Food Safety

101Food Pantries

Safe food handling

protects the health

of people seeking

food assistance.

Course Objectives:

• Identify safe & unsafe food products

• Assess food packaging

• Identify & decipher package codes

Food Sources

• Direct from the Great Plains Food Bank

• Collected through local food drives

• Donations from individuals and businesses

Food Categories

• Non-perishable

• Perishable

• Fresh

Step 1: Do a visual inspection.

Assessing Food Safety

Discard products that have:

Damaged

Packaging

Broken

Seals

Signs of

Tampering

Discard cans that are:

Bulging Have sharp

dents (smooth dents are OK)

Have rust

spots

Discard products that have:

A foul odor or

visible signs of

spoilage.

Discard products

that have:

Labels that are torn,

stained or unreadable.

All products must have

a readable ingredient

list on their label.

When in doubt…

…throw it out.

Step 2: Check Product Codes

Assessing Food SafetyStep 1: Do a visual inspection.

Codes indicate quality & freshness

They do not indicate food safety.

Food is still safe to eat for a specified range

of time after the date code.

Manufacturer Codes:

These may or may not

include a mm/dd/yy.

All or part of the code may

be decipherable only by the

manufacturer.

If a date is included, it is a

pack date that indicates

when the package was

sealed at the factory.

Freshness / Quality Codes:

Date Ranges

of Safe Food

Download Chart >>

Baby food and

formula should

not be used

beyond package

date code.

When in doubt…

…throw it out.

You are an

important partner in

our mission to

create hunger-free

communities..

Please contact us if you

have any questions.

(701) 232-6219

greatplainsfoodbank.org