Storing And Displaying Fresh Goods - Advice From A Retail Expert
If you work in retail and are required to store and display fresh goods, then it's really important that you take proper precautions to ensure all fresh produce is looked after. One thing that's really important for storing and displaying fresh goods is temperature: if the temperature is wrong, then it can damage the goods. For instance, some goods can be damaged by frost if the temperature is too low, whereas others might rot or spoil if it's too high, so this is definitely something you should pay attention to.
Another key bit of advice on storing and displaying fresh goods is to keep the produce out of direct sunlight. This is linked to temperature as, if the goods are left in the sun, then this can increase the surrounding temperature and damage them. Too much sunlight can also cause goods to dry out. For example, if you are displaying flowers in a florist's shop, then if they are left in the sun, it's likely that they'll start to wilt. Sunlight can also cause fresh food to brown.
Checking the sell-by-dates of fresh goods regularly is also an extremely important thing to do: if they go past their sell-by date, then the goods will have to be disposed of. Ideally, you should make sure the goods with the shorter sell-by dates are sold first as this will mean you're less likely to need to throw anything away. It also means you need to check any fresh produce that is in storage as well as any that is already out on display.
This is linked to the idea of stock rotation. If you leave all your stock as it is on the shelf - particularly with items that don't sell very quickly - then the items at the back might end up going out of date because they're not sold fast enough. You should have procedures in place to check all the stock on the shelf regularly and rotate it so that products with upcoming sell-by dates are more likely to be sold before they go out of date.
Lastly, it's vital that you avoid contamination so store different types of fresh produce away from each other. For example, you should always keep meat and fish away from other fresh goods like dairy or vegetables as otherwise potentially harmful bacteria might spread. You should also keep different types of meat separate from each other and remember to display different goods in different places so there's no risk of contamination while they're on the shelf, as well as when they're in storage.
Another key bit of advice on storing and displaying fresh goods is to keep the produce out of direct sunlight. This is linked to temperature as, if the goods are left in the sun, then this can increase the surrounding temperature and damage them. Too much sunlight can also cause goods to dry out. For example, if you are displaying flowers in a florist's shop, then if they are left in the sun, it's likely that they'll start to wilt. Sunlight can also cause fresh food to brown.
Checking the sell-by-dates of fresh goods regularly is also an extremely important thing to do: if they go past their sell-by date, then the goods will have to be disposed of. Ideally, you should make sure the goods with the shorter sell-by dates are sold first as this will mean you're less likely to need to throw anything away. It also means you need to check any fresh produce that is in storage as well as any that is already out on display.
This is linked to the idea of stock rotation. If you leave all your stock as it is on the shelf - particularly with items that don't sell very quickly - then the items at the back might end up going out of date because they're not sold fast enough. You should have procedures in place to check all the stock on the shelf regularly and rotate it so that products with upcoming sell-by dates are more likely to be sold before they go out of date.
Lastly, it's vital that you avoid contamination so store different types of fresh produce away from each other. For example, you should always keep meat and fish away from other fresh goods like dairy or vegetables as otherwise potentially harmful bacteria might spread. You should also keep different types of meat separate from each other and remember to display different goods in different places so there's no risk of contamination while they're on the shelf, as well as when they're in storage.