Date Marking Guide for Food Establishments - …

1 Why is date Marking Important? date Marking is a means of controlling thegrowth of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteriathat continues to grow even at refrigeratedtemperatures. date Marking is a processassuring the food is discarded before thesebacteria can cause foodborne to Mark the DateFood must be discarded within seven days,which means the day the food is prepared oropened plus six days. (Example: food preparedon April 1 must be discarded on April 7.)A food establishment operator can choose anymarking method that suits their needs. It simportant to know whatever system you use, itmust be understandable, effective, consistentlyused by employees, and clear to your inspectorduring the evaluation.

2 It s recommended youprovide a written policy for employees to Does the food code Require?You must date mark any food meeting all of thefollowing: Potentially Hazardous food (PHF)/Time-Temperature Controlled for Safety (TCS) food requires time and temperature controlto limit the pathogen growth or toxinformation, and Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods that may be eatenwithout any additional preparation steps tomake the food safe, and Foods stored under refrigeration for morethan 24 Marking Guide forFood Establishments ( food code Section )What if I Freeze the food ?

3 Freezing food stops the date Marking clock butdoes not reset it. So if a food is stored at 41 F fortwo days and then frozen at 0 F, itcan still be stored at 41 F for five more days afterremoval from the freezer. The freezing date andthe thawing date must be put on the containeralong with the preparation date as an indication ofhow many of the original seven days have beenused. If food is not dated with these dates, it mustbe used or discarded within 24 if I Combine food that was Opened onDifferent Dates?When different containers of foods arecombined, the date of the oldest ingredientbecomes the reference date .

4 For example, iftoday is Wednesday, and you are mixing saladmarked on Monday with salad marked onTuesday, the combined salad Marking would bebased on a starting date of Not Requiring date MarkingSome foods prepared and packaged in aninspected food processing plant may not requiredate Marking . These foods include: Deli salads. Semi soft cheeses see chart. Hard cheeses see chart. Cultured dairy products such as yogurt, sourcream, and buttermilk. Preserved fish products such as pickledherring, dried, or salted cod. Shelf-stable dry fermented sausages,pepperoni, and salami not labeled as keeprefrigerated.

5 This Guide will provide practical information to implement food code date Marking requirements that applyto many ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous foods. Some of the challenges operators may face, include: Determining which foods are required to be date marked, Developing a date Marking system for employees to follow, and Ordering volumes and sizes of product that can be sold within seven days of 05/2008 List of Some Hard and Semi-Soft CheesesExempt from DatemarkingDeli MeatsDate Marking applies to entire loaves of delimeats once the original package is deli meats should be purchased insizes that can be sliced and sold within sevendays of opening.

6 If this is not possible, a way touse up a slow moving loaf of deli meat is bymaking it into other products such assandwiches. But do this right away instead ofwaiting until day date Applies if I Package Deli Items forSale? date Marking is the last day the product can beconsumed safely. The last date of sale is adate the consumer sees on a a deli item is packaged for sale out ofa self-service case, the package must bemarked with the last date of sale (or sell-bydate). The sell-by date shall take intoconsideration a reasonable period of time theproduct will be used in the consumer s homeand still be wholesome and Marking then is used to determine ameaningful sell-by example, if a tub of potato salad was openedin the deli four days ago and you want to pre-package some half pound containers for sale inthe self-service case, you must take intoconsideration those first four days when settinga sell-by date .

7 Regardless of the date youchoose, the product cannot be sold after operation goes through refrigeratedsalami so fast that the loaf will be gone inless than four days. Do I still need to datemark it?Yes, if the food is not going to be served, sold, ordiscarded within 24 hours, it must be (medium or old)Asiago softBattelmattBellelay (blue veined)BlueBraBrickCamosumChantelleChedd arChristalinnaColbyCoonCotijaCotija AnejoDerbyEdamEmmentalerEnglish DairyFontinaGex (blue veined)GjetostGloucesterGorgonzola (blue veined)GoudaGruyereHavartiHerveKonigskas eLaplandLimburgerLorraineManchegoMilanoM ontereyMuensterOaxacaOkaParmesanPecorino Port du SalutProvoloneQueso AnejoQueso ChihuahuaQueso de BolaQueso de la TierraQueso de PrensaReggianoRobbioleRomanelloRomanoRoq uefort (blue veined)SamsoeSapsagoSassenage (blue veined)Stilton (blue veined)SwissTignard (blue veined)TilsiterTrappistVizeWensleydale (blue)