Food intended to be eaten without further cooking or processing, so it needs careful handling to stay safe.
Food intended to be eaten without further cooking or processing, so it needs careful handling to stay safe. Ready-to-eat food is food that is normally consumed in the state in which it is sold, without any further cooking or processing step that would kill harmful bacteria. Examples include sandwiches, salads, sushi, deli meats, cheese, cooked meats served cold, cut fruit and desserts. Because there is no final cook step to make it safe, ready-to-eat food must be protected from contamination at every stage. Ready-to-eat food that is also potentially hazardous, such as cooked chicken or a filled sandwich, must be kept under temperature control to stop bacteria growing. Preventing cross-contamination is especially important, because any bacteria transferred onto ready-to-eat food, for example from raw meat, hands or dirty surfaces, will not be cooked away before the food is eaten. In an Australian kitchen, ready-to-eat food is kept separate from raw food to avoid cross-contamination, using separate boards, utensils and storage areas, and storing ready-to-eat items above raw items in the fridge. Staff practise strong personal hygiene and handwashing, and often minimise bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Temperature control and the two-hour four-hour guidance apply to potentially hazardous ready-to-eat food on display or being served. Cold items are held at 5 degrees Celsius or below and hot items at 60 degrees Celsius or above. Correct date marking and stock rotation help ensure ready-to-eat food is used while still safe. A sandwich shop prepares wraps in the morning and displays them in a cold cabinet running at 4 degrees Celsius. Staff use clean utensils and gloves, store the wraps above the raw chicken used for hot rolls, and discard any unsold wraps that have been out of temperature control beyond safe limits.
Frequently asked questions
What is ready-to-eat food?
Food that is normally eaten without any further cooking or processing, such as sandwiches, salads, sushi, deli meats and cut fruit.
Why does ready-to-eat food need extra care?
Because there is no final cooking step to kill bacteria, so any contamination on the food will not be removed before it is eaten.
How should ready-to-eat food be stored relative to raw food?
Ready-to-eat food should be stored above and separate from raw food in the fridge to prevent drips and cross-contamination.
Does ready-to-eat food need temperature control?
If it is potentially hazardous, yes. It should be held cold at 5 degrees Celsius or below, or hot at 60 degrees Celsius or above, unless a time-based control applies.
Should staff touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands?
Businesses should minimise bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, using clean utensils or gloves and strong handwashing to reduce contamination risk.
