SAFE FOOD HANDLING
NDLING-Food Safety Fact Sheet #10
“Date Marking of Potentially Hazardous Foods”
Background Information
The growth of pathogenic bacteria to dangerous
levels can result when potentially hazardous foods
are held at refrigerated temperatures for extended
periods. Date marking is a tool to prevent this
from happening. Date marking is an identifica
identification
system for ready-to-eat
eat foods held over 24 hours.
Refrigerated, ready-to-eat,
eat, potentially hazardous
food prepared and held for more than 24 hours
must be marked with the date that the food must
be sold, consumed, or discarded. This date must
be 7 dayss from the date it was prepared or
opened. Count the date the food was prepared
plus six days. For example, if the food product was
opened on October 10, 2009, then itt must be date
marked October 16,, 2009. This dating provision
was introduced into the FDA 2005 Food Code
because of the potential for growth over time of
organisms such as Listeria moncytogenes and
Yersinia enterocolitica in refrigerated, ready
ready-to-eat
foods. Refrigeration does not prevent the growth
of these organisms, but the rate of grow
growth is
slowed by refrigeration as the temperature
decreases (41°F or below).
Key Concepts
•
•
•
•
•
•
Date marking is required for foods that are:
Potentially hazardous
Ready-to-eat
eat
Held under refrigeration for more
than 24 hours before sale or service
If you are combining different foods, the
date of the oldest ingredient becomes the
reference date.. For example, if you are
using previously cooked ground beef to
make a meat sauce, you must label the
meat sauce with the discard date of the
ground beef.
A food establishment operator can choose
any marking method that suits their needs.
Whatever system is used, it should be
understandable, effective, consistently used
by employees, and clear to your inspector
during inspections.
Labels should include the name of the food
and the date by which it should be sold,
eaten, or thrown out.
Serve or discard refrigerated, ready-to-eat,
ready
potentially hazardous foods within 7 days.
A designated employee should check
refrigerators daily to verify that foods are
date marked
ked and that foods exceeding the
7-day
day time period are not used or stored.
1
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.
•
•
Corrective action should include: discard
refrigerated foods that are not date marked
or that exceed the 7 day time period.
Freezing food stops the date marking clock
but does not reset it. If a food is stored at
41°F for 2 days and then frozen at 0°F, it
can still be stored at 41°F for 5 more days
after removal from the freezer. The freezer
date and the thawing date must be put on
the container along with the preparation
date as an indication of how many of the
original 7 days have been used.
Activity 1
The food safety manager should decide on a date
marking system that will be consistently used in
his/her establishment. Various types of preprinted
labels are available at Food Safety Solutions, which
is a division of Ecolab.
The Web site is
www.daydots.com and phone number is 800-3213687. The manager could also decide on creating
the establishment’s own labels using a simple
system such as masking tape and a permanent
marker or writing on blank labels. Whatever
system is decided on, however, should be
understood and used by all employees who
prepare or open potentially, hazardous, ready- toeat foods. Demonstrate to employees this system
and have them practice using it.
Activity 2
Complete the blanks in each statement below with
the correct word or words.
1. Date marking of food must be completed
for foods that are to be held under
refrigeration for more than _____________.
2. Date marking is required for what 2 types of
food: _____________________________
and ________________________________.
3. Date marked refrigerated food must be served
or discarded within _______ days.
4. If you are combining different foods, the date of
the ________ ingredient becomes the date that
should be identified on the label.
5. The label should include the ________ of the
food and the ________ by which the food
should be sold, eaten, or thrown outl.
6. Any refrigerated food that is not date marked
and which the preparation date is not known
should be _______________.
7. If a food is prepared 8:00 AM on April 1, the
serve by time would be ___________ on
_____________.
Answer Key
Activity 1
The food safety manager of the establishment
should decide on the system of labeling that will be
used at the establishment and should show and
demonstrate this system to all employees. All
employees should practice using this system and
explain their understanding of it.
Activity 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
24 hours
Potentially hazardous and ready-to-eat
7 days
Oldest
Name and the date
Discarded
8:00 AM on April 6
2
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.
REFERENCES
FDA Food Code. http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/foodcode.html 2007 suppplement.
AZ State Health Code. http://www.co.cochise.az.us/health/EnvHealth/food_doc.pdf 2001.
USDA HACCP-Based SOPs. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome 2007.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture. http://www.mda.state.mn.us/food/business/factsheets/dates.htm
2005.
South Dakota Office of Health Protection. www.state.sd.us/doh 2004.
Food Safety Solutions, A Division of Ecolab. www.daydots.com 2009.
3
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.