Maintain the safe storage of food during warehousing
Overview
This standard is about maintaining the safe storage of food during warehousing.
It covers the knowledge and skills required of operatives in the logistics sector who handle food. It is a legal requirement for all businesses that handle food (including food, drink and animal feeds) to have food safety management procedures embedded into their operating and management systems.
This standard is relevant to all warehousing operatives in logistics operations who handle food. Warehousing operatives could be working in warehousing and storage, freight forwarding, or any part of the supply chain.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
record information on the labelling according to organisational and the relevant legal requirements for the storage of food during warehousing
prepare food for storage and place it in the required storage area to maintain its quality, in accordance with supplier, organisation and the relevant legal requirements
- confirm storage areas are clean, meet the requirements for the type of food being stored, and are maintained at the correct temperature in the warehouse
- store food in accordance with organisational procedures and the relevant legal requirements to prevent cross-contamination
- follow warehousing stock rotation procedures, in accordance with organisational requirements
- safely dispose of any food, food waste or packaging that does not meet safety requirements, in accordance with food safety management procedures and environmental requirements
- maintain warehousing storage records in accordance with the relevant legal and organisational requirements
- use methods of handling food that maintain food safety
- follow the relevant health and safety procedures relating to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and personal hygiene
- respond to situations where indications of potential food safety hazards are found, within the limits of your own authority
- report indications of potential food safety hazards to the relevant colleague(s), when this falls outside the limits of your own authority
- comply with organisational procedures and the relevant legal, environmental, health and safety, bio-security and operating requirements relating to maintaining the safe storage of food during warehousing
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
why it is important to confirm food and its wrapping/packaging remain undamaged and within their product date while in storage
the temperature control requirements for different types of food storage and the methods of maintaining these
- the relevant legal and organisational procedures for recording information relating to the safe storage of food during warehousing
- how to prepare food and food products for safe storage during warehousing and the requirements for labelling
- why food storage areas must be clean, tidy and maintained and what to do if they are not
- how to comply with food safety management procedures for the safe storage of food during warehousing
- the organisational requirements for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and how to maintain personal hygiene
- the relevant organisational environmental management procedures
- the organisational procedures to avoid cross-contamination
- how to report and record indications of potential food safety hazards
- how to find important sources of information in relation to the safe storage of food during warehousing
- the organisational procedures and all the relevant legal, environmental, health and safety, bio-security and operating requirements when monitoring the environmental impact of logistics operations
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): high-visibility vests, hard hats, eye protection, gloves, boots
Cross-contamination: in a logistics environment there are two kinds of cross-contamination you need to guard against: the transfer of harmful bacteria between foods by direct contact (e.g. the juices of raw meat dripping on to cooked meat) or indirect contact (via the hands, clothing, cloths, equipment or other surfaces); and the cross-contamination of foods containing specific allergens (e.g. nuts, milk, eggs) with other food (the mixing of foods due to damaged packaging, spillage or via hands, clothing, cloths or other surfaces)
Food storage controls: temperature, track and scan (digital or paper), maintenance records
Food: food, drink, animal feed
Product date: best before, use by, shelf life, arrival date
Food safety hazards: something that may cause harm to the consumer and can be microbiological (e.g. bacteria, moulds, viruses), chemical (e.g. pesticides used on fruit and vegetables, chemicals used in cleaning or for pest control), physical (e.g. insects, parasites, glass), allergenic (e.g. nuts, milk, eggs)
Food safety management procedures: policies, practices, controls and documentation that ensure food is safe for consumers. This may include
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
Indications of potential food safety hazards: things that could make food unsafe for consumers, including damaged packaging, spillage into another food, out-of-date stock, food not stored where it should be, storage facilities and vehicles that are not operating at the right temperature, food waste to be disposed of, dirt, pests such as rodents or insects
Environmental, legal, safety and operating requirements: safety regulations, codes of practice, load restrictions, working-time regulations, transport regulations, national and international legislation, LOLER, COSHH, Food Safety Act
Personal hygiene: health and safety guidelines and organisational
requirements for personal standards of cleanliness and appearance at work, essential for preventing cross-contamination during handling and storage of foods