How to Record a Ready to Eat Foods Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Ready-to-eat foods represent the highest-risk category in food safety because there's no cooking step to protect the customer. Any contamination that occurs will be eaten. This video will train your team to handle ready-to-eat foods with the extreme care they require—from delivery checks through storage, washing, preparation, and service.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining why ready-to-eat foods are categorised as high-risk. This context helps staff understand why these foods require extra attention at every stage.

Ready-to-eat foods will not undergo any further processing to remove hazards. This single fact changes everything. With raw meat, if bacteria are present, cooking kills them. With ready-to-eat foods, there's no safety net—any contamination that gets into or onto the food will be consumed by the customer.

Because these foods won't be cooked or reheated before eating, the prevention of hazards is essential. Staff who handle ready-to-eat foods must understand they're the last line of defence. Every handling decision—from delivery acceptance to the moment of service—either protects the customer or puts them at risk.

Explain that ready-to-eat foods can be high risk and must be handled and stored appropriately to ensure contamination does not occur. These include all cooked meats served cold, cheeses, sandwich fillings, smoked fish, pates, desserts, cream cakes, buffet foods like pork pies and sausage rolls, quiche, and any food cooked on site, cooled, and served cold.

Staff who handle high-risk ready-to-eat foods must undergo extra training and supervision until they demonstrate competency. This video is part of that training, but it's not the end—practical assessment follows.

Film your opening in your ready-to-eat preparation area, showing the separation from raw food areas if applicable.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Handling ready-to-eat foods requires both visual demonstration of techniques and detailed written specifications. The video shows the procedures; the documentation provides the standards and records.

Record on video:

• Delivery temperature checking (between packs, never piercing packaging)
• How to inspect packaging integrity for damage, contamination, or pest activity
• Checking use-by dates and label legibility
• Correct storage positioning (separated or above raw foods)
• The fruit washing process: vigorous rubbing, least soiled first, rinsing
• The salad washing process, including pre-washed salad recommendations
• The vegetable washing process, with attention to soil contamination
• Surface sanitisation immediately before preparation
• Equipment sanitisation when in doubt
• How foods prepared on-premises become ready-to-eat after cooling

Document in written procedures:

• Delivery temperature targets: below 5°c ideal, 8°c critical limit; frozen at -18°c
• Your delivery temperature recording format
• The 3-day rule for in-house prepared ready-to-eat foods
• Supplier details and contact information for rejection notifications
• Storage arrangements and fridge designations
• Sink usage procedures (dedicated vs shared with cleaning protocols)
• Training and supervision records for ready-to-eat food handlers
• Corrective actions for contamination incidents

The video shows HOW to handle ready-to-eat foods safely. The written documents provide the specifications and evidence of compliance.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the seven critical elements of ready-to-eat food handling. Each requires specific procedures that staff must understand and execute without shortcuts.

Delivery temperature checks

The delivery temperature of ready-to-eat foods must be taken using a sanitised probe between packs of food or from a printout from the refrigerated vehicle. Critical instruction: do not pierce packaging to take a probe temperature under any circumstances. Piercing creates a contamination pathway into food that has no further processing to remove that contamination.

Temperature targets:

• Ideally, chilled ready-to-eat foods must reach you at temperatures below 5°c
• Foods can be accepted up to the critical limit of 8°c, although this isn't ideal if it occurs regularly
• Frozen ready-to-eat food must reach you at -18°c or colder, with a critical limit of -15°c acceptable

If deliveries regularly arrive at temperatures above 5°c (chilled) or above -18°c (frozen), review the supplier. Consistent temperature problems indicate systemic issues with their cold chain.

Packaging integrity inspection

The integrity of packaging must be thoroughly checked prior to acceptance. Damaged packaging during storage or transit can allow contamination: physical hazards from packaging materials, chemical hazards from exposure, allergenic cross-contact, and microbiological contamination from environmental bacteria.

Staff must also check deliveries for potential pest activity and pest ingress—droppings, gnaw marks, live insects.

Damaged, split, or compromised packaged foods must be rejected and the supplier contacted. Don't accept damaged items thinking you'll use them quickly—the contamination may already have occurred.

Use-by dates and labelling

Delivery checks must include use-by dates. Foods should not be accepted if the use-by date is very close or has been exceeded—these foods will be unusable or have very limited useful life.

Food labels must be in place, intact, and readable on all ready-to-eat foods at delivery. Missing or damaged labels mean you cannot access necessary information for safe handling: use-by dates, storage instructions, and allergen information. Without this information, you cannot handle the food safely.

Storage requirements

Ready-to-eat foods must be stored separately from raw foods including meats, poultry, fish, shell eggs, and unwashed fruits and vegetables. Ideally, use separate fridges or freezers for ready-to-eat foods.

When separate storage isn't possible due to space limitations, ready-to-eat foods should always be stored above raw foods. This prevents drip contamination—raw food juices cannot drip onto ready-to-eat items if the ready-to-eat items are higher.

Preparation surface requirements

This is where many operations fail. Surfaces can become contaminated from the general environment and the air around us very quickly. Prior cleaning is always required.

Before preparing ready-to-eat foods, staff must ensure that surfaces have been cleaned and disinfected immediately prior to use—even if they were cleaned previously the day before or earlier in the day. "Cleaned this morning" is not the same as "clean now."

Staff must also ensure that all equipment and utensils have been stored in a place that protects them from contamination. If there's any doubt—if equipment has been sitting out, if storage conditions are uncertain—clean and disinfect before use.

Washing fruits, salads, and vegetables

This section requires detailed attention because produce can carry bacteria from soil, pesticides, fertilisers, and insects.

Fruits:

• Rub fruits vigorously in clean potable water, starting with the least soiled items first
• Rinse in cold running water
• Fruit to be consumed with skin (apples, pears) must be washed prior to display
• Use a separate sink if possible; if not, the sink must undergo robust cleaning and disinfection first
• Once washed, treat as ready-to-eat and keep separated from unwashed items
• Pre-packaged fruits should be washed as per manufacturer's instructions

Salads:

• All salads must be washed in clean potable water, starting with least soiled items first
• Rinse in cold running water
• Use a separate sink if possible; if not, clean and disinfect the sink first
• Once washed, treat as ready-to-eat and keep separated from unwashed items
• Pre-packaged salad labelled as washed and ready-to-eat should still be washed to remove potential contamination from packaging

Vegetables prepared for raw consumption:

• Wash in clean potable water prior to peeling or cutting, starting with least soiled items first
• Ready-to-eat vegetables must be suitably trimmed, peeled, and rinsed before serving
• Ensure no soil or dirt from vegetables—particularly root vegetables and leafy vegetables—remains on surfaces, equipment, or utensils
• Staff should understand that vegetables can carry bacteria from soil, plus chemicals, pesticides, fertilisers, and insects

Foods prepared on premises

Foods that are cooked on premises but cooled for cold service are considered ready-to-eat foods. They must be handled with all the same considerations as bought-in ready-to-eat products.

These may include desserts, cooked sandwich meats you prepare rather than buy in, salad components, and cold sauces.

Foods cooked and subsequently cooled on premises must have a use-by date of three days inclusive of the day of cooking and cooling. Example: cooked and cooled Monday, use by end of day Wednesday.

Following manufacturer's instructions

Always follow the manufacturer's guidance and instructions on safe storage and preparation. Manufacturers have had products and packaging tested. Preservation methods and shelf life are determined based on scientific principles specific to that product.

Don't assume you know better. If the label says "store below 3°c," don't store at 5°c. If it says "consume within 2 days of opening," don't stretch it to 4 days.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is where you show staff exactly what correct handling of ready-to-eat foods looks like at each stage.

Delivery checking demonstration

Show the complete delivery inspection:

"A delivery of ready-to-eat products has arrived. I'm going to demonstrate the full checking process."

"First, temperature. I'm using my sanitised probe—I sanitised this before the delivery arrived. I'm placing the probe between two sealed packs of sliced ham. I'm not piercing any packaging—the probe goes between packs to read the temperature of the space where the food is."

"This reads 4°c. That's below our ideal of 5°c—good. I'm recording this in the delivery log."

"Now packaging integrity. I'm checking each item for damage. This pack has a small tear in the film—I'm rejecting it. I'm noting that on the delivery sheet and setting it aside for the driver to take back."

"Use-by dates: this pack expires in 2 days. That's acceptable—we'll use it today and tomorrow. But if this was expiring today with our menu, I might question whether we can use it in time."

"Labels are intact and readable on everything else. I can see the allergen information, storage instructions, and use-by dates clearly."

"Finally, I'm checking for any signs of pest activity—no droppings, no gnaw marks, packaging intact. This delivery is acceptable except for the one damaged item."

Storage demonstration

Show correct positioning:

"I'm putting these ready-to-eat items into our fridge. We have a designated section for ready-to-eat foods—it's on the upper shelves, separate from raw items."

"If your operation doesn't have separate fridges, remember: ready-to-eat always goes above raw. Nothing should be able to drip onto these items."

"Notice I'm keeping these items covered. Even in the fridge, contamination can occur from other items or general handling."

Fruit washing demonstration

Show the complete process:

"I'm preparing apples for our fruit display. These will be eaten with the skin, so thorough washing is essential."

"First, I'm checking the sink. We use this sink for other prep, so I'm cleaning and disinfecting it before I start washing produce. A quick wipe isn't enough—I'm doing a proper clean and sanitise."

"Now I'm filling with clean potable water. I'm starting with the least soiled apples—these ones that look cleanest. I'm rubbing each one vigorously, turning it in my hands, making sure water contacts all surfaces."

"After rubbing, I'm rinsing under cold running water. This removes the particles I've loosened."

"These washed apples are now ready-to-eat. I'm placing them in a clean container that will go to display. I'm not putting them back with the unwashed apples—they stay separate from this point."

Vegetable washing demonstration

Show the process with attention to soil:

"I'm preparing carrots for a crudité platter—these will be eaten raw."

"Root vegetables carry soil, and soil carries bacteria. Watch the water as I wash these—see how murky it gets? That soil contains organisms that don't belong in food."

"I'm washing before I peel. If I peel first, my knife drags soil bacteria across the cut surface."

"Now I'm trimming and peeling. Fresh knife, clean board—I'm not using equipment that was just touching raw meat or unwashed produce."

"Before these go to the platter, I'm rinsing again. The cut surfaces are now exposed, and I want them clean."

"Now I'm wiping down my work surface and equipment. Soil particles spread easily. I don't want them contaminating the next preparation."

Surface preparation demonstration

Show the pre-preparation cleaning:

"I'm about to prepare sandwich fillings—ready-to-eat items. First, I check this surface."

"This surface was cleaned at the start of shift, four hours ago. But in four hours, it's been exposed to the kitchen environment. Particles settle from the air. Someone may have touched it. I don't actually know what's contacted this surface since cleaning."

"So I'm cleaning and disinfecting now, immediately before I start working with ready-to-eat foods. I'm applying sanitiser, leaving it for the correct contact time, then wiping."

"Now I know this surface is safe. The same principle applies to my equipment—if there's any doubt, clean and disinfect before use."

In-house prepared ready-to-eat foods

Show the labelling:

"This chicken was cooked yesterday, blast-chilled, and stored. It's now a ready-to-eat food—it will be sliced for sandwiches without any further cooking."

"I'm checking the date label: cooked and cooled Monday. Today is Tuesday. This must be used by end of day Wednesday—that's three days including the day of production."

"I'm handling this with the same care as bought-in ready-to-eat products. Same separation, same surface cleanliness, same principles."

Handling cross-contamination incidents

When contamination may have occurred:

"I've just noticed that raw chicken was stored on the shelf above this cooked ham—the storage was done incorrectly. What do I do?"

"First, I assess whether drip contamination has actually occurred. Is there any visible liquid on the ham's packaging? Are there any signs of the raw chicken's juices having reached it?"

"In this case, the packaging looks clean. But I'm not taking chances with ready-to-eat food. The ham was stored incorrectly, and I can't be certain it wasn't contaminated."

"Ready-to-eat food that cannot be immediately cooked or reheated must be discarded if contamination is suspected. This ham goes in the bin. I'm documenting what happened and why, and I'm speaking to whoever stored the items incorrectly."

"The cost of discarding one ham is nothing compared to a customer becoming ill from cross-contamination."

Managing ready-to-eat products during service

During active service:

"Let me show you how I manage ready-to-eat items during a busy service."

"These sandwich fillings are in display refrigeration at 4°c. I'm monitoring that temperature throughout service—I check it at least every 30 minutes."

"When I take items out to make sandwiches, I'm working efficiently. The filling comes out, I make the sandwich, the filling goes back. I'm not leaving items sitting out while I chat or do other tasks."

"My hands are washed before every sandwich I make. I'm touching ready-to-eat food—there's no room for 'I'll wash my hands after this batch.'"

"If any item is out of refrigeration for an extended period—say I got distracted by a rush—I check the temperature before putting it back. If it's warmed significantly, I discard it rather than return it to the fridge."

Supplier issues and escalation

When delivery problems recur:

"This is the third delivery this month where temperatures have been borderline—at 7°c instead of below 5°c."

"One-off temperature issues happen. Repeated issues indicate a systemic problem with the supplier's cold chain. They might have vehicle refrigeration problems, poor loading practices, or inadequate temperature monitoring."

"I'm documenting each incident: date, temperature, what was affected, what action was taken. This creates a pattern that I can show to management."

"Repeated problems with a supplier need escalating. Management may need to have a formal conversation with the supplier, request evidence of their cold chain procedures, or consider finding an alternative supplier."

"My responsibility is to protect customers by rejecting substandard deliveries and reporting patterns. Management's responsibility is to ensure our suppliers maintain standards."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Address the mistakes that put ready-to-eat food customers at risk.

Mistake 1: Piercing packaging to take temperature. Never do this. The probe hole becomes a contamination entry point. Temperature is taken between packs or from vehicle records, never through packaging.

Mistake 2: Storing ready-to-eat foods below raw foods. Drip contamination is predictable and catastrophic for ready-to-eat items. Always above raw, never below.

Mistake 3: Accepting damaged packaging. Damaged packaging means potential contamination. Reject it. Don't think you'll "use it quickly"—the damage may have happened days ago.

Mistake 4: Skipping the wash on "pre-washed" produce. Even pre-packaged salad labelled as washed should be washed. Contamination from packaging handling can still occur. The extra wash removes this risk.

Mistake 5: Assuming surfaces cleaned earlier are still clean. Hours pass between cleaning and use. The environment contaminates surfaces. Clean and disinfect immediately before preparing ready-to-eat foods, every time.

Mistake 6: Using equipment without checking its condition. Has it been stored properly? Has it been exposed to contamination? If in doubt, clean and disinfect before use.

Mistake 7: Not separating washed produce from unwashed. Once produce is washed, it's ready-to-eat. Mixing it back with unwashed items contaminates it. Keep them separate.

Mistake 8: Ignoring regular delivery temperature problems. If a supplier regularly delivers at temperatures above target, that's a systemic problem. Review the supplier rather than accepting substandard deliveries.

Mistake 9: Stretching use-by dates on in-house prepared items. Three days including the day of production. Not "maybe four if it looks fine." The rule exists for a reason.

Mistake 10: Treating ready-to-eat foods like any other food. They're not. They require extra care, extra cleanliness, extra attention. Staff handling ready-to-eat foods need extra training and supervision until they prove competent.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core principles of ready-to-eat food handling.

Ready-to-eat foods have no safety net. There's no cooking step to kill bacteria. Any contamination will be consumed. Handle accordingly.

Check delivery temperatures without piercing packaging. Probe between packs, below 5°c ideal, 8°c critical limit.

Reject damaged packaging. Don't accept items thinking you'll use them quickly—contamination may already have occurred.

Separate from raw foods. Different fridges if possible. Ready-to-eat above raw if not. Never allow drip contamination.

Clean and disinfect surfaces immediately before preparing ready-to-eat foods. "Cleaned earlier" isn't clean enough.

Wash all produce before consuming raw. Fruits, salads, vegetables—even pre-washed items get a wash to remove packaging contamination.

Start with least soiled items when washing. This keeps your wash water cleaner longer.

Keep washed produce separated from unwashed. Once washed, it's ready-to-eat. Don't recontaminate it.

Follow manufacturer instructions. They've tested the product. Storage and use-by specifications are based on science, not guesswork.

In-house prepared ready-to-eat foods get 3 days. Day of production plus two more days. Label clearly.

Staff handling ready-to-eat foods need extra training and supervision. The stakes are higher. Make sure they understand why and demonstrate competency.

Record delivery temperatures, any rejections, any contamination incidents, any corrective actions, any training. Your records prove the system works.

When cross-contamination occurs, ready-to-eat food that cannot be immediately cooked or reheated must be discarded. There's no other safe option.

Ready-to-eat food handling is about understanding that every decision matters. There's no safety net—no cooking step to correct errors. Staff who grasp this principle handle ready-to-eat foods with the care they require.

Training on ready-to-eat food handling should be thorough and assessed. Staff should demonstrate competency before being allowed to handle these high-risk products unsupervised. Document training and reassess periodically.

When in doubt about whether a ready-to-eat product is safe—whether the temperature might have risen, whether cross-contamination might have occurred, whether the use-by date calculation is correct—err on the side of caution. The cost of discarding questionable product is minimal compared to the cost of a foodborne illness incident.

Documentation of ready-to-eat food handling—delivery temperatures, rejections, storage conditions, any incidents—creates the evidence trail needed if questions arise. Good records protect both customers and the business.

Ready-to-eat foods demand the highest standards at every stage. From delivery acceptance through storage, washing, preparation, and service—each step either protects or endangers your customers. There's no margin for error when the food won't be cooked before eating.