Food Safety for Food Recipients

It is the responsibility of the receiving agency to ensure inspection of every food delivery for general cleanliness, condition of containers, and signs of temperature abuse.

Some of the food that will be recovered and delivered to food recipients will be past the date on the package. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, if foods are not open and are properly stored, it is safe to eat food after the “best by”, “sell-by” or “use-by” date.

• Use a sanitized thermometer to take and record the temperature before storing food in a proper temperature-controlled space or before preparing for immediate consumption.
• Record the weight and types of food brought to the agency and report that data to Community Food Rescue.

Watch for:

• Severe dents on the top or bottom rim, or on side seam.
• Swollen or bulging cans.
• Rusted cans with pitted surfaces.
• Boxes with live or dead insects, webs, or droppings.

Watch for:

• Box with inside bag:
  • Bag is torn or leaking
  • Bag has moldy or foreign objects inside
  • Box has live or dead insects, webs, or droppings
  • Seals are ripped
• Box without inside bag:
  • Box is open or torn.
  • Box has live or dead insects, webs, or droppings.
• Box is stained or wet