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Frozen food in chilled machine


Tprudd

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I have a question. Our independent vending machine operator at my office has put frozen food items in a chilled machine (his machine stays at 40-41 degrees F). These are items like frozen burritos, personal size pizza, frozen White Castle hamburgers and others similar. I just got a complaint from a coworker who said she noticed her pizza was covered with mold. The operator came to fill the machine and I questioned him and a debate ensued. He suggested that at 40-41 degrees Fahrenheit, the "frozen" foods would be fine for a couple of weeks. I argued that once frozen food thaws and is only left in a chilled refrigerator, above freezing, it would only last a couple of days. Can someone tell me what the answer is?

Thanks 

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I don't have the same level of food experience as other vendors, but i can tell you that it depends on what the specific item is.  Many "frozen" items can be sold frozen or thawed, but some can only be sold frozen OR thawed.  Most items have a "sell by thaw date" which dictates how long the manufacturer thinks they should last.

An important factor is handling.  If they were put in the machine completely frozen, then they should last to the use by thaw date.  If they were allowed to get too warm for too long, then they won't last as long.  There's also the possibility that they weren't handled properly between the manufacturer and the vendor.  Of course, the product might only be designed to be sold frozen.

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I've done this a fair bit with frozen burritos. I believe it's called 'slacking'. Have never left anything in the machine more than a week starting from frozen solid, but that's just me.

I figure that's about how long you can expect your leftovers to last in the fridge (no preservatives, real food) so it's a safe timeframe. 

As I grew as a vendor I've moved away from that practice. Everything is stored and served according to label, and pulled the day of expiry because my worst nightmare is the scenario you just described

 

 

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Hot Pockets, burritos, mini pizzas and White Castles will last 7 days after they are thawed into a refrigerated temperature.  Otis Spunkmeyer muffins are 30 days, some frozen vending sandwiches are 21 days though most are 7 days but it depends on the manufacturer.  Any fresh foods are 7 days though salads are only 3 days.  The target temperature on a cold food machine should be 35-36 degrees with the compressor restarting at 40-42 degrees.  If this machine doesn't go below 40 deg at all then it's not a cold food rated machine but rather only suited for cold drinks.

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