Why Do Businesses Practice FIFO Food Storage Systems in Organising Their Refrigeration Units?

24 August 2022

Businesses that deal with food items must invest in high-quality refrigeration units. What is great about these units is they can retain the freshness of various food products. They can even preserve the natural taste, looks, and nutrients of the products.

But having these refrigeration units is not enough. Employees must still store their products properly to maximise these cold storage solutions. To date, there are many ways in which they can store their foods and drinks properly. For one, they must ensure that raw food products are separated from cooked items. Cooked items must also be cooled down first before storing them inside the refrigeration units. The doors of these units must also be closed as much as possible to prevent tampering with their internal temperatures.

Another thing that food businesses do when storing food products inside the refrigeration units is to practice the FIFO food storage system.

An Overview of the FIFO Food Storage System

FIFO, which is an acronym for First-In-First-Out, is an organisation method wherein food products with the soonest best before or expiration dates are placed at the front of the refrigeration units. Those with the furthest dates, alternatively, are placed at the back.

Generally, using the FIFO food storage system allows food businesses to use or sell products with the nearest expiration dates first before moving on to those that will not expire yet. It maximises the freshness of the products and cuts potential waste and expenses.

Conducting the FIFO Food Storage System

The FIFO food storage system can be effective once employees have been trained to carry it out. The first thing that they must do is to pinpoint products and items with the soonest best before or use-by dates. Once they have spotted products that have already expired or are way past their use-by dates, they must remove and discard them right away. Doing this can prevent customers from receiving expired products or eating unpleasant meals.

The next thing that they must do is to place products with the soonest use-by dates at the front of their refrigeration units. New products must then be placed behind the front stock so they will only be used or sold once the older items are already gone.

One important thing, however, that employees should remember is to avoid overloading the refrigeration units. Even though the units do not have damaged or expired items, overloading them will only affect their cooling performance. As time passes, overloaded refrigeration units might only damage the items unexpectedly before their use-by dates.

FIFO Food Storage System Primary Benefits

There are a couple of reasons why the FIFO food storage system is followed by food businesses.

For one, this storage system can reduce the amount of waste being produced by businesses. Since older products are exhausted first, the possibility of discarding items will be cut significantly. Another reason why businesses turn to the FIFO system is it can preserve the items optimally. As more products are being sold and used efficiently, both employees and customers can enjoy the benefit of using fresh products all the time.

The FIFO food storage system is also used by businesses since it allows them to comply with regulatory standards. Workflow is expected to become efficient with the full implementation of the FIFO food storage system in organising food products in refrigeration units.

Contact us at P&R Commercial Refrigeration for all your enquiries and requirements for freezers and coolrooms.

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