Having a meal delivery can be very convenient. It is ideal when you can eat your delivered meals right away. However, if you will not be touching your meals right away, this can be a problem. Mishandled meal delivery can cause food poisoning. To avoid this, below are the best practices.

Eat food within 1 hour

As much as possible, you should consume meal delivery within 60 minutes upon arrival. If the delivery was late, you should consume it sooner. Food is ideally consumed within 90 minutes after it has been prepared. When it is left sitting, uneaten, end worse, covered, it can suffer from residual heat and vapor. Both can promote the growth of bacteria.

Put food in the ref

If you are not touching your meal delivery just yet, remove their lids and let them cool down. After 60 minutes or once they have cooled down to room temperature, it is best to put them in the ref. This way, they won’t grow harmful bacteria from being left out at room temperature for too long.

Put food in airtight containers

If you feel like your ref could be contaminated by the food’s odor, or if the surrounding of the ref feels moist, put cooled down delivered meals in airtight containers. This can be a reused but very clean microwaveable container. This way, you also make reheating so much easier.

Reheat food fully

If you want your food to be safe to eat, make sure that you reheat them very well. If you put your delivered meal in the freezer, make sure to thaw it first or defrost it before reheating until it’s piping hot. Any reheated food should be piping hot before you eat it to make sure that you have killed off any possible bacterial growth from your delivered meal.

Freeze but do not refreeze

If you are not going to eat your food within two days, you can also freeze cooled down delivered meals. Meal delivery is convenient but there could be instances when you simply cannot consume the food you ordered immediately. If you ordered in advance too because there is no delivery on the day you plan to eat your food, freezing is always a good idea. Just make sure you put them in microwaveable, air-tight containers to prevent cross-contamination. Thaw or defrost before reheating, and only thaw what you will consume.

If you are consuming any frozen food, you need to reheat it until it is piping hot. Make sure all the parts are heated properly. Consume reheated frozen foods immediately.

Eat within two days

If you were unable to freeze your meal delivery, you need to consume it within two days. Some, like rice meals, will need to be consumed within 24 hours after it was prepared. Or sooner depending on the instructions of the provider.

Wash your hands

Before handling any meal delivery, make sure you wash your hands very well. This way, you won’t run the risk of introducing bacteria and other pathogens to the food you are handling. This is especially important if you are transferring the meal delivery from its original container to a clean, air-tight one.

From office lunches, corporate events, or meals for your family, our team at Saint Germain Catering is ready to serve. Contact us today for more information about our meal delivery service.