Temperatures on arrival

  • Cold TCS food: 41°F or below
  • Milk: 41°F or below (may arrive at 45°F if chilled to 41°F within 4 hours)
  • Shell eggs: in a truck or fridge holding 45°F air or colder
  • Frozen food: frozen solid
  • Hot food: 135°F or above

Probe cold meat by pushing the thermometer between two packages. Probe milk by opening a carton.

Sources: Food Code 3-202.11 · R392-102-12(1) · Source protocols: receiving, accept or reject

Reject it if you see

  • Frozen food with big ice crystals, frozen liquid in the bottom, or water stains (thawed and refrozen)
  • A time-temperature indicator showing it got too warm, even if the food looks fine
  • Cans that are swollen, leaking, rusty, deeply dented at the seams, or missing labels
  • Torn, wet or stained packages, holes, or signs of insects or rodents
  • Meat that is brown or green, slimy, sticky, or smells sour
  • Poultry with purple or green around the neck, dark wing tips, or stickiness
  • Fish with cloudy, sunken eyes, dull gray gills, soft flesh, or an ammonia smell
  • Live shellfish with open shells that don't close, or missing shellstock tags
  • Cracked, dirty or leaking eggs

When in doubt, reject it and note why on the receiving log.

Sources: Source protocols: receiving, accept or reject; time-temperature indicators · Food Code 6-501.111

Approved sources only

  • Buy from licensed suppliers and stores. Keep receipts or invoices that show the source.
  • Meat and poultry carry the USDA inspection mark or Utah's state inspection mark.
  • Reject home-slaughtered or uninspected meat, and meat marked "Not for Sale" or "Custom Exempt."
  • USDA grades (Prime, Choice) are about quality. The inspection mark is what shows safety.
  • No home-canned food and no raw milk. Milk is Grade A pasteurized.
  • No wild-picked mushrooms (Utah bans them).
  • Keep shellstock tags 90 days.

Sources: Food Code 3-201.11 · Food Code 3-201.16(A) (Utah amendment) · R392-102-11(2), (7)–(9) · Source protocols: meat and poultry must be USDA-inspected; receiving (keep tags 90 days)

The rules behind it

  • Receiving and approved sources. Cold 41°F or below, frozen solid, eggs in 45°F air; USDA or Utah inspected meat; reject damaged or temperature-abused food. Food Code 3-201.11, 3-202.11; R392-102-11(2), 12(1)
  • Pest control. Keep premises free of pests: inspect deliveries and the building, remove harborage, licensed operator only for pesticides. Food Code 6-501.111, 6-501.112, 7-206.12; R392-102-13