Professionals in the food services industry are certainly familiar with the importance of food safety temperature control. Food production facilities have a clear need to monitor the temperatures of meats while they are prepared and cooked, while restaurants, grocery stores, and other food storage facilities need to monitor the temperature of meats and vegetables in refrigerated walk-in coolers. That way, if temperatures fluctuate outside a predefined range, facilities professionals can take action to prevent product loss and liability.
While there’s clear incentive for the why behind food safety temperature control, there’s often the question of how to best accomplish this. Let’s compare the traditional methods with a more modernized, comprehensive solution.
Relying on Manual Checkpoints to Monitor Food Temperatures
Traditionally, personnel in food production or food storage facilities have performed manual checks to safeguard against food temperature issues — or what’s called the danger zone. On food production floors, staff often use thermometers to assess if the internal temperatures of meats have reached their target temperatures. Meanwhile, staff at food storage facilities jot down the temperature readings for storage freezers and refrigerators throughout the workday to ensure they fall within an acceptable range.
These manual measures are time-consuming for busy personnel and naturally more error-prone, but the even larger issue is the blind spots they can create. On days when no staff is around, a walk-in cooler or freezer in a food production or storage facility can experience a mechanical failure that isn’t discovered until hours or even days later. And by that time, the safety of temperature-sensitive food has likely been compromised and the food needs to be discarded.
We can connect these types of issues to the overarching concern of food waste. As noted in a Food Logistics article, one-third of food ends up in the garbage — and of that wasted food ratio, 40% is discarded in parts of the supply chain before the consumer is involved.
The Better Bet: Automated Remote Temperature Monitoring
By offering continuous monitoring of food production and storage facilities, automated temperature monitoring systems remove problematic blindspots highlighted above. When a temperature excursion occurs in a cold storage device, personnel will receive real-time alerts on their mobile devices, keeping them connected to on-site issues no matter their location. The faster the staff is able to take corrective action, the better able they are to prevent foodborne illness and product loss.
Circling back to the example of measuring internal temperatures in meats, personnel can streamline these efforts as well with an automated temperature monitoring system. When cooking appliances are outfitted with temperature sensors, staff will automatically be notified when processed food reaches optimal internal temperatures. That’s less work for food handlers and less guesswork around the safe preparation of food.
Keep Foods Safe with the CORIS Monitoring System
Checking the temperature of cold storage devices and processed foods is critical to food safety. The good news is technology is helping to make this process easier and more reliable.
No matter the types of systems or foods you need to monitor, the CORIS monitoring system will ensure you maintain the optimal temperature range for your products. With 24/7 cloud-based coverage and customizable temperature alerts, personnel can stay aware of their facility’s food safety at all times.
Interested in the CORIS system for your food service facility (or facilities)? Get the conversation started.
