What are five potential situations when should you reject a delivery of perishable food items?

These guidelines give direction to food businesses that provide a home delivery service for perishable foods, other than ready-to-eat meals, using unrefrigerated transport vehicles. It does not include takeaway food businesses.

Many people take advantage of home delivery offered by supermarkets and other retail food businesses. Home delivery is a major help to people who are older or disabled, and to anyone else who finds it difficult or inconvenient to take food items home with them at the time of purchase.

Perishable food must be delivered safely.

Home delivery guidelines

For these guidelines, home delivery means the delivery of unrefrigerated perishable food purchased from a food business. It is then delivered by the business or a courier to the customer’s home.

Perishable foods are those foods that could spoil or become a health hazard within a short time if they are not properly stored, refrigerated and handled. Examples of perishable foods include fish, fruit, milk and all seafood.

Total delivery time

Total delivery time is from the time of purchase at the store to the time customers receive the delivery at their home. Unless food is kept at refrigerated temperatures at the food business before delivery, or if ice bricks are used, the total delivery time for perishable food should not exceed 4 hours. Transportation time should be less than 30 minutes.

Controlling the temperature of perishable food

To reduce food safety risk, perishable foods should be kept cool during transport. If your business is involved in home delivery, you should develop documented procedures.

Keep stocked food delivery storage trolleys in the coolest part of the business. Stocked trolleys should not be stored alongside windows that are exposed to the sun or near heat-generating sources, such as ovens or heaters. Even refrigerators and freezers can generate heat.

If it is not possible to keep a stocked delivery storage trolley cool, food must be refrigerated before delivery. Ice blocks can also be used to keep food under 5 °C.

Note that a system of taking and recording temperature during transport should be one of the businesses documented procedures.

Peak road traffic should be avoided

Peak road traffic conditions may extend the transportation time beyond 30 minutes and could allow the food to heat up. Aim to deliver food during nonpeak periods, if possible.

Skills and knowledge of all staff

Staff involved with the home delivery service, including drivers, should understand food safety requirements, particularly about the temperature danger zone.

Don’t leave food unattended at a customer’s home

If customers are not at home at the time of delivery, do not leave food unattended unless arrangements have been made with the customer. The customer should be advised that the safety of food cannot be guaranteed if it has been left unattended.

Plan for unexpected delays

Ensure that there is a documented procedure to deal with situations where a delivery is unexpectedly delayed through vehicle breakdown, traffic congestion or traffic accidents. In all instances, the total delivery time for unrefrigerated perishable food should not exceed 4 hours.

Actions for home delivery drivers

Home delivery drivers should:

• prevent damage to packaging or bruising of food
• implement documented procedures if unexpected delays due to vehicle breakdown, traffic congestion or traffic accidents occur
• not leave food unattended at the customer’s home unless arrangements have been made with the customer to do so
• communicate with customers about delivery times. Advise how long the delivery will take or the expected delivery time, and arrange a specific time for delivery
• advise that there should be someone at home at the time of delivery. If this is not possible, ensure the customers know that the safety of the food cannot be guaranteed if it is left unattended
• advise that perishable foods should be placed in the refrigerator as soon as they are delivered.

Food Standards Code

All food businesses in Victoria are required to comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standard Code. The Code specifies requirements for food businesses that, when complied with, ensure food does not become unsafe or unsuitable.

The Code allows perishable foods to be outside temperature control, provided that the food business can demonstrate, to relevant enforcement authorities, that the safety of the food has not been compromised.

Let’s take a look at the role of food safety regulations and rules have played in the development of Zip HACCP. We will also discuss how the Zip HA...

Honey is universally known as a natural sweetener and is composed of natural sugars. Pure honey, in its raw form, is also used as a remedy for vari...

Many restaurants do not fully understand the effect of customer loyalty on their business success. They endlessly spend money on marketing services...

A bagel is made of wheat-based pastry or bread, which is first boiled or steamed before being baked. Once kneaded and shaped, the bagel is proofed ...

Whether you are planning to start a new restaurant business or you already have an established business, there are certain things you must take int...

Not utilizing these tried and true best practices for inventory control has caused many restaurants to fail before they ever get a chance to thrive...

Storytelling is a powerful marketing strategy that builds trust and helps you connect with your clients. You need to leverage your brand story to e...

The restaurant management software you use is essential to your business’ success. Many owners and managers get caught up in the human aspect of ma...

As you grow older, you may begin to notice that you suffer more from common ailments, like the cold and flu, during the colder seasons. To combat t...

While Thanksgiving is often associated with food, loved ones, and overly full stomachs, if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, it can also be correlated w...

Your food runner is one of your most important restaurant employees. Choose the right food runner, server, waiter, and waitress to be the collectiv...

Sunflower oil is a healthy option for all your favorite recipes as it’s valued for its light taste and frying performance. High in Vitamin E, Sunfl...

You need to be on Google. It’s the largest of all search engines, and it is proven to help restaurants boost their business. Let’s take a look at s...

Whether you are running late or not feeling hungry, no reason justifies skipping breakfast. Your body needs energy, which is obtained through food,...

Every bar is different, but one uniting element is the need for inventory counts. With an inventory management app, such as Zip Inventory by Hubwor...

Do you enjoy seafood, like crab and lobster, but struggle with being able to eat it because of the shell? Combat this problem by learning how to br...

A quality restaurant POS system can be utilized to help users better understand their business’ performance and improve upon vulnerabilities, by pr...

Shortcuts aren’t always a bad thing. When it comes to running a restaurant, you need to find ways to get tasks done quickly without sacrificing qua...

There are so many food holidays in a year and with a little creativity here and there, any restaurant owner or manager can attract more customers a...

Surprisingly, one of the most common problems of restaurants is its menu. Whether it’s the design or the number of pages the menu has, it’s certain...

Zip Clock, from Hubworks, is being honored as this year’s Editor’s Choice Award for it’s affordability and advanced functionality.. Zip Clock is a ...

CREAM founder and co-president, Gus Shamieh, tells us the whole story.

Scheduling solutions are garnering a lot of interest lately from operators. Due to a perfect storm of rising wages, health care costs, and employer...

With eRestaurant 2018, Altametrics continues to break new ground.

When subzero temperatures start creeping in, ice cream shops tend to see less and less customers walking through the door. So, here’s the big quest...

Having the knowledge of how much your food costs you to sell is critical to running a successful operation. Your food cost percentage should be ut...

Millennials are claiming their stake as the most engaged group of diners yet. They go out to dinner more often than their predecessors ever did, an...

A lot has been written about how to manage Millennials versus Baby Boomers. And that’s valuable information – for many employers, the differences b...

Restaurateurs need to ensure that food safety is top of their agenda when they open their business. Their commercial kitchen, and all areas of the ...

The restaurant industry is rising and expanding again with the support of cutting edge technologies. This signifcant increase of technology has bol...

Before you place incoming meat, poultry, or seafood in its rightful storage, a proper inspection following a detailed guide should take place. This...

Restaurant security should be one of the biggest priorities for owners of a restaurant operation, especially when you consider how much cash and cr...

The menu is a main driving force in getting customers in the door, and they want to pay for the quality they are receiving. The prices on the menu ...

Managing staff is both the most complex and rewarding part of becoming a restaurant manager for the first time. You have a vision for how you want ...

Off-premise orders are driving growth for restaurants, so how can you get your share? Adding catering to your business is one way to go. Sound inti...

Food has long held its rank in the business setting. Increasingly, however, companies are moving beyond taking a decision maker out for a nice meal...

One of the best ways for restaurateurs to improve their business is to listen to their customers and take their opinions on board, whether they are...

Restaurant owners and managers are really starting to feel the effects of a rising minimum wage and increased labor costs. Today, more and more res...

As I slowly ascend the vibrant and healthy moss-covered hillside, I methodically scan my immediate vicinity with a patiently focused gaze. It doesn...

Point of sale (POS) systems have given the restaurant industry a huge boost over the last few years, and as the technology continues to develop, so...

In order for your restaurant to run smoothly during every service, the right equipment has to be in store and on hand so that your servers can deli...

Your menu is your moneymaker, which means it plays a huge role in attracting guests to eat at your restaurant and consider it their usual haunts. Y...

CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder loves the company’s flirtatious TV spots, he hates big government, and he gets why his 23-year-old son wonders wher...

Taco Bell has managed to successfully captivate the attention of Millennials everywhere and they continue to gain their loyalty. How has the once s...

One of the biggest emerging trends in restaurants is the return of the communal table. Communal tables are long, shared tables where people are typ...

Who can resist a sweet, fluffy, doughnut? With flavors like huckleberry and maple bacon being served up fresh every hour, Sidecar Doughnuts in Sout...

The Denver-based fast-casual chain has millions of followers — but that doesn't stop them from going all-in with customers on social channels.

I was lucky enough to sit down for a Q&A with one of Popbar’s founders; Reuben BenJehuda to indulge myself in some of the techniques the chain ...

How Corner Bakery Cafe sifted OT out of its restaurant payrolls with a pull-no-punches, intelligent timeclock solution

RMagazine had the pleasure to sit down and pick the mind of Elie Ayrouth, the founder of Foodbeast, the “TMZ of food news.”  He has his head down w...

The expeditor is your sentry at the kitchen window, the human linchpin who operates where the expectations of the seated customer — in terms of foo...