these stock checks, data

was collected for each product on its location, its best before date, and the products

name. Through these stock checks it was possible to see how long stock remained on

the food bank shelves and through recording the ‘best before dates’ of the products, it

was possible to note which if any of the products had passed it’s ‘best before’ date.

363 products were recorded in total from 8 separate stock checks with 41 products

found to be beyond their stated ‘best before’ date and 324 products still within their

‘best before’ dates. Products found to be beyond their ‘best before’ dates included

biscuits, cereals, sausages and tea bags. Certain products remained present over

numerous stock checks while beyond their ‘best before’ dates. An example of this was

wheat germ which was documented on five consecutive stock checks from the

05/11/2014 to the 04/12/2014. Cranberry sauce was another product recorded beyond

their ‘best before’ date on more than one occasion. This product was present for three

separate stock checks. These stock checks were completed on the 08/12/2014 with

any product with a ‘best before’ date beyond this time highlighted.

Chart 3.1.1: Totals of products within or beyond their ‘best before’ date from 8

separate stock checks. Totals of products within or beyond their 'best before' date

Date Products beyond best before date products within best before date Total Products recorded 29/10/2014 5 25 2831/10/2014 3 30 3305/11/2014 5 43 4806/11/2014 3 44 4712/11/2014 5 43 4820/11/2014 9 41 5004/12/2014 8 44 5208/12/2014 3 54 57

3.1.2: Condition of the food banks stocks packaging

While collecting data at the food bank, ambient stock was inspected and the condition

of its packaging was documented. Within this inspection two aspects of the products

were focused on, the packaging used to contain the product and also the condition of

that packaging. A products packaging was considered either damaged or not

depending on the appearance of its packaging. If any products were out of shape or

torn, they were considered damaged. Of the 361 products inspected, 29 were found to

show damage. Tins, foil, plastics, cardboard and sachets were the different forms of

packaging inspected. Certain packaging’s inspected showed no damage. These were

plastic packets and sachets. 48% of the packaging’s that were in damaged condition

were cardboard boxes while plastic containers made up just 3 % of all stock found to

have damaged packaging. 35% of the damaged packaging was made up of tinned

products. These damaged tins had imperfect shapes as of inward dents. This

packaging showed damage at the sides and top of the tins yet not of the damaged tin

packaging present showed any damage to the tinned products packaging seam.

Graph 3.1.2: Pie chart illustrating the percentages of each packaging that was found to

show damage.

3.2: Results from the kitchen facility

3.2.1: Food deliveries

Crosscare had food products such as meat dairy and pork delivered to the premises.

Upon arrival these delivered foods had their temperatures recorded with the use of a

food probe before being placed into their required storage areas. 36 of the recorded

foods delivered were at chilled temperatures while 3 of the delivered foods were

frozen. Recorded temperatures of the chilled foods ranged from 3.3⁰C to 4.9⁰C with

the average temperature of delivered chilled foods being 4.2⁰C. Foods such as beef

and poultry were delivered in vacuum packaging while milk was delivered in shrink

wrap plastic cartons. Fruit and vegetables arrived at the facility in plastic crates.

Graph 3.2.1 Quantities of each food that was documented upon delivery.

3.2.2: Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen foods

During the food tracking at the facilities ambient, refrigeration and frozen storage

areas, 116 foods were tagged. These foods were tagged over 18 visits to the cafes

food storage areas. Of the 116 foods tagged, 70 were tagged in the refrigeration

storage area, 25 were tagged in the frozen storage area and 21 were tagged in ambient

storage. Packaged sultanas were the tagged product that remained in stock the longest

during food tracking. This product was kept in ambient storage and was present for 26

visits to the storage area from the 30/09/2015 until the 25/11/2015. Of the 116 foods

tagged across the three storage areas 57 of these tagged foods were found to have

been used before one follow up visit.

Table 3.2.2: The number of visit in which different food groups were present during

refrigeration storage.Foods tagged in refridgeration storage Used before one visit Present after 1 visit Present after 2 visits Present after 3 visits Meats 30 7 1 1Dairy 9 3 0 0Fruits / vegetables 4 7 2 0Other foods 4 6 2 0

Chart 3.2.2.1: Levels of tagged foods used before one follow up visit to the storage

areas.

3.2.3: Kitchen refrigeration temperatures

The temperatures recorded inside the fridge were measured at the same location on

each visit to the fridge and these temperatures ranged from -2.8°C to 3.4°C.

The average temperature in the fridge was 1.5°C and the readout dial for the unit

gave temperature readings which ranged from 0.3°C to 4°C. The average temperature

given by this readout was 2.4°C

Graph 3.2.3: Graph representing the readout temperatures compared to the actual

temperatures recorded on visits to the refrigeration unit.

3.2.4: Kitchen freezer temperatures

The freezers actual temperatures were recorded and the temperature of a food product

on each of its three shelves was also recorded. The temperatures of food products

present in the freezer ranged from -15°C to -34°C. Food products recorded included

breads, red meat, poultry, fish and vegetables. The digital readout displayed on the

freezer unit was also recorded. In order for the freezer to be compliant a temperature

of - 18⁰ or lower was required in the unit.

Graph 3.2.4: Chart representing the temperatures on freezer shelves on dates visited in

degrees Celsius.

3.2.5: Cooking times and temperatures

In this area data was recorded as food began cooking and again when cooking was

complete. Two areas of data were focused on. The times at which foods began and

finished the cooking process and the temperatures of before cooking and after cooking

was complete. 131 foods were documented during the cooking process on 23 separate

days. Foods were cooked from chilled temperatures with foods such as pea, sprouts

and burgers cooked from frozen temperatures occasionally. The mean of the

temperatures of foods after cooking was 91.2⁰C with food temperatures after cooking

ranging from 80⁰C to 106.3⁰C. In order for cooked foods such poultry and meats to be

compliant they needed to reach a core temperature of 75⁰C.

Graph 3.2.5: Temperatures of foods before and after the cooking process at the cafes

kitchen on the 19/10/2015

3.2.6: Hot holding area

The kitchen facility contained at hot holding unit where ‘ready to eat’, cooked food

was held before being served. In the hot holding unit temperatures recorded ranged

from 58°C to 97°C. Foods in this area included poultry, red meat, fish, soup, and

vegetables.

Figure 3.2.6: Graph representing the average temperatures in degrees of the food

groups in hot hold display on each of the four months from September to December.

3.2.7: The blast chiller

Data focused on the time that food spend in the blast chiller and the temperatures of

food before and after entering the blast chiller. The amount of time food spent

between cooking and entering the chiller was also recorded. 19 foods in total were

focused on during blast chiller use with 38 temperatures recorded. 19 of these

temperatures were recorded before food entered the blast chiller and another 19

recordings were taken as food was taken from the blast chiller. Foods required for

blast chiller use were often given a cooling period after cooking was complete. These

cooling periods varied in times from 5 to 10 minutes while some cooked foods were

given no cooling period before blast chilling.

Figure 3.2.7: Pie chart showing the different periods of time food spent between

cooking and entering the blast chiller

Table: 3.2.7.1: Foods and their temperatures before and after blast chiller use. Foods measured Food temperatures entering the blast chiller Temperature of food leaving the blast chiller Beef 98.6° 9.2°Ham 98.8° 7.3°Ham 93° 7.2°Shapards pie 91.3° 4.8°Turkey 82.6° 7.2°Ham 96.5° 5.1°Beef 93.1° 8.2°Pork 88.4° 7.1°Lasanga 88.4° 9.2°Beef 92.8° 4.6⁰Mice beef pie 90.3⁰ 6.4⁰Ham joints 99.3⁰ 6.3⁰Pasta bake 85.3⁰ 0.8⁰Turkey 94.3⁰ 7.1⁰Lasanga 83.6⁰ 8.1⁰Diced beef 63.1° 9.4°Ham joint 98.4° 8.4°Steak pie 84.5° 6.5°Beef 98.5° 7.4°

3.3 Pest control

Crosscare used traps as a form of pest control at the premises. There were 20 traps

used in premises in total with 5 located in the food bank, 4 located in the kitchen and

the remaining 11 located in the hallways, storage rooms and the attic. The premises

also used electric fly killers to control flies etc. There were two of these present at the

premises with 1 located in the food bank and 1 located in the kitchen. Windows at the

premises were made pest proof with the use of mesh screens. Doors into food storage

areas were well sealed and foods taken from their packaging were placed in

containers to prevent potential access from pests. Crosscare used the pest control

company Rentokil to monitor their pest control. Rentokil inspected the premises, by

visiting every three months and checking the bait traps and EFK’s. Crosscare kept a

folder of the documents from each inspection done by Rentokil.

Figure: 3.3.1: Bait map of traps in the food bank.

4.1 Introduction

Through this project the degree of compliance present at Crosscare’s community café

and the Dublin food bank were determined. The Irish Standards 340: 2007 outlined

the requirements and the standards outlined were matched against data recorded at the

Crosscare facilities which allowed for a degree of compliance to be decided. The

degree of compliance shown at these Crosscare facilities was assessed through

inspections of both ambient and chilled food storage areas and through how stock

moved and rotated around these areas. Data was collected during the cooking and

cooling processes at the café facility again allowing for a degree of compliance to be

determined with pest control also assessed in order to decide the degree of compliance

shown.

4.2 Food deliveries

At the community café in Portland row foods such as beef, poultry, vegetables and

dairy products were delivered. Before being placed into stock these foods had their

‘use by’ date recorded along with the temperature of each food upon being delivered.

Graph 3.2.1 shows the different types of foods which were delivered to the premises

and the quantities of each food that was recorded. Dairy was the food type recorded

most at the premises with milk delivered to the premises frequently. Meats such as

pork and beef, and poultry such as chicken and turkey were also foods which were

often delivered.

It is stated in the Irish standards 340: 2007 that Chilled foods shall be delivered at a

temperature of 0⁰C to 5⁰C (I.S.340: 2007) Crosscare showed a high level of

compliance to this requirement as all accepted chilled deliveries were present within

this required temperature range. Deliveries of frozen food were also compliant as

they were found to be below -18⁰C when received. After being delivered these foods

were put straight into their required storage areas to ensure, if necessary, that the

cold chain was maintained.

4.3 Ambient Food storage

Ambient food storage areas were used at both the food bank and at Crosscare’s

community café with both locations having a large area dedicated to ambient

products. Ambient products made up a large part of the donations to the charity as

their long shelf life ensured food could be stored with far less risk of spoilage.

4.3.1 Food bank stock checks

At the Dublin food bank there was a large storage area designated to ambient

products. Within this area stock checks were performed to record the different types

of stock available along with the locations at which they were stored and the ‘best

before’ dates. Compliance in the area was determined by the manner in which

ambient products were stored and also through products being within their required

best before dates stated on their packaging.

Food shall be rotated and used on a first in/first out basis taking into account its shelf

life information such as best before dates (I.S 340: 2007). In relation to the food bank,

products present in ambient storage had their best before dates documented. By

documenting these dates, it allowed for a level of compliance to be decided on. Over

the 8 stock checks performed, a number of products on each visit were found to be

beyond their ‘best before’ dates stated on their packaging. In total 363 products were

documented with 41 of these products being present beyond their best before dates.

Of these 41 beyond ‘best before’ dates documented, they belonged to just 24 products

as some products were documented numerous times. Examples of these products were

tea bags and wheat germ which were documented over three and four different stock

checks. In general, stock documented which was beyond its best before date was

removed from storage by members of staff with 15 of the products found beyond their

‘best before’ dates not being present on follow up stock checks. These products found

beyond their ‘best before’ dates may have been present as stock at the premises could

have been difficult to manage with large donations often arriving. These expired

products may also have remained as the food bank can often be in a position where

discarding out of date foods may not be an option.

Foods which are past their best before dates normally don’t become hazardous to

consume. However, when products have passed these stated dates they can have

imperfections in terms of quality and can also have their nutritional values effected.

Many of the out of date products that were found to be still in stock at the food bank

were high in sugar and salt. Examples of this were Jaffa cake biscuits, Special K

cereal, Stock melts and Tortillas. Despite having expired in terms of their ‘best

before’ dates, these products would still be safe to consume. This is because of the

high levels of processing the products can go through and also because of the high

levels of preservatives they contain such as sodium and sugars.

At the food bank foods were always kept on shelving units and pallets with products

were never stored on the floor. This was compliant with the Irish Standards 340: 2007

as it is stated that foodstuffs should be stored off the floor on cleanable pallets, racks

or shelving (I.S. 340: 2007) In relation to the best before dates, the food bank showed

a high level of compliance as so few foods were found beyond their expiry dates with

regard to the levels of stock the facility often had to manage.

4.3.2 Condition of the food bank stocks packaging

The Crosscare food bank accepted donations of products with slightly damaged

packaging. This was provided the damaged packaging didn’t pose any risk to

consumers. Products at the food bank had their packaging inspected to see if any

damage was present or not. All damaged stock should be thoroughly examined before

use and stock should be discarded if there are any doubts in relation to its safety

(Sprenger, 2014) Crosscare stated that they would only accept donations of partially

damaged products. Any packaging damage such as cans with seam damage or bulging

sides could be a cause for concern. Canned products with damaged seams could allow

entry to pathogenic bacteria while cans with bulging sides is an indication of a

pathogenic presence. Clostridium botulinum is a pathogen which can contaminate

cans and cause them to bulge outwards as a result of gases produced by the bacteria.

Food packaging is essential as it protects foods through manufacturing, handling and

storage (Robertson, 2012) as well as from contamination from pathogenic bacteria.

Damaged stock packaging at the food bank was evident through damage shown on

packaging materials including cardboard boxes, plastic containers, foil wrapping’s

and tin cans. With all of these products which were found to be damaged, none of

them showed signs of contamination to the products they contained. 48 % of the stock

with damaged packaging was found to be made from cardboard. This packaging was

used to hold products such as breakfast cereals tea bags and ice cream cones. The

damage to the packaging of these products was not an issue as the products also

contained an interior packaging containing the product and protecting it from any

potential contamination. 35 % percent of the damaged packaging was made up of

damaged tinned products. After close inspection of all the tins which showed damage

it was clear that none of the damaged tins showed damaged seams. The damage to the

tins was in the form of inward dents which could have happened during transportation

or storage of the products. Tinned products which show these kinds of damage may

not look appealing yet the product they contain is perfectly safe to consume. The food

bank often got donations of damaged products from supermarkets. Despite their

imperfect packaging these foods were perfectly safe to eat.

Tin foil made up 14% of the damaged packaging while plastic containers made up just

3% of the products that were in a damaged condition. The foil packaging was used to

contain chocolate and this packaging had slight tears in the foil. These foil packaged

products were stored in an external plastic packaging, preventing any risk of

contamination. As with the damaged cans, the plastic containers also showed damage

in the form of inward dents. Plastic is a strong and durable form of packaging and the

potential for contamination was not a concern.

The Crosscare food bank showed a high level of compliance within the area of

damaged stock. The facility appeared to have no products which had dangerously

damaged packaging. They only stocked damaged products which were complaint in

terms of safety to the consumer.

4.3.3 Ambient food storage at the Crosscare café

Ambient foods were stored at the community café in an area separate from the

kitchen. These products were focused on during food tracking which was performed

on products stored at the premises. This tracking involved tagging food products or

their containers with stickers and coming back on separate days to see if they were

still present. In total 21 ambient products were tagged and from these tagged products

it was possible to record how often ambient stock turned over in this area. The tagged

products were checked between 2 and 4 times weekly and whether they were present

or had been used was documented during each check.

Some of the products tagged such as basmati rice, tinned pineapple and tinned sweet

corn turned over fast with these three items not being present on follow up checks.

Other tagged products remained present for longer periods of time such as sultanas

which were tagged on the 29/09/2015 and remained present when checks had finished

on the 25/11/2015. This product being present for this amount of time was not an

issue however as it was a dried product which had a long shelf life. 12 of the ambient

products tagged were used within three visits to this storage area. This shows how fast

product turnover was at the facility as even these long shelf life products were

constantly in use.

4.4 Cold storage

At the community café in Portland Row there were two cold storage areas to hold

chilled and frozen food. As with the ambient stock, product tracking was also

documented on frozen and chilled products. Temperature data was also collected in

both of these areas to determine if these storage areas were complaint with necessary

requirements.

4.4.1 Food tracking in cold storage areas

Within these storage areas, 95 products were tagged for tracking. 70 of the tagged

products were in refrigeration storage while the remaining 25 tagged products were

stored in the facilities freezer.

Some of the products in refrigerated storage were not in their original packaging. This

was not an issue for tagging as the containers the products had been placed in were

tagged instead. Containers were always tagged with caution to ensure tags did not

come into contact with the food products being stored.

It was clear from the tracking data recorded that foods stored in the refrigerator were

used fast. Of the 70 tagged foods 46 were found to have been used before revisiting

the refrigeration unit, with 22 of the remaining foods being used within 3 visits after

being tagged. Jarred sausages were the only product which remained present in the

fridge for a considerable period of time. This product was tagged on the 29/09/2015

remained in refrigeration until the 18/11/2015. This was not a case of non-compliance

however as this was a long shelf life product which had a ‘use by’ date of 17/09/2016.

Good stock rotation is essential to avoid the spoilage of foods (Sprenger, 2014).

Crosscare showed a high level of compliance in relation to stock rotation as foods

held in refrigeration storage were always used within their ‘use by’ date. This was

clear as all of the perishable foods tagged such as cooked and raw meats were always

used in sufficient time before they could be affected by spoilage bacteria.

Crosscare was also compliant in how foods were stored in the refrigeration unit with

high risk foods kept away from raw poultry and meats which were always stored in

the lower units of the refrigerator.

25 of the cold storage products tagged were kept in freezer storage. As foods stored in

this area had an extended shelf life, the matter of stock rotation did not carry the same

importance as it did in the refrigeration unit. Despite having a long shelf life these

foods were still used with very few products found to be stored for long periods of

time. Of the products tagged in the freezer, potato chips were the product which

remained for the longest duration. This product was tagged on the 29/09/2015 and

was not found to be used until the 13/11/2015 after 21 visits. This was not a case of

non-compliance however as the product had an extended shelf life as it was vacuumed

packed and kept at low temperatures to keep it preserved

Foods tagged in the freezer unit were occasionally found present in the refrigerator.

An example of this was steak pie which was found to have moved to the fridge unit

on the 28/10/2015 before being used the following day. All foods moved from the

freezer unit were given sufficient time to thaw before being used.

4.4.2 Cold storage temperatures

Cold food storage facilities used for storage and temperature reduction of food should

have sufficient storage capacity to maintain foods at their required temperatures (I.S.

340:2007) Data at the facility in both the refrigeration and freezer unit was recorded

to determine whether these required temperatures were present.

In the refrigeration unit the temperatures of foods were measured and the temperature

present on the data readout was recorded. While collecting this data the temperature

of products present on the chilled units’ three shelves were recorded. A general

temperature in this storage area was also measured and this temperature was

compared to the temperature illustrated on the digital readout to see if the readout

provided accurate information.

Chilled foods should be maintained at temperatures from 0⁰C to 5⁰C (I.S. 340: 2007)

Crosscare showed a high level of compliance in this storage area as all of the product

temperatures recorded were found to be within this required temperature range. It was

vital that Crosscare was compliant with this requirement as any non-compliance could

result in serious consequences for customers. Spoilage bacteria can multiply fast in

foods that require chilling if they are not stored at their required temperatures. This

was not an issue for Crosscare as of the high level of compliance shown to keep

refrigerated products at their required temperatures.

The readout for the fridge unit was found to provide accurate information as on most

occasions the temperatures it gave were very close to that of the actual temperatures

present in the unit. However, on two occasions there were considerable differences

between the readout temperature and the temperature recorded in the unit. This

difference in temperature is illustrated in graph 3.2.1 as the two sets of temperatures

are found to be far apart. This difference in the temperatures may have been caused by

cold air escaping as the fridge door was opened. This could have resulted in the

readout giving a different temperature than the temperature recorded inside the unit.

Despite the two temperatures not matching this was not an issue of noncompliance as

on both occasions the temperature recorded inside the unit were 2⁰C and 3⁰C while

the readout suggested that temperature present were -1⁰C and -2.8⁰C. The readout and

the accrual temperatures present were found to be very similar on 11 visits to the unit,

proving that the readout was capable of providing information that was accurate.

In Crosscare’s freezer unit the temperatures of foods were also monitored for

compliance. As with the refrigeration unit, the temperatures of foods were recorded

on each of the unit’s three storage shelves to ensure all areas of the freezer were

capable of providing the correct storage temperatures.

The temperature of frozen foods while being stored in a freezer unit should be -18°C

or below. (I.S. 340: 2007). From temperature data collected in the kitchen freezer it

was clear that the majority of foods stored on the shelves in this area were at required

temperatures. Foods measured in the unit were found to have temperatures at or below

the required level of -18°C. On one occasion while measuring temperature data in the

freezer it was noted that temperatures recorded were higher than -18°C. The

temperatures recorded were pork which was -16°C and gammon which was -17°C.

These food products were packaged in plastic vacuum packs and this packaging may

have had an effect on the temperatures measured. Despite the reading the food

products themselves were in fact at compliant temperatures. Had this packaging been

removed these foods would have shown compliant temperature levels.

On one occasion while recording temperatures in the freezer unit it was found that a

product on the top shelf was -35⁰C. This recording was at a far lower temperature

than the other products in the unit. This product may have been at this temperature as

it could have been newly delivered from an extra cold transport vehicle which

resulted in the very low temperature. This temperature which was 18 ⁰C lower than

that which was necessary in that area may also have been due to the unit. It is possible

the freezers compressor may have stopped working allowing for the product to reach

this very low temperature. It is most likely that this was not the case as other foods

measured on the same day in the unit had temperatures that would be expected in that

of frozen foods.

Again a high level of compliance was found in relation to the freezer storage

temperatures. Foods on the shelves were found to be below the required temperature

of -18⁰C with the only issue being that certain products may be getting stored at

unnecessarily low temperatures.

4.4.3 Thawing

Crosscare often thawed frozen foods at the facility. They often received large

donations of foods which the facility could not use within their ‘use by’ dates. To

ensure these donations did not go to waste, the products were often frozen to extend

their shelf life. These frozen products required thawing before use and data was

collected during this defrosting process.

In this area two pieces of data were recorded for each food being thawed. The first

was the time and date the food was taken from the freezer. The second was the

temperature of the food before use and the date it was used on.

The food business operator should ensure adequate precautions are taken to ensure the

thawing process does not lead to cross contamination. (I.S. 340: 2007) At the facility

thawing of products took place in the refrigeration unit. These thawing products were

always stored correctly in containers to prevent drip from the defrosting foods coming

into contact with other foods in the unit. This showed a high level of compliance as it

ensured no cross contamination occurred.

It is a necessary requirement when thawing foods to ensure they reach a core

temperature of between 0⁰C to 5⁰C after thawing is complete (I.S. 340: 2007)

Crosscare showed a high level of compliance with this requirement as all of the 41

products documented had temperatures within this range. Product’s temperatures after

thawing ranged from 3.2⁰C to 3.9⁰C with one of the thawing foods found to have a

temperature of 4.3⁰C before use. All of these temperatures were complaint and the

defrosted foods were therefore deemed safe for use.

4.4.4 Blast Chilling

At Crosscare the blast chiller was used to bring cooked foods down to required

temperatures before placing them into cold storage. In total data was collected on 19

foods as they went through the cooling process in the blast chiller. The temperatures

of these foods before and after blast chilling was recorded and documented as well as

the amount of time foods spend in the chiller. The time foods finished cooking was

also documented to show the resting period foods were given before being placed into

the blast chiller after being cooked.

Foods should not be placed into refrigerated storage while still warm to ensure they

do not increase the temperature of the cold storage unit (I.S. 340: 2007). At Crosscare

foods were always cooled to below 10⁰C after blast chilling before being placed into

cold storage.

One area of concern with the blast chilling process was the temperature at which

foods were while being placed into the chiller. Foods on certain occasions were

recorded at temperatures as high as of 98.6⁰C and 98.6⁰C upon entry to the chiller. 58

% of the foods documented in blast chiller use went straight from being cooked into

the blast chiller and were given no time to cool at an ambient temperature. This may

have been done in order to keep space free in the kitchen for other tasks as these

cooked foods could take up needed space. However, cooling foods from these high

temperatures to compliant levels below 10⁰C puts a large demand on the blast chiller

to provide these large reductions in temperatures. In order to provide these

temperature reductions, the chiller must require a considerable amount of energy

which could be resulting in high utility bills.

4.5 Cooking and hot holding for service

At Crosscare cooking and hot holding took place daily in the facility’s kitchen. Meals

were prepared and if necessary kept hot until service.

4.5.1 The cooking process

Foods at the Crosscare kitchen facility were cooked from both chilled and frozen

temperatures. Cooking was performed in the facility’s oven as well the stove and the

fryer.

131 foods were documented from the cooking process at the facility with the times

foods began and completed cooking noted. The temperatures of foods before and after

cooking were also recorded. Through these recordings the degree of compliance in

relation to cooking was determined.

Foods should be cooked to 75⁰C, instantaneously or an equivalent time temperature

combination such as 70⁰C for two minutes (I.S.340: 2007) In relation to this

requirement Crosscare showed a high level of compliance. All the food temperatures

recorded after cooking were above the compliant level of 75⁰C with no food recorded

having a temperature after cooking below 80⁰C.

From the data recorded it is clear that at the café foods are cooked to high

temperatures before being served, cooled or placed in hot holding. Five of the foods

recorded were found to have temperatures above 100⁰C after the cooking process with

potatoes and soup being examples of this. These high temperatures may have been

recorded as these foods were boiled and the steam from the water may have resulted

in the high temperatures.

In relation to the cooking process Crosscare may be over cautious in assuring foods

are cooked to compliant temperatures. Cooking foods to these temperatures must have

an effect on the quality of the food as well as causing foods such as vegetables to lose

some of the nutrients they provide.

As well as affecting the nutrient levels and quality of cooked foods, these high

cooking temperatures must also be very energy demanding. Cooking foods to these

temperatures must result in expensive energy costs as foods are often cooked to

unnecessarily high temperatures.

4.5.2 Hot holding for service

It is required that hot foods be maintained at a temperature of above 63°C during

storage (I.S. 340: 2007) This temperature is outside the danger zone of 5°C to 63°C ,

and bacteria are destroyed when subject to temperatures about 63°C (FSAI, 2006) .

In the Crosscare kitchen hot holding area, foods generally gave compliant readings

which were considerably hotter than the required 63°C. On one occasion the

temperature of a food in this area was recorded and found to be non-compliant. The

food in question was cooked peas which gave a temperature reading of 58°C. This

may have been due to the lid of the hot box being left open, allowing for heat from the

peas to have escaped resulting in the non-compliant temperature.

Many of the food temperatures recorded in the hot holding area were considerably

hotter than the required 63°C. 43 of the 90 food temperatures recorded gave

temperature readings of over 80°C with three foods giving temperature readings of

above 90°C. Despite these high temperatures destroying bacteria, there is a high

utility cost to maintain foods at these temperatures. These foods could be stored safely

at lower temperatures above the danger zone such as between 70°C and 80°C.

4.6 Pest control

At the Crosscare café there were a number of controls in place to prevent the presence

of pests. This was vital as pests such as mice and insects can carry food poisoning

which can be passed on to foods.

The Irish Standards 340: 2007 states that electric fly killer units should be left on at all

times and that bait maps should be available showing the location of each bait point

(I.S. 340: 2007) The facility at Crosscare was compliant to these requirements as bait

maps for the premises were documented and stored in a folder along with information

regarding the electric fly killer units.

Rentokil was the pest control company used by Crosscare. They provided the

premises with expert assistance and advice to ensure pest control at the facility was

managed correctly. This company provided Crosscare with pest control reports as

well as inspecting the bait traps and electric fly killer units. They inspected the

premises every three months to assist with the pest control requirements and their

advice allowed Crosscare to ensure necessary standards were maintained.

5 Conclusions

The Irish Standards 340: 2007 is a best practice guide for food businesses in the Irish

catering sector. Compliance to the requirements in these standards can ensure that

catering companies provide their customers with foods that are safe to consume.

Through this process the Crosscare food bank and their community café were

compared with the requirements set out in the Irish Standards 340: 2007. From the

areas focused on it was possible to determine the degree of compliance shown by the

two facilities based on observations from data collected.

5.1 food bank

At the Dublin food bank facility foods were managed to a compliant standard

considering the levels of stock they often had to deal with. Foods in stock which were

beyond their best before dates were disposed of as the staff were very vigilant to

ensure no expired products were kept in stock.

The food bank also showed a high level of compliance in ensuring that stock they

held at the facility did not have dangerously damaged packaging. None of the

products in stock at the facility were found to have damaged packing which could

affect the safety of the products they contained. It was clear that foods with damaged

packaging which could affect the products safety were not accepted by the facility.

This was because none of the damaged packaging found in stock showed damage of a

hazardous nature for the foods they contained.

From the data collected it was clear that the food bank was a well-run facility which

provided an excellent service to people in need. Food was stored safely at the facility

and stock was well managed to ensure they provided a constantly compliant service.

Community café

The Crosscare community café at Portland Row was constantly compliant with

requirements outlined in the Irish Standards 340: 2007. The facility provided the local

community with good quality food which was stored correctly and prepared to a high

standard of safety.

One of the ways in which Crosscare practiced this compliance was in how stock at

the facility was stored. All refrigerators and freezers at the facility allowed for foods

to be stored correctly at chilled temperatures between 0 and 5 and at frozen

temperatures of below -18. Both units provided adequate storage space which allowed

for food to be stored correctly. Compliance in relation to food storage and temperature

control was important as it prevented the risk of cross contamination as well as

preventing food spoilage bacteria that can develop when foods are not stored at

required temperatures.

The facility was well run in comparison with any other catering establishment in

Dublin on potentially far less of a budget. The Crosscare staff made the best use of the

resources available to them to provide the local community with a great affordable

service.

All processes at the facility were found to be highly compliant and good catering

practice was constantly shown. This is proven from the data collected during

processes such as thawing, cooking, hot holding and blasting chilling.

Managers and staff at the facility were well trained and ensured operations performed

in the kitchen were always done to a high level of compliance. This was clear as

through recordings and observations made at the facility no areas of non-compliance

could be highlighted.

Recommendations

Although there was a high level of compliance throughout the areas focused on, there

are some changes that could be made which could benefit Crosscare.

One of these changes is in relation to the temperatures foods reached after cooking. If

the facility could reduce the temperatures foods reach after cooking this could allow

for energy savings to be made and this could reduce expenses at the facility. If Foods

were cooked to a temperature closer to the required 75⁰C rather than to temperatures

above 80⁰C it could result in savings as well as potentially resulting in better quality

food with higher nutrient levels.

Another recommendation is with regard to the blast chiller. Foods were being put into

the blast chiller at high temperatures and often without being given any time to cool.

If the facility gave cooked foods a longer cooling period, this could reduce the

demand on the blast chiller to bring these foods to temperatures suitable for

refrigeration. Putting foods into the blast chiller at slightly lower temperatures will

reduce the energy requirements of the chiller making it less expensive to run again

allowing for potential savings to be made in terms of energy costs at the facility.

As the Crosscare café is a charitable run facility, any savings that could be made in

terms of utilities expenses should be considered as these saving could be put to good

use elsewhere.

References

Anon (2001). TARGETING HYGIENE. 2nd ed. Dublin: CERT. p27. p29.

Aston, (1997). The Essential Guide to Food Hygiene & Safety. Surry: Eaton Publications. Chapter 12 p12. p13. Chapter 6 p2

Burke-Kelly, (2014, October 20) Delivering food industry excess to where it's most needed. The Irish Times, Business Features p3.

BRC (2015) Global Standard Food Safety. Issue 7. p12.

BRc/LoP Global Standard (2004). Food Packaging and Other Packaging Materials, Issue 2. p36.

Brown. (2008). Introduction to chilled foods. In: Brown Chilled foods. 3rd ed. Cambridge: CRC Press. p15.

Farber (2000). Safe Handing Of Foods. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc. p235.

FSAI Guidance Note 15, Cook chill systems in the food service sector (Revision 1) 2006. p6. p7. p8. p9. p 11.

FSAI Guidance Note 18, Validation of Product Shelf-life (Revision 2) p2. p3. p6. p9. p15. p20. p32.

Irish standards document 340: 2007 p5. p6. p7. p9. p13. p 14. p16. p17. p19. p21. p23. p27. p28. P29. p30. p31. P33 p34. p35. p36. p37. p38.

James. (2014). Chilling and Freezing. In: Motarjemi, Y. & Lelieveld, H. Food Safety Management. London: Elsevier. p482. p490

James. (2008). Refrigeration, storage and transport of chilled foods. In: Brown Chilled foods. 3rd ed. Cambridge: CRC Press. p388.

Johns (1995). Managing Food Hygiene. 2nd ed. London: MACMILLAN PRESS LTD. p57. p58. p209.

Knechtges (2012). Food Safety Theory and Practice. London: Jones & Barlett Learning International. p200.

MacDonald, (2001). Managing food safety. London: Chadwick House Group Limited. p211.

McGarry, Patsy. (2014). Remarkable’ response to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin food appeal. Available: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/remarkable-response-to-archbishop-diarmuid-martin-food-appeal-1.2047920. Last accessed 20/02/2015.McSwane (2005). Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation. 4th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education LTD. p79. p83. p84.

Meggitt (2003). FOOD HYGIENE AND SAFETY A HANDBOOK FOR CARE PRACTITIONERS. 1st ed. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. p56. p74. p75. p95.

Murphy (1985). Hygiene In Practice. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd. p1. p81. p83. p102.

Robert W.Powitz. (2006). Infrared Thermometry. Available: http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/octobernovember-2006/infrared-thermometry/. Last accessed 12/01/2015.

Robertson (2013). Food Packaging: Principles and Practices . 3rd ed. London: Taylor & Francis Group.p1. p2.

Safe Catering, 2012 Section 3 p5.

Safe Catering, 2015 Section 3 p8. p14. p15. p39. p40. p47. p55

Safe Food To Go (2010). Food Safety Authority of Ireland, p3. p4. p7.

Sprenger (2008). Supervising Food Safety.11th ed. Foncaster: Highfirld.Co.UK. Limited. p69. p71

Sprenger (2008). THE INTERMEDIATE FOOD HYGIENE HANDBOOK. 6th ed. Doncaster: Highfield.Co.UK. Limited. p15. p65. p68.

Sprenger (2014). Hygiene for Management. 17th ed. Doncaster, South Yorkshire: Highfield.Co.UK. Limited. p7. p78. p87. p92. p93. p96. p97. p98. p99. p103. p104. p107. p108. p383. p384.

Stretch , H Southgate (1991). Food Hygiene, Health & Safety. London: PITMAN PUBLISHING. p176.

Trickett (1992). Food Hygiene for Food Handlers. London :THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD. p33.

Ward (2000). Catering Questions & Answers. 3rd ed. London: Croner.CCH Group Ltd. p3. p51. p77. p79.

Appendix 1:

Appendix 2: Stock checks of the food banks ambient products from the 29/10/2014

Date: 29/10/2014 Stock Location Best before Rice 1a Dec-15Wheat germ 1a Dec-14HG rice 1b Feb-15Basmati 1b Sep-16

Porridge 1c 07/10/2014Alpen 1c 17/10/2014Spaghetti 2a Jun-17Rice krispies 2b 23/09/2015Rice krispies 2c 12/09/2015Pasta 3a Aug-17Lasagne 3a Aug-17Corn flakes 3b 20/09/2015Weetabix 3c 19/11/2014Tinned tomatoes 4a Aug-16Tomato paste 4b Dec-15Tinned Grapefruit 4b Jan-16Fig rolls 4c 20/10/2014Lemon jif 4d Feb-15Toddler milk 5b Oct-14Mint sauce 5c Aug-15Baked beans 5d 24/02/2016Tea bags 6a Oct-14Caesar dressing 6b 02/04/2015Pot noodles 6b Jan-15Pepper sauce 6c Feb-16Pasta sauce 6c 09/07/2015Prawn cocktail sauce

6d May-15

Appendix 3: Conditions of the food banks stocks packaging

Packaging type Total amounts

Undamaged Damaged

Tins 117 107 10Sachets 27 27 0Foil 22 18 4

Plastic packets 55 55 0Containers 7 6 1Cardboard boxes

133 119 14

Appendix 4: Food delivery data

Food Time Food Temperature

Date

Beef 11:35 4.5⁰C 04/11/2014Pork 11:35 4.5⁰C 04/11/2014Chicken fillets 11:30 4.3⁰C 05/11/2014Gammon 11:30 4.3⁰C 11/11/2014Milk 07:30 3.5⁰C 26/11/2014Milk 07:30 4.2⁰C 27/11/2014Pork 11:00 4.5⁰C 19/10/2015Milk 07:15 4.6⁰C 19/10/2015Minced beef 11:45 4.3⁰C 20/10/2015Sausages 11:45 -21⁰C 20/10/2015Top rib 11:40 4.4⁰C 21/10/2015Chicken fillets 11:40 -21⁰C 21/10/2015Pork loin 11:25 3.4⁰C 23/10/2015Back rashers 11:25 3.4⁰C 23/10/2015Cooked ham 11:25 3.4⁰C 23/10/2015Milk 07:35 4.4⁰C 26/10/2015Coleslaw 07:35 4.4⁰C 26/10/2015Chicken fillets 11:25 4.3⁰C 26/10/2015Minced beef 11:25 4.3⁰C 26/10/2015Milk 07:20 4.2⁰C 27/10/2015Cooked ham 11:25 4.3⁰C 29/10/2015Soup mix 07:30 4.5⁰C 02/11/2015Milk 07:30 4.5⁰C 02/11/2015Coleslaw 07:30 4.5⁰C 02/11/2015Diced beef 11:15 3.3⁰C 02/11/2015Milk 09:45 3.3⁰C 03/11/2015Minced beef 11:25 4.8⁰C 03/11/2015Mixed vegetables

07:15 -19⁰C 09/11/2015

Milk 07:15 4.9⁰C 09/11/2015Coleslaw 07:15 4.9⁰C 09/11/2015Turkey 11:30 4.8⁰C 09/11/2015Milk 07:30 4.1⁰C 10/11/2015Carrots 07:30 4.1⁰C 10/11/2015Minced beef 11:00 4.7⁰C 10/11/2015Milk 07:15 4.5⁰C 16/11/2015Gammon 07:15 3.5⁰C 16/11/2015

Minced beef 10:55 4⁰C 17/11/2015Milk 07:25 4.6⁰C 18/11/2015Diced beef 12:00 3.4⁰C 18/11/2015

Appendix 5: Food tracking of ambient, chilled and frozen stock from the 28/09/2015

Date tagged location Food tagged Used / Present Date Used / Present 28/09/2015 Fridge Milk Used 29/09/2015

Fridge jarred Sausages Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 18/11/2015Fridge Yogurt Used 29/09/2015Fridge Pork fillets Used 29/09/2015 Freezer Chicken fillets Used 29/09/2015Freezer Pork fillets Used 29/09/2015Freezer Rashers Present 29/09/2015 Used Freezer Bread Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 19/10/2015Ambient storage Tinned pineapple Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 05/10/2015Ambient storage Spaghetti hoops Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 01/10/2015Ambient storage Tomato soup Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 05/10/2015Ambient storage Tinned tuna Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 01/10/2015Ambient storage Kidney beans Present 29/09/2015 Present until the 12/10/2015

Appendix 6: Kitchen refrigeration and freezer temperature data from the 29/10/2014 to the 05/11/2014

Date 29/10/2014

Food measured

31/10/2014

food measured

05/11/2014

Food measured

Freezer readout temperature

-19⁰C -19⁰C -19⁰C

Actual temperature

-21⁰C -20⁰C -20⁰C

Top shelve Temperature

-23⁰C Ciabatta bread

20⁰C Cooked chicken

-22⁰C Bread roll

Middle shelve temperature

-22⁰C Sliced bread

-22⁰C Pork -21⁰C Sliced bread

Bottom shelve temperature

-26⁰C Chicken -26⁰C Sliced bread

-26⁰C Pork

Fridge readout temperature

3⁰C 0.3⁰C 2⁰C

Actual temperature

2.7⁰C 0.8⁰C -1⁰C

Top shelve temperature

3.6⁰C Cheese 2.2⁰C Beet root 2.8⁰C bell pepper

Middle shelve temperature

4.6⁰C Milk 0.8⁰C Carrots 0.8⁰C pork

Bottom shelve temperature

0.6⁰C Peppers 0.6⁰C Bacon 2⁰C beef mince

Appendix 7: Thawing foods data

Date taken from freezer Item Time taken from freezer Date used Temp01/09/2015 Pork 10:00 05/09/2015 3.9°C02/09/2015 cakes 09:30 05/09/2015 3.3°C03/09/2015 Pork 10:30 06/09/2015 3.4°C04/09/2015 cakes 10:00 07/09/2015 3.5°C07/09/2015 Pork 09:30 10/09/2015 3.4°C08/09/2015 Ham 08:30 11/09/2015 3.3°C09/09/2015 Pork 09:30 10/09/2015 3.5°C11/09/2015 cakes 10:00 15/09/2015 4.3°C14/09/2015 Pork 09:30 19/09/2015 3.4°C16/09/2015 sausages 10:00 17/09/2015 3.4°C16/09/2015 turkey 10:00 17/09/2015 3.4°C16/09/2015 cakes 11:00 17/09/2015 3.4°C17/09/2015 sausages 08:10 18/09/2015 3.6°C18/09/2015 pie 08:45 21/09/2015 3.4°C21/09/2015 cakes 08:00 22/09/2015 3.3°C24/09/2015 sausages 08:30 25/09/2015 3.4°C25/09/2015 chicken fillets 12:30 25/09/2015 3.6°C28/09/2015 cheese cake 08:10 28/09/2015 3.3°C08/10/2015 sausages 08:30 09/10/2015 3.3°C08/10/2015 Bacon 08:30 09/10/2015 3.3°C24/07/2015 Apple pie 11:35 27/07/2015 3.8°C20/07/2015 sausages 08:15 21/07/2015 3.5°C09/07/2015 Rashers 08:10 10/07/2015 3.5°C21/07/2015 Muffens 11:30 22/07/2015 3.6°C15/10/2015 Rashers 10:05 16/10/2015 3.4°C16/10/2015 streak and onion pie 11:00 18/10/2015 3.4°C19/10/2015 sausages 11:00 20/10/2015 3.4°C27/10/2015 sausages 08:00 28/10/2015 3.4°C28/10/2015 Steak pie 10:00 30/10/2015 3.4°C28/10/2015 Rashers 08:00 29/10/2015 3.5°C28/10/2015 chicken fillets 08:00 30/10/2015 3.4°C30/10/2015 Pasta bake 12:00 02/11/2015 3.4°C02/11/2015 Rashers 10:00 03/11/2015 3.4°C02/11/2015 sausages 10:00 03/11/2015 3.4°C06/11/2015 Shepards pie 12:00 09/11/2015 3.2⁰C10/11/2015 sausages 08:10 11/11/2015 3.6°C10/11/2015 Rashers 08:10 11/11/2015 3.4°C11/11/2015 Steak pie 08:30 13/11/2015 3.2°C16/11/2015 Rashers 08:10 17/11/2015 3.4°C16/11/2015 sausages 08:10 17/11/2015 3.4°C17/11/2015 chicken fillets 10:00 18/11/2015 3.5⁰C

Appendix 8: Food Cooking Temperatures data

Date Food Time in temp in time out

temp out

28-Sep Sausages 07:25 3.2°C 08:00 88.3°C" Rashers 07:25 3.2°C 08:05 89.3°C" Pork chops 07:35 3.3°C 09:30 98.4°C" Beef 07:40 3.3°C 10:25 98.6°C" Mixed veg 07:40 3.3°C 09:30 93.4°C" Soup 08:00 3.3°C 10:00 86.5°C" Rashers 07:30 3.3°C 08:35 85.4°C" Pork chops 10:00 3.4°C 11:00 89.3°C05/10/2015 Rashers 07:20 3.3°C 07:55 88.3°C" Sausages 07:20 3.3°C 07:55 88.3°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 09:15 93.1°C" Soup 07:45 3.4°C 08:40 83.2°C" Chicken 07:30 3.3°C 09:30 95.5°C" Bacon pieces 07:35 3.3°C 09:45 99.2°C07/10/2015 Sausages 07:35 3.6°C 08:00 89.3°C" Rashers 07:35 3.6°C 08:00 91.7°C" Potatoes 07:40 3.1°C 09:15 85.7°C" Shepards pie 08:50 3.6°C 09:50 92.7°C" Soup 07:40 2.9°C 11:30 106.3°C" Chicken

nuggets 11:40 -15.3°C 11:55 91.3°C

13/10/2015 Carrots 07:35 3.5°C 09:15 89°C" Chicken fillets 08:00 3.5°C 09:40 93°C" Rashers 07:40 3.5°C 08:00 88.2°C" Soup 08:10 3.5°C 11:30 100°C14/10/2015 Potatoes 07:25 3.4°C 09:00 86.5°C" Rashers 07:30 3.4°C 08:00 92.1°C" Sausages 07:30 3.4°C 08:05 92.3°C" Cabbage 07:40 3.3°C 09:30 99.2°C19/10/2015 Rashers 07:20 3.2°C 08:00 88.5°C" Sausages 07:20 3.2°C 08:05 89.4°C" Potatoes 07:25 3.3°C 09:10 86.5°C" Mixed veg 07:30 3.3°C 09:15 88.4°C" Chicken 07:30 3.2°C 09:20 93.1°C" Beef 07:40 3.3°C 10:50 96.6°C" Gravy 08:25 3.3°C 09:00 87.3°C" Soup 09:00 3.2°C 10:30 90.6°C20/10/2015 Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 09:30 94.5°C" Carrots 07:35 3.4°C 09:15 88.3°C" Sausages 07:40 3.4°C 08:00 86.2°C" Rashers 07:40 3.4°C 08:00 86.2°C21/10/2015 Rashers 07:25 3.3°C 07:50 88.6°C" Sausages 07:25 3.3°C 07:55 89.6°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.2°C 09:30 93.7°C

" Turnips 07:30 3.2°C 09:25 96.6°C" Soup 08:30 3°C 10:00 99.6°C22/10/2015 Rashers 08:00 3.3°C 08:20 96.3°C" Sausages 08:00 3.3°C 08:20 98.4°C" Beef 08:00 3.3°C 11:15 92.6°C" Soup 09:00 3.3°C 10:00 92.6°C" Lasagna 08:00 3.3°C 09:20 98.9°C" Potatoes 08:00 3.2°C 09:00 94.8°C27/10/2015 Potatoes 07:25 3.2⁰C 09:25 100.1⁰C" Sausages 07:30 3.2⁰C 08:05 89.1⁰C" Rashers 07:30 3.1⁰C 07:55 82⁰C" Soup 08:00 3.3⁰C 97.6⁰C" Custard 07:45 3.3⁰C 09:30 80⁰C" Pork chops 07:55 3.2⁰C 09:45 90.2⁰C" Gravy 08:30 3.2⁰C 09:20 95.6⁰C" Pork chops 10:20 3.2⁰C 11:20 98.3⁰C28/10/2015 Potatoes 07:25 3.3⁰C 09:30 93.2⁰C" Sausages 07:25 3.1⁰C 08:00 87.5⁰C" Rashers 07:30 3.1⁰C 07:55 87.5⁰C" Carrots 07:30 3.2⁰C 09:30 89.2⁰C30/10/2015 Rashers 07:25 3.3°C 08:00 88.4°C" Sausages 07:25 3.3°C 08:05 93.3°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.3°C 09:00 94.5°C" Broccoli 08:00 3.3°C 09:15 99.2°C" Turnips 07:35 3.4°C 09:00 93.3°C" Soup 08:30 3.4°C 10:30 89.4°C02/11/2015 Potatoes 07:30 3.6°C 09:30 89.5°C" Chicken 07:40 3.6°C 09:40 96.4°C" Carrots 07:45 3.6°C 09:30 88.5°C" Rashers 07:35 3.6°C 07:55 86.3°C" Sausages 07:35 3.6°C 07:55 86.4°C" Ham 08:00 3.6°C 10:50 99.3°C" Pasta bake 10:30 3.4°C 11:40 86.4°C03/11/2015 Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 09:30 100.6°C" Rashers 07:35 3.4°C 08:10 89.7°C" Sausages 07:35 3.4°C 08:00 80.3°C" Cabbage 08:00 3.4°C 09:15 95.8°C" Diced beef 07:45 3.4°C 10:05 91.6°C" Sausages 11:00 3.4°C 11:30 92.4°C04/11/2015 Sausages 07:25 3.3°C 07:50 89.5°C" Rashers 07:25 3.3°C 07:50 89.5°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 09:15 93.3°C" Carrots 07:30 3.2°C 09:00 96.6°C" Shepard’s pie 11:00 3.2°C 11:50 89.8°C09/11/2015 Rashers 07:25 3.3°C 08:10 93.5°C" Sausages 07:25 3.3°C 08:10 93.5°C

" Potatoes 07:30 3.2°C 09:35 88.3°C" Mixed veg 07:40 -23⁰C 09:15 86.3°C" Custard 07:30 3.8°C 08:10 86.7°C" Soup 08:00 3.4°C 08:30 84.5°C" Pork chops 07:30 3.3°C 09:30 92.4°C" Shepard’s pie 10:30 3.3°C 11:45 91.6°C10/11/2015 Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 08:15 89.6°C" Rashers 07:35 3.4°C 08:05 93.1°C" Sausages 07:35 3.4°C 08:05 90.2°C" Carrots 07:45 3.4°C 09:00 91.3°C" Turkey 07:55 3.4°C 10:15 90.3°C" Pasta bake 08:25 3.6°C 09:00 88.6°C" Burgers 10:45 -21⁰C 11:30 92°C11/11/2015 Rashers 07:20 3.4°C 08:15 93.4°C" Sausages 07:20 3.3°C 08:15 92.3°C" Potatoes 07:25 3.3°C 09:15 89.4°C" Sprouts 07:40 -23⁰C 09:30 96.5°C" Gravy 07:45 3.8°C 08:30 88.6°C" Pasta bake 10:20 3.4°C 11:00 87.6°C16/11/2015 Rashers 08:00 4.5°C 08:45 85.4°C" Sausages 08:00 4.5°C 08:45 85.4°C" Potatoes 07:30 4.5°C 09:15 89.3°C" Chicken 09:00 4.5°C 10:30 99.3°C18/11/2015 Rashers 07:25 3.4°C 07:55 88.6°C" Sausages 07:25 3.4°C 07:55 85.7°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.3°C 09:35 93.4°C" Cabbage 07:30 3.3°C 09:15 98.5°C" Soup 08:00 3.5°C 08:15 85.2°C19/11/2015 Potatoes 07:25 3.4°C 09:00 87.4°C" Peas 07:45 -19⁰C 09:15 92.1°C" Rashers 07:25 3.4°C 08:05 88.3°C" Sausages 07:25 3.4°C 08:05 88.3°C" Soup 08:15 3.7°C 08:50 85.2°C23/11/2015 Rashers 07:25 3.3°C 08:00 86.5°C" Sausages 07:25 3.3°C 08:00 87.6°C" Potatoes 07:30 3.6°C 09:15 90.5°C" Turnips 07:30 3.4°C 09:30 94.3°C" Pork chops 07:45 3.3°C 09:30 99.1°C24/11/2015 Potatoes 07:30 3.4°C 09:00 102°C Sausages 07:35 3.5°C 08:15 90.4°C Turkey 07:50 3.2°C 08:55 80.2°C Soup 09:10 3.6°C 10:00 91.1°C

Appendix 9: Hot holding data

Food type Temperature Date

Soup 67.2⁰C 29/10/2014Sliced meat 89.3⁰C 31/10/2014Turnip 80⁰C 31/10/2014Peas 58⁰C 12/11/2014Mince beef 71⁰C 12/11/2014Stew 67.5⁰C 29/10/2014Ham 69.5⁰C 29/10/2014Vegetables 88.3⁰C 30/10/2014Salmon 68.2⁰C 31/10/2014Turkey 72.1⁰C 23/10/2014Fish 72.9⁰C 24/10/2014Mince beef 86.3⁰C 22/10/2014Rice 81.1⁰C 22/10/2014Chicken 70.4⁰C 30/10/2014Lasagne 85.3⁰C 29/10/2014Mashed potatoes 85.5⁰C 28/10/2014Chicken 72.6⁰C 20/10/2014Pork 86.4⁰C 24/10/2014Pork chops 80⁰C 08/12/2014Curry 80.2⁰C 08/12/2014Soup 97⁰C 08/12/2014Vegetables 87.5⁰C 08/12/2014Beef 72⁰C 09/12/2014Mashed potatoes 71⁰C 09/12/2014Vegetables 71⁰C 09/12/2014Mashed potatoes 97⁰C 15/10/2014Vegetables 97⁰C 15/10/2014Pasta 76⁰C 28/05/2014Soup 79⁰C 28/05/2014Turkey 69⁰C 30/05/2014Peas 80⁰C 30/05/2014Sausages 71.8⁰C 28/05/2014Potatoes 80.4⁰C 26/05/2014Soup 80.3⁰C 26/05/2014Curry 83.7⁰C 29/05/2014Rice 83.7⁰C 29/05/2014Sausages 82⁰C 29/05/2014Chicken 76.4⁰C 24/05/2014Pork chops 74.2⁰C 24/05/2014Sausages 74⁰C 26/05/2014Mashed vegetables 86.4⁰C 31/10/2014Salmon 68.2⁰C 31/10/2014Pork 74.2⁰C 31/10/2014Soup 78⁰C 30/10/2014Casserole 80.1⁰C 30/10/2014Mashed potatoes 81.4⁰C 30/10/2014

Vegetables 80⁰C 30/10/2014Chicken 70.4⁰C 30/10/2014Mashed potatoes 72.4⁰C 29/10/2014Vegetables 70.6⁰C 29/10/2014Mashed vegetables 85.8⁰C 28/10/2014Burgers 71.4⁰C 28/10/2014pork chops 73.2⁰C 28/10/2014Mashed vegetables 82.4⁰C 20/10/2014Mashed potatoes 78.2⁰C 20/10/2014Noodles 71.8⁰C 20/10/2014Mashed vegetables 86.5⁰C 21/10/2014Mashed potatoes 84.9⁰C 21/10/2014Pasta 79.4⁰C 21/10/2014Pork 78.6⁰C 21/10/2014Mashed peas 81.5⁰C 22/10/2014Mashed vegetables 83.4⁰C 22/10/2014Mashed potatoes 83.4⁰C 22/10/2014Soup 86⁰C 22/10/2014Mashed vegetables 81.3⁰C 23/10/2014Chicken 76.2⁰C 23/10/2014Soup 81.3⁰C 23/10/2014Mashed potatoes 84.3⁰C 24/10/2014Vegetables 84.3⁰C 24/10/2014Soup 87.1⁰C 24/10/2014Beef 69.3⁰C 26/09/2014Soup 84.9⁰C 26/09/2014Mashed vegetables 87.5⁰C 26/09/2014Turkey 70.3⁰C 24/09/2014Soup 88.2⁰C 24/09/2014Pasta 75.2⁰C 24/09/2014Mashed vegetables 78.3⁰C 25/09/2014Pork 82.9⁰C 23/09/2014Soup 89.6⁰C 23/09/2014Mashed vegetables 74.5⁰C 23/09/2014Chicken 72.9⁰C 22/09/2014Fish 83.4⁰C 22/09/2014Soup 89.6⁰C 22/09/2014Mashed potatoes 86.4⁰C 22/09/2014Mashed vegetables 86.4⁰C 22/09/2014Mashed vegetables 87.5⁰C 08/12/2014Turkey 70.3⁰C 24/11/2014

Appendix 10: Blast chiller data

Item Time finished cooking

Time in Temp in

Time out

temp out

Date

Beef 10:30 10:30 98.6° 11:25 9.2°C 06/10/2015

Ham 11:15 11:20 98.8° 13:00 7.3°C 07/10/2015

Ham 10:45 10:50 93° 13:00 7.2°C 13/10/2015

Shepard’s pie

11:00 11:10 91.3° 13:35 4.8°C 14/10/2015

Turkey 10:45 10:50 82.6° 13:30 7.2°C 15/10/2015

Ham 10:25 10:25 96.5° 13:50 5.1°C 16/10'2015

Beef 10:30 10:30 93.1° 12:20 8.2°C 19/10/2015

Pork 10:40 10:45 88.4° 12:40 7.1°C 20/10/2015

Lasagna 10:00 10:00 88.4° 12:30 9.2°C 21/10/2015

Beef 11:15 11:15 92.8° 13:00 4.6⁰C 22/10/2015

Mice beef pie

10:00 10:00 90.3⁰ 12:00 6.4⁰C 28/10/2015

Ham joints 10:50 10:50 99.3⁰ 12:40 6.3⁰C 02/11/2015

Pasta bake 09:00 09:05 85.3⁰ 10:15 0.8⁰C 10/11/2015

Turkey 10:35 10:40 94.3⁰ 12:15 7.1⁰C 10/11/2015

Lasagna 10:30 10:35 83.6⁰ 13:00 8.1⁰C 11/11/2015

Diced beef 12:50 12:50 63.1° 14:10 9.4°C 16/11/2015

Ham joint 10:50 10:50 98.4° 13:00 8.4°C 17/11/2015

Steak pie 10:15 10:15 84.5° 12:40 6.5°C 18/11/2015

Beef 10:45 10:45 98.5° 12:45 7.4°C 19/11/2015