ServSafe Manager: Safe Receipt, Storage, Transportation and Disposal of Food Concepts
Importance ★★★★★ · 16.25% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter follows food from the supplier to the shelf. All food must come from approved suppliers that are inspected and follow the law. Deliveries should be scheduled when staff have time to inspect them, and cold and frozen items are put away first.
Receiving temperatures are a key check. Cold TCS food is received at 41°F or lower and hot TCS food at 135°F or higher. A few items have special rules: shell eggs and milk at an air or product temperature of 45°F or lower, and live shellfish at 45°F air and 50°F internal, then cooled to 41°F within four hours. Food showing signs of time-temperature abuse or damaged packaging is rejected.
Stored food is labeled and rotated using first-in, first-out (FIFO). Ready-to-eat TCS food made in-house can be kept for seven days at 41°F or lower, counting the prep day as day 1. Shellstock tags are kept for 90 days after the last shellfish is sold or served.
In the refrigerator, raw meat, seafood, and poultry are stored by minimum cooking temperature, with poultry on the bottom so its juices cannot drip onto other food. Food is stored at least 6 inches off the floor, and chemicals are kept in a separate area away from food. Recalled food is removed, labeled, and handled as the supplier directs.
Key concepts
Receiving temperatures
Cold TCS food at 41°F or lower; hot TCS food at 135°F or higher; frozen food frozen solid. Shell eggs and milk at 45°F or lower; live shellfish 45°F air and 50°F internal, then cooled to 41°F within 4 hours.
Memory tip41 cold, 135 hot, 45 for eggs and milk.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Shellstock tags
Tags that identify the source of live shellfish. Keep them on the container until it is empty, then keep them for 90 days from the date the last shellfish was sold or served.
Memory tip90 days.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Date marking
Ready-to-eat TCS food prepared in-house and held at 41°F or lower may be kept for up to 7 days. The day of preparation is day 1.
Memory tipMade Monday, gone by Sunday.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
FIFO
First-in, first-out: use the food with the earliest use-by date first and store new deliveries behind older stock.
Memory tipOldest out first.
Refrigerator storage order
Top to bottom: ready-to-eat food, seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat and ground fish, whole and ground poultry.
Memory tipHighest cooking temperature on the bottom.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Often tested
- Reject frozen food with large ice crystals or fluid stains (thawed and refrozen).
- Reject swollen, leaking, or deeply dented cans.
- Store food at least 6 inches off the floor.
- Store chemicals away from food, or below it if in the same area.
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. What is the maximum internal temperature for receiving cold TCS food, such as raw chicken?
- ① 32°F (0°C)
- ② 41°F (5°C)
- ③ 45°F (7°C)
- ④ 50°F (10°C)
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Answer: ② 41°F (5°C)
Key point: Receive cold TCS food at 41°F or lower
Cold TCS food (time/temperature control for safety food) should be received at 41°F (5°C) or lower, unless a different temperature is allowed for that item.
Wrong choices
- 45°F (7°C): 45°F is allowed for a few items, such as milk (then cooled to 41°F within 4 hours) and shell eggs (air temperature), not for cold TCS food in general.
- 50°F (10°C): 50°F is too warm for cold TCS food.
- 32°F (0°C): 32°F is the freezing point of water. Cold food does not have to be that cold.
Question 2. Hot TCS food delivered to the operation should have an internal temperature of at least
- ① 165°F (74°C)
- ② 135°F (57°C)
- ③ 120°F (49°C)
- ④ 100°F (38°C)
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ② 135°F (57°C)
Key point: Receive hot TCS food at 135°F or higher
Hot TCS food should be received at 135°F (57°C) or higher. Food between 41°F and 135°F is in the temperature danger zone.
Wrong choices
- 120°F (49°C): 120°F is in the temperature danger zone.
- 100°F (38°C): 100°F is in the temperature danger zone, where germs grow fast.
- 165°F (74°C): 165°F is a cooking and reheating temperature, not the receiving minimum for hot food.
Question 3. How long must shellstock identification tags for live shellfish be kept?
- ① 7 days after the container is opened
- ② 90 days from the date the last shellfish was sold or served from the container
- ③ Until the next health inspection
- ④ 30 days from the date of delivery
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ② 90 days from the date the last shellfish was sold or served from the container
Key point: Shellstock tags: keep 90 days after last sold/served
Shellstock tags must stay on the container until the last shellfish is used and then be kept for 90 days from the date the last shellfish was sold or served from it. The tags help trace the source if there is an outbreak.
Wrong choices
- 30 days from the date of delivery: 30 days is too short.
- 7 days after the container is opened: 7 days is the ready-to-eat food holding limit, not the tag rule.
- Until the next health inspection: The rule is a fixed 90 days, not tied to inspections.
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