Food Safety Facts
Best Practices
We apply these to provide safe food while minimizing food waste:
- FIFO (First In, First Out) and FEFO (First Expired, First Out) methods are followed.
- Frozen foods are kept below 0.
- Refrigerated foods are maintained below 41 degrees fahrenheit.
- Meat remains in original packaging and stored to prevent contamination.
- Meat and seafood are never thawed and refrozen.
- Recognize when shelf products should not be used, and cold or fresh food has gone bad
TIPS: Food Safety at Home
- Store cold items promptly (below 41 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Some produce belongs in the fridge, others at room temp.
- Check packaged produce before discarding – one bad piece doesn’t spoil the bunch.
- “Best By” and “Sell By” dates = quality not safety.
- Only “Expires” or “Do Not Use After” dates mean unsafe to eat.
YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD QUALITY ARE IMPORTANT
Your Food Came From Many Sources
- Central PA Food Bank: purchased staples and produce.
- USDA: purchased meat, dairy, and eggs.
- Local Stores, Suppliers, Food Drives and Community Gardens: donations include anything and everything! Think fresh gleaned produce, varied dairy, baked goods, along with prepackaged salads, sandwiches, fruit and vegetables. These represent 25% of food distributed at SPO and often need consumed the soonest.
Reporting Unusable Food
If any food item seems unsafe or unusable, please report it below:
Monthly Food Calendar
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