Handling of Smallgoods

The display cabinets for delicatessen smallgoods may contain foods such as cooked and uncooked meats, cheeses, olives and pre-cooked pasta products. As most of these foods are ready to eat and are usually kept in one area, they are at a high risk of cross-contamination. This in turn can lead to a spread of food-borne infectious diseases such as listeriosis, salmonellosis  and E. coli infection. Consequently, it is important that food handlers working with smallgoods follow appropriate food handling and display techniques.

Temperature

• Cabinets should not be overloaded with stock, as it is essential to have good airflow around the products
• All perishable foods are to be kept below 5 degrees celcius 
• The temperature of the foods needs to be checked twice daily with a hand-held thermometer
• The display cabinet temperature needs to be periodically checked by a refrigeration engineer  

Labelling

• Packaged foods should be correctly labelled including best-before and use-by dates
• Manufacturer or distributor information and use-by dates should be recorded and displayed for staff for easy traceability of products
• Ingredient and nutritional information should be recorded and available to staff for information on unpackaged products

Display and cabinet layout

• Foods should be stored in containers or trays and kept covered
• Containers are to be cleaned between replacing old stock with new stock
• Display cabinets should be cleaned and sanitised daily
• Display decorations should not be used as they can harbour bacteria
• The following products should be kept separate, using dividers or separate containers: 
  • hard cheeses 
  • soft cheeses, including feta 
  • uncooked, fermented and comminuted meats 
  • cooked meats 
  • semi cooked meats 
  • raw meats 
  • pre-cooked pasta products
  • olives and pickled fruits
  • Apart from raw meats, display produce is not to be pierced with a label spike

Product slicing and slicer hygiene

Meat slicers can cause cross-contamination. 

• Slicing should be done in the morning before trade begins
• The slicer should be cleaned and sanitised between slicing different products
• Other equipment such as knives and tongs used for slicing should be cleaned after each use.
• If there is more than one slicer, cooked products should be sliced on one machine while another used for uncooked products or cheeses
• Foods sliced to order are to be sliced onto the material they are to be wrapped in
• When cleaning the slicer, all components must be cleaned, and the faceplate and blade must be removed to enable the underside and catcher to be cleaned

The minimum daily cleaning method for all components of the machine is as follows:

• Make sure the blade is flush with the machine by setting the slice thickness to zero
• Dismantle the machine to enable all components to be cleaned
• With a dry brush, remove loose crumbs from all components
• Clean the machine and parts in warm soapy water and rinse
• Soak components in hot water
• Apply sanitiser according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• Rinse if necessary, then reassemble machine

Food handling hygiene    

• Hands should be washed thoroughly or gloves changed between handling different foods
• Tongs should be provided for each type of food e.g. fermented, cheeses, raw, semi-cooked etc.
• Use separate utensils and cutting boards for different foods. If the same utensils or cutting boards are used, wash them between using different products

For further information please contact the City on 9400 4933.