Manual of Naval Preventive Medicine
Chapter 1: Food Service Sanitation
Section V: Storage and Care of Food Items

1-34. Food Storage Procedures.

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

1. Only food items may be stored in food storage spaces, e.g., storerooms, refrigerators, reefers. On some classes of ships medical supplies may be stored in refrigerated food storage spaces if kept under lock and key and no other place is available.

2. Decayed or otherwise spoiled food items must be identified and removed from wholesome foods.

3. Foods which readily absorb foreign odors, such as eggs, fresh milk, and butter, must not be stored with fruits and vegetables.

4. Food or containers of food must not be stored close to steam pipes or other sources of heat which would reduce the shelf life of the product.

5. Containers of prepared food must be stored at least 8 inches off the deck, away from bulkheads and adjacent stacks and must be placed on pallets, racks, or similar structures to permit adequate air circulation within the storage space.

6. Insects and rodents must be excluded from food storage spaces. Stores should be inspected for the presence of cockroaches and other insect pests before they are placed into the food storage space. All broken bags of grain, flour, sugar, etc., must be promptly cleaned up and the remaining product rebagged and sealed.

7. Refrigerated storage spaces (including milk dispensers, refrigerated display cases, refrigerated salad bars, galley pantry reach-in reefers, bulk reefers and freezers) must be maintained as follows:

a. The temperatures must be held within the appropriate temperature ranges given in Table 1-4 and the relative humidity maintained from 85 to 90 percent;

b. Frost or glaze ice must not be allowed to accumulate to more than 1/4 inch in thickness on the interior surfaces or on the refrigeration coils. Such accumulation reduces the efficiency of the system and may lead to a compressor overload;

c. The interior surfaces must be routinely washed with warm water and hand dishwashing detergent then rinsed with warm potable water. Any other cleaning methods provided in the manufacturer's instructions are acceptable. A food service disinfectant may be used after each washdown.

Table 1-4. Temperature Requirements for Refrigerated Spaces

Refrigerated Storage Space	Temperature Range
1. Freezers	0 degrees or Lower
2. Dairy Products Box	32-34 degrees F
3. Chilled Bulk Storage	33-36 degrees F
4. Thaw Box	36-38 degrees F
5. Reach-in Reefer	34-40 degrees F

d. One "nonproduct" or built-in air measuring thermometer must be provided in all refrigerated storage spaces. Thermometers or air measuring devices must be readily observable, easily readable, numerically scaled, and accurate to +3 degrees F at the critical range. Mercury thermometers are prohibited. The temperature sensor must be positioned to register the warmest air in the refrigerated space. Additional nonproduct thermometers placed at different locations within the refrigerated spaces are strongly recommended to backup a single primary thermometer or built-in temperature indicating device;

e. Temperature logs must be maintained for all bulk cold storage spaces. Accurate entries will be made at least twice daily. Any prolonged deviation (more than four hours) from the recommended storage temperatures must be promptly reported to the food service officer and MDR for appropriate action;

f. Food items which have been removed from their original containers and are stored in refrigerated spaces must be covered with a suitable nonabsorbent material such as aluminum foil, wax paper, etc. Aluminum foil may react and color highly acid food; therefore, it should only be used to cover nonacid foods. All food containers must have labels indicating the contents and in the case of leftover prepared foods, the date and time of preparation must be included.

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The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source. 

Operational Medicine 2001

Health Care in Military Settings

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