Food Safety First

Receiving

Those responsible for receiving the order must base acceptance on the criteria used when the order was placed. This ensures that the cheese delivered meets quality standards. Use the following checklist as an example:

• Check cheese against your purchase order before the delivery person leaves
• Check for damage, including crushed or leaking cartons, moldy cheese and sell-date codes for more perishable cheeses
• Notify the distributor immediately of any problems
• If the cheese's temperature is above 50°F, check for moisture exuding from the cheese or other signs of deterioration
• Put cheese into the cooler immediately and remove from insulated boxes or remove the lid so it cools quickly
• Mark all cheeses or boxes with the date received, in a visible location, before placing them in the cooler

Storing

• Refrigerate cheese at 34 to 38°F
• Because cheese absorbs flavors, store away from other aromatic foods
• Wrap cut pieces tightly in cheese film
• Rotate stock on a first-in/first-out (FIFO) basis and always stock shelves left to right
• Turn full wheels of soft-ripened and blue-veined cheeses weekly to ensure proper moisture distribution as they continue to age or ripen

Sanitation
Because cheese is a living food that remains biologically active, it's important to keep it and everything it touches clean, cold and covered. Handling cheese properly keeps shrink down (constriction due to moisture, heat, cold, etc.) and keeps profits up in two ways-you sell more cheese and you spend less time slicing and re-wrapping it. The most common causes of shrink are:

• Poor sanitation
• Ordering too much cheese
• Slicing too much cheese
• Not working cases everyday
• Improper case temperature
• Improper rotation

Excerpted from the Wisconsin Cheesecyclopedia Training Program and provided by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.