Purchasing and receiving safe food

Food safety starts long before you prepare or serve meals in your operation. To be sure the food you serve is safe, you must first control the quality and safety of food that comes to your back door.

Many things can happen to a product at different points within the flow of food. A frozen product that that leaves the processor’s plant in good condition, for example, may thaw on its way to distributor’s warehouse, which will affect both product quality and safety.

The final responsibility for the safety of food entering your establishment rests with you. You can avoid many potential food safety hazards by making sure products are properly received. Using approved suppliers and inspecting products when they are delivered are the first step in the process.

Choosing a supplier

A number of factors go into selecting the right suppliers. While choosing a supplier who can deliver safe food is the ultimate goal, the level of service also needs to be considered. Before you accept any deliveries from a supplier, it is your responsibility to be sure food you purchase comes from approved sources. Also check suppliers to see if they meet or exceed the food safety standards you follow in your establishment.

Quality standards

Make sure suppliers are getting their products from licensed, reputable sources. Check with your regulatory agency to find out if your suppliers have had any food safety problems or health code violation. Ask other operators what their experiences with a particular supplier have been.

Inspect you supplier’s warehouse or plant from time to time, if possible. See if it is clean and well-run.

Ask your suppliers if they have a HACCP (health certificate) program in place. (If they supply fresh produce, ask whether they have Good Agricultural Plan.) If not, ask what precautions or procedures they take to ensure product safety.

Find out if your supplier’s employees are trained in food safety.

Check the condition of the supplier’s delivery trucks. Are they clean and well-maintained? Do they hold refrigerated or frozen products at the proper temperatures? Are raw products separated from processed food and fresh produce?

Check your supplier’s shipment for consistent product quality. Inspect deliveries for unsafe packaging. Broken boxes, leaky packages, or dented cans are signs of careless handling.

Request that suppliers deliver products when your staff has time to receive them properly.

Rejecting Shipments

Remember, you have the right to refuse any delivery. You should have a company policy about returns, and your suppliers should be aware of it and agree to it. When food doesn’t meet acceptable standards, your employees should know what to do. To reject a product or shipment:

Set the rejected product aside. Keep it separate from other food and supplies.

Tell the delivery person exactly what is wrong with the rejected product. Use your purchase agreement and company standards to back up your decision to reject the product.

Get a signed adjustment or credit slip from the delivery person before throwing the product away or letting the delivery person remove it.

Log the incident on the invoice or receiving document. Note the food involved, including lot number and expiration date if appropriate, the standard that was not met, and the corrective action you took.

Once you have established a relationship with a supplier, continue to be a smart customer. Always inspect deliveries. Randomly check weights and product temperatures break down cases and take counts. Don’t take anything for granted. You are buying more than products: you’re buying service and food safety.