A commercial refrigerator is a significant investment that is crucial for many businesses selling or serving food. Many of these businesses mainly focus on investing in a high-quality and durable commercial freezer; however, understanding commercial fridge organization is crucial. Organizing the products stored in the commercial coolers will help find products more accessible and prevent any possible malfunctioning. Having a commercial fridge organization is essential and tends to be the backbone of a restaurant or supermarket.
Why Do You Need to Organise Your Commercial Freezer?
Knowing how to organize a commercial freezer is crucial as it tends to be the backbone of the businesses that require it, and any malfunction will cause problems in the workflow of these businesses. Here are the main points to consider for commercial fridge organization:
- Food Safety: A commercial fridge organization reduces the risk of cross-contamination, which is essential in food handling. Segregating items like raw meats from vegetables and using clear labeling for storage dates uphold food safety standards.
- Efficient Inventory Management: Visibility of items prevents overstocking and waste. You can quickly gauge stock levels, adhere to FIFO (first-in, first-out) practices, and avoid buying unnecessary duplicates. This organization helps identify items near expiration and reduce waste.
- Energy Efficiency: A well-arranged freezer allows for better air circulation, so it doesn’t have to work as hard to keep cold. This results in lower energy consumption and cost savings.
- Time-saving: During peak hours, having an organized freezer saves significant time. Employees can quickly locate and access needed items without sifting through clutter.
Tips for Commercial Refrigerator Organization
Commercial fridge organization is crucial for various reasons, and there are different ways to achieve a nicely organized commercial freezer. These tips will help us understand why organizing is important and how to organize these devices in the best way:
- First-In, First-Out (FIFO) Method
- Leave Space Between Items
- Label Everything
- Place New Products in The Back
- Put Products on the Correct Shelves
- Do Not Put Products on The Bottom
1. First-In, First-Out (FIFO) Method
The First-In, First-Out (FIFO) method is a critical commercial fridge organization strategy, especially vital in the food and beverage industry in industrial kitchen organization, where it plays a key role in maintaining the freshness and safety of perishable goods. This system involves using or selling older stock before newer stock, preventing products from becoming outdated or spoiled. It starts with organized storage: older items should be placed at the front or on top for easy accessibility, and each item must be clearly labeled with its arrival date. This level of organization ensures that the oldest stock is used first, upholding quality and reducing waste.
Implementing FIFO into your commercial fridge organization extends beyond mere storage arrangement; it requires staff training and alignment of purchasing practices. Employees must be educated on correctly stocking and picking items to maintain the integrity of FIFO. Additionally, purchasing should be moderated to avoid overstocking, aligning with the turnover rate of existing stock. Regular inventory checks are crucial to ensure compliance and to identify any issues, such as incorrect labeling or stockpiling. FIFO has numerous benefits when executed properly, including improved food safety, reduced waste, enhanced quality control, and accurate inventory records. Adaptation of the FIFO method may vary slightly depending on the product type, but its core principles remain the same across different inventory types.
2. Leave Space Between Items
One of the first commercial fridge organization tips is to have space between the items or products in the commercial freezer. Having distance between them is essential because by doing this, there is space left for air to circulate within the devices, which makes cooling or freezing the products or items easier.
If there is little to no space between the items inside, the refrigerator may be overfilled, which might cause problems with cooling as some parts of the devices will be cool while some are warm. This will cause malfunctioning of the commercial freezer as well. Also, closely stacked items would make them unable to be reached when things are on top of each other. Storing and organizing the items with space in between is essential to prevent these.
3. Label Everything
Another critical commercial fridge organization tip is to label every item and product stored in the commercial cooler to prevent mixing up. Labeling products, writing their name, and when they are placed in the commercial freezer will help understand the older and newer products stored.
This is another vital tip on commercial fridge organization because when checking which products are needed and have to be bought next, checking their name and date of purchase will help prevent mixing up anything. This way, both wasting money on unneeded products and mixing things up are controlled.
4. Place New Products in The Back
The most crucial commercial fridge organization tip is to place new products on the back of the commercial refrigerator. Putting the new products behind the “older” ones can help prevent wasting foods. Making sure to use the products or items bought beforehand will prevent food waste and stop these wasted foods from causing smell or malfunction in the commercial refrigerator.
This smell could stick to other products or stay in the commercial refrigerator. The products going bad means the weekly cleaning and maintenance will take longer than they should and be highly unpleasant.
5. Put Products on the Correct Shelves
Another commercial fridge organization tip is to place products on the correct shelves. To prevent leakage and contamination, paying attention to which shelf to put which products on is essential. For instance, products that can leak or get watered in the commercial refrigerator should be placed on lower shelves.
Meat products should also be placed on the lower shelves to help clean when a spill or leak occurs. Keeping them on lower shelves will prevent contamination as they might not get in contact with those contaminating products for too long.
6. Do Not Put Products on the Bottom
Last but not least, a tip about commercial fridge organization is to not place any products on the bottom of the commercial refrigerator. Any leakage or spilled product will directly reach the bottom of the device, making the products on the bottom susceptible to contamination. Not putting products on the bottom of the commercial refrigerator could prevent contamination from water or another product.
A high-quality and durable commercial cooler is crucial; however, organizing that commercial device is as important as that, perhaps even more so. Good organizing habits will improve food service and help with maintenance, as these habits and tips will help keep food and commercial refrigerators, coolers, and freezers together.
Since the food quality, customer health, and durability of commercial devices are crucial for many businesses, paying attention to these commercial fridge organization tips could prevent any problem from having an unorganized commercial device.
Commercial Fridge Storage Rules to Consider
Understanding and adhering to commercial fridge organization tips is crucial for maintaining food safety, quality, and efficiency when managing a commercial fridge. Here are the key guidelines:
- Top and Middle Shelves: These shelves store ready-to-eat foods such as dairy products, cooked meats, and salads. Since these items don’t need to be cooked to kill bacteria, keeping them at the top prevents any risk of contamination from raw foods stored below. The middle shelf is also suitable for leftovers, drinks, and other ready-to-eat foods.
- Bottom Shelf: Reserved for raw meat, poultry, and fish, the bottom shelf is the coldest part of the fridge and minimizes the risk of harmful bacteria spreading onto other foods. Ensure these items are well-sealed or placed in covered containers to avoid dripping and cross-contamination.
- Salad Drawer: This section is designed for ingredients for fruits, vegetables, and salad. The separate compartment helps to maintain an appropriate humidity level, keeping these items fresh. It also prevents them from being contaminated by or contaminating other foods.
You can read our previous article from http://greencooler.international/food-safety-and-storage/.