Date Marking Ready-to-Eat Potentially Hazardous Food

Except for individual meal portions served or repackaged items from a bulk container, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food prepared and held in an establishment for more than 24 hours must be clearly marked to indicate the date or day by which the food must be consumed on the premises, sold or discarded.

If the item is prepackaged (such as a one-pound can of tomatoes), once the original container is opened in a food establishment and if the food is held for more than 24 hours, the food item must be marked to indicate the date or day by which the food must be consumed, sold or discarded.

The day the original container is opened in the food establishment is counted as Day 1, and the day or date marked by the food establishment may not exceed a manufacturer’s use-by date if the manufacturer determined the use-by date based on food safety.

A refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is frequently rewrapped, such as lunchmeat or a roast, or for which date marking is impractical, such as a soft serve mix or milk in a dispensing machine, should also be day
marked.

There are some exceptions to the USDA day-marking rules. The rules are as follows:

• Fermented sausages produced in a federally inspected food-processing plant that are not labeled “Keep Refrigerated” and which retain the original casing on the product.

• Shelf-stable, dry, fermented sausages.

• Shelf-stable salt-cured products such as prosciutto and Parma (ham) produced in a federally inspected food-processing plant that are not labeled “Keep Refrigerated.”

A refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food ingredient or a portion of a refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is combined with additional ingredients must retain the date marking of the earliest-prepared or first-prepared ingredient.

Chilling It Quickly
The FDA recommends a two-stage cooling process:

1. Cool cooked food from 135˚F to 70˚F within 2 hours.

2. Cool food from 70˚F to 41˚F in an additional 4 hours.

If the food does not reach 70˚F within 2 hours, you need to reheat the food to 165˚F for 15 seconds within 2 hours then properly cool it.

Some jurisdictions require a one-stage process that cools food to 41˚F in 4 hours or less, so be sure to check with your health department on which cooling process is used in your area.

It’s important to note that this time must be reduced if food has already spent time in the temperature danger zone at any other point in the preparation and serving process.

Here are some methods to use when cooling foods:

Cool food in small batches. If you are cooling a large stockpot of soup, for example, divide the soup into smaller containers. Reduce food mass. Smaller amounts of food will chill more quickly than larger amounts, so cut large items into pieces or divide food among several containers or shallow pans. Use shallow, prechilled pans (no more than 4 inches deep).

Use shallow pans for cooling. Try to use 2-inch-deep stainless steel pans to cool food. Shallower pans will help to cool items quickly. Use stainless-steel containers when possible; stainless steel transfers heat better and cools faster than plastic.

Stir frequently. Stirring accelerates cooling and helps to ensure that cold air reaches all parts of the food.

Ice-water baths. Ice-water baths help bring food temperature down quickly. Use a sink as a container for the ice-water bath, then place the containers with the food in that. Ideally, place food in an ice-water bath or quick-chill unit (26˚–32˚F).

These options are best for two reasons:

• First, water is a much better heat conductor than air. As a result, foods can cool much more quickly in an ice bath than they can in a refrigerator.

• Second, refrigeration units are designed to keep cold foods cold rather than to chill hot foods. They can take too long to cool foods to safe temperatures.

Blast chillers. You can use these to cool your food down before placing it in the refrigerator. If the food is already cool when placed in the refrigerator, it helps to keep from bringing the ambient temperature of the refrigeration unit up and endangering other items stored. Stir food as it cools; this helps to bring the temperature down quicker. Another option is to prechill foods in a freezer for about 30 minutes before refrigerating.

Add cool water or ice as an ingredient. If you are making a recipe that requires water as an ingredient, such as a soup or stew, you can prepare the item with less water, then add ice or cool water in the cooling process to help bring the temperature down.

Do not cover pans. Let food that is cooling stay in the refrigerator uncovered until it is completely cooled. Also, position pans so air circulates around them.

Separate food items so air can flow freely around them. Do not stack shallow pans.

Tightly cover and label cooled foods. On labels, include preparation dates and times.

Never cool at room temperature.

To avoid contamination, be aware that although uncovered foods cool faster, they are at increased risk for cross-contamination. Be sure to store uncovered cooked and cooled foods on the upper shelves of the cooler, and cover them when they reach 45˚F. Never store them beneath raw foods.