CHAPTER 5: FOOD QUALITY

• There are certain principles to follow when receiving food items

based on the principle of HACCP Among them may be the
following:
• Received only food that was ordered. Certain food items and
ingredients that you did not order should not be accepted
because they would only add up to your cost.
• Benchmarked deliveries based on company's specifications. Most
established hotels, restaurants, cruise ships and resorts have
identified all the ingredients that they will need for the food that
they intend to serve. They also have a written specifications on
all the food items. Pepper for instance would come either as
white or black, crushed or whole. Thus, when receiving food
items, make sure that the item delivered is based on the
specifications of your establishment. In an instance that the
delivered item did not fit on the specification, simply return or
refuse the food item.
• The simple diagram was able to present to us the various
areas with HACCP revolves around the operation, the
example above may not apply to other organization since it is
the organization themselves who would design their own
HACCP. An important factor in the above diagram is the
purchasing/ordering and the receiving part. In this chapter
we would be dealing with the ideal qualities of certain food
items that you will have to look for when purchasing needed
ingredient for your menus. The most important factor is that
after purchasing or ordering, you should be able to check the
items delivered to you in order to see to it they are of good
quality and are based on specifications that you have given
to them.
• Quality checking - Delivered food items may come in
various forms they may be;
⚫ fresh-this includes fruits, vegetables, meats, fish,
poultry
⚫ frozen-meats, vegetables, fish, poultry
⚫ canned-vegetables, fruits, fish chilled-shellfish, fish,
meats, fruits, vegetables smoked bacon, fish, sausages
⚫ salted-meat, fish
⚫ dried-vegetables, fish, meat
No matter in what form it may come, make sure to check that the food
item is good quality. Be sure to look for quality points in accepting these
deliveries.
• Check the temperature - This is very important particularly in accepting
frozen food items. Make sure that the food items is still within the ideal
freezing temperature when delivered. In order to check this, put the
thermometer between two packs of frozen food item, wait for the
temperature to stabilize and read the temperature.
• Packaging check - Make sure that the packaging of the food item is not
broken or torn. Do not accept any packages that are torn or broken, this
is a good sign of contamination or bad storage handling.
• Call the chef when in doubt - In an instance that you are not sure whether
a food item is of good quality, call the chef and let the chef decide. This
applies to food items that are new, not very familiar or not frequently
used.
IDEAL QUALITIES OF FOOD
WHEN RECEIVING THEM
• MEATS
• Acceptable
• The most common meats that are used in the food establishments are
beef, pork, veal and lamb. The meat should be received at a temperature
of 5°C or even lower. Check the color of the meat, pork should be light
pink and lean which means the meat always exceeds the fat, beef should
be bright red, veal should be pale red or pinkish and lamb should be light
red. The texture of the meat should be resilient, this means that when
you apply a little pressure from your finger it springs back to shape.
• Reject
• Meats that feels slimy when being touched, dry, greenish or brown in
color should not be accepted. These are sign of decomposition due to
exposure to the temperature danger zone for a dangerous span of time.
• FRESH POULTRY
• Acceptable
• A fresh poultry is best when they are delivered chilled. Make sure
that upon delivery, it is surrounded by crushed ice. The skin
should not have unnecessary tears or breaks. The skin should not
have bruises and other discoloration, it should also be shiny and
not dry or cracking.
• Reject
• Chicken delivered that contain dark wing tips are not acceptable,
they are a sign that the chicken is not properly chilled or frozen.
The usual discoloration in chicken are blue (a sign bruise and
improper handling), green (a sign of decomposition due to
improper storage allowing bacterial growth).
• FRESH SHELLFISH
• Acceptable
• The most ideal condition for a fresh shellfish is that it should still be
alive. This ensures that the shellfish is still fresh. In instances that it is
not alive, it should be chilled or iced with a temperature of 7 °C. The
shells should be unbroken and if possible closed. An open shell
indicates that the shellfish is dead. It should also contain a mild ocean
or seaweed smell.
• Reject
• Do not accept open shells that do not close when tapped. This is an
indication that the shellfish had been dead and may now be
decomposing, thus, unfit for human consumption. The shellfish
already have a strong fishy smell. Again this indicates that it had
started to decompose.
• FRESH VEGETABLES
• Acceptable
• The edible part of brassicas and leafy vegetables should not beg
wilted. It should still be firm and compact. Check salad vegetables if
they are still crispy and fresh by touching them and feeling if they are
still firm. Fruit vegetable should also be firm with clean and intact
skin. Bulbs, tuber and root vegetables should not have many dirt or
soil still clinging to its skin.
• Reject
• Vegetables that shows signs of being eaten by worms should not be
accepted. Wilted leafy vegetables should be returned or rejected upon
delivery. This is a bad sign and may be a cause of food poisoning.
Fruits vegetables that are soft and mushy should be returned
immediately.
• EGGS
• Acceptable
• Eggs should have a clean and unbroken shell. Test one
egg to see if the yolks are still firm. The yolk should not
be easily broken, with a significant amount of egg
white still clinging to the yolk.
• CANNED GOODS
• Always check the expiry date of the food item. Do not
accept if the expiry date is just a few weeks away.
Never accept canned food items that are bulging or
swollen In the ends. This is a sign that the gas emitted
by micro organisms are already forming inside making
it unsuitable for human consumption.
• A rusted can indicates that it is either been improperly
stored and had been wet or had the can had reached
its expiry stage. Consuming food items from a rusted
can may cause serious heavy metal poisoning.
• VACUUM PACKED ITEMS
• Check the expiry date. Make sure that the vacuum
pack is still intact with no signs of tears or breakages of
the package. Temperature should be about 5 °C or
colder.
• FOOD ITEMS IN SACK CONTAINERS
• Make sure that the sack does not show any water
marks or stains. Do not accept sacks with holes,
punctures or tear.
• PROPER STORAGE TEMPERATURE
• In order to ensure that food items remain in good quality after receiving them, it should be
properly stored in the proper temperature, Listed below are some of the most acceptable
temperature based on HACCP standard.
• FISH - This should be stored at 5°C in the chiller and - 18 deg * C to 20 deg * C in the freezer.
• SHELLFISH - This should be stored in the chiller at 5 deg * C and - 18 deg * C to 20 deg * C
in the freezer.
• MEAT - This should be stored in the chiller at 5 deg * C and - 18 deg * C to 20 deg * C in the
freezer.
• POULTRY - This should be stored in the chiller at 5 deg * C and - 18 deg * C to 20 deg * C in
the freezer.
• EGGS - This should be stored in the chiller at 5 deg * C and - 18 deg * C to 20 deg * C in the
freezer.
• DAIRY PRODUCTS - This should be stored in the chiller at 5 deg * C and - 18 deg * C to 20
deg * C in the freezer.
• VEGETABLES - Never freeze fresh vegetables as they may deteriorate. Store them in a
chiller at about 5 deg * C
 Case study #2
• It was Friday night and local diners began entering the
expensive restaurant within the city. The restaurant is
famous for its delicious food and efficient service of the staff.
A couple entered and dined in the restaurant. They began
their dining experience by ordering an appetizer. The savory
appetizer tastes so good. On their second course, they
ordered a salad consisting mainly of leafy salad vegetables
with homemade salad dressing that is truly an appetizing
treat. The couple started eating the salad. Halfway through
their salad, the couple noticed a very unpleasant surprise.
They had seen a dead leaf worm in their salad.
Guide questions
1. In your opinion, what do you think the dining couple
will do upon the discovery of the worm in their meal?
2. Where do you think the problem started with the
worm in the salad?
3. If you are the manager of the establishment, what do
you think you would do in that particular situation?
4. How would you make sure that the incident will never
happen again?