subject: Avoid Cross-contamination While Stocking Up On Your Inventory [print this page] All restaurant owners in Alabama are well aware that the amount of money they make depends on a sizeable degree on how well one manages their food inventory. Having the right budget set aside for buying food items in bulk can help in reducing costs, but then again one will also need to have the required storage space along with the right menu set so that the food that comes in, is not stored for too long.
Ask any food manager in Alabama and they will tell you that storing items in an inventory is quite the task. First off, your inventory needs to be large enough so you need to decide how many items in what quantity can fit in. This is critical, especially when it comes to the freezer; as stuffing in too many items may make it inefficient; while not being able the cool all the different meats to the right temperatures, would be outright disastrous.
Almost all vegetables and raw meat will have an item-specific shelf life after which it cannot be used and will not produce the desired taste for the desired dish. In fact it may even ruin the experience if an item passes through and reaches an eager customer on the table. One of the most critical problems of storing supplies is cross-contamination; this can easily occur within the freezer itself rendering meat useless leading to supply wastage and loss in profits. Meats and most other perishable items when delivered at the restaurant need to go straight to the freezer to maintain freshness and taste. At times the container holding them may leak and juices from fish may fall on the meat below rendering the meat useless. Hence it is wise to always wrap up items and make sure that the containers are clean and leak-proof.
The containers themselves need to be used and stored in a hygienic manner to prevent bacteria from building up in them since they mostly hold raw meat. The smart thing to do is to handle food items correctly; for which you will need the well-trained food handlers. The certified food handlers who have done their food handlers training in Alabama and know about cross-contamination and who will not go about the kitchen, bringing in fish and then using the same gloves, to bring in chicken to the preparation table. Food managers just need to reduce their stocks and hire only those food handlers who have a food handlers card in Alabama. When stocks are purchased in a conservative manner, then food handlers (employees who prepare and handle food) will be more careful with those items. This will automatically lead to better management and reduced wastage; meaning that every food item that comes in, gets treated like gold. What this also implies is that cross-contamination will also be reduced because items in storage will be reduced giving more space, better cooling and better efficiency for the freezer in terms of energy bills.
