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Food safety policy
The law requires that all food meet certain food safety standards. Orders discovered containing food that does not meet these standards will be canceled at the shef’s expense.
These standards include, but are not limited to:
1. Each order must contain a minimum of two completely frozen 16.9 fl oz water bottles when dropped off at a hub or shef drop off location. Examples of safety violations include partially frozen water bottles, 0-1 water bottles, or water bottles that do not meet the 16.9oz size requirement.
2. All food must be unfrozen and below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Orders that do not meet this food safety standard will be rejected or discarded at the time of drop off, with no exceptions. Orders will be canceled at the shef’s expense and customers will be refunded.
The law requires that your food meets certain food safety standards. Below we highlight several food safety issues to watch out for and provide suggestions on how to be food safety compliant.
Food Safety Issue | Suggestion |
Insufficient Ice | For food safety reasons, each order should be packed with at least two 16oz water bottles to ensure a safe temperature (41°F or below, but do not freeze the food). Please make sure you are following all local food safety requirements |
Soft Ice | 1. Water bottles must be fully frozen (rock hard) prior to being packed in a customer's bag |
No Ice | If you don't have enough frozen water bottles, please use an alternative ice pack to maintain a safe temperature. Please make sure you are following all local food safety requirements |
Temp above 41°F | According to safe food handling practices:
1. Food must be properly refrigerated to a temperature below 41°F prior to being packed |
Foreign Object in Food | In accordance with food safety regulations, remember to wear gloves and hairnets at all times, and to follow all local food safety requirements when preparing your dishes. |
Expired / Spoiled Food | The Shef Marketplace is a place for you to sell freshly prepared foods. Your customers expect that you will not cook their dishes using old or expired ingredients and that you will comply with all local food safety regulations |
Operational Issue | Suggestion |
Food Quantity | 1. Advertised amounts refer to the container size, not food weight |
Food Quality | 1. As required by law, ensure that all food items are fully cooked |
Incorrect Item | Double check that the items you pack match the list of items for that order (check on your dashboard or on the order label) |
Missing Item | Double check that the items you pack match the list of items for that order (check on your dashboard or on the order label) |
Missing Order | Double check to confirm that the number of orders you've cooked and packed matches the number of orders for that date in the dashboard |
Late Cancellation | You're running your own business on your schedule and have full control to cook only when you wish to do so. You've agreed in the Terms of Service to fulfill your commitment to other users. We therefore recommend:
1. Updating your availability no less than 10 days in advance, to avoid affecting existing customer orders |
Late shef | 1. Shefs are expected to meet the commitments they make to other users, which means providing food at the drop off locations at the required time |
Packaging - Improper Labeling | Please follow this link for a helpful article on proper labeling |
Packaging - Incorrect Container | Please follow this link for helpful info on pre-approved containers |
Packaging - Spilled Food | For food safety reasons:
1. Ensure that pre-approved containers that meet food safety requirements are being used (more information available at this link) |
Packaging - Incorrect Bag | For health and safety reasons, use Shef-provided insulated bags to pack your orders |
Packaging - Dirty Ice Pack | For health and safety reasons, please ensure that the outside of the water bottles are clean prior to packing inside the bag. Please make sure you are following all local food safety requirements |
Packaging - Ripped Bag | For health and safety reasons, if any part of a bag is ripped or broken, please dispose of the bag and do not use it to pack any of your customers' orders |
Tips for cooling down your food during preparation
After the cut-off time for a delivery day, you normally have 1-2 days to buy ingredients, prep them, cook the food fresh, cool it down, and safely pack it for delivery.
After the food is cooked, cool it to room temperature within 1 hour and transfer it immediately to a refrigerator. Always cool food down before packaging into containers to avoid warping your delivery containers.
Do not freeze your food.
Food must be cooled down safely to 41°F or below (but not frozen). Check food temperature with a thermometer.
Splitting large quantities of food into smaller portions before refrigerating helps to bring your food to a safe temperature quicker.
Think of ways that you can consistently deliver great quality, quantity, & value to your customers. If you are successful at consistency and quality, you will have customers that keep coming back for more - this is called retention! The higher your retention, the better you will perform over time!
Please make sure to follow all local food safety requirements and regulations. Below are some resources in case you need a refresher on your food safety training.
Commercial Kitchen Walk-Through - If you're planning to cook out of a commercial kitchen, here are some useful tips to help you navigate the facility and ensure that you're cooking safely.
Make sure your food is refrigerated when dropping off your orders (or when your orders are picked up) for delivery to your customers. Your food needs to be within the temperature range of 33°F to 41°F.
If you drop off orders that do not meet these food safety guidelines, we will be forced to cancel your orders and refund the payment to your customers.
Baked goods that do not require refrigeration for safety (e.g. bread items) should still be cooled down to room temperature for delivery.