Can I serve refrigerated meat products after the expiration date?
Products should be used or frozen by the "Use" or "Freeze By" date printed on the product. You can safely refrigerate the meat products until the "Use", or "Freeze By" date as long as the package is unopened.
How long can I use my refrigerated meat products after I've opened the package?
Once the package is opened, the general rule is to keep the product refrigerated and use it within two to three days.The temperature in a refrigerator should be 40°F or below throughout the unit, so that any place is safe for storage of any food.
What is the date code and how is it interpreted on the food container?
Product codes are printed on the side of the tray in yellow ink coding. Vacummed bags are also stamped with a Juilian date. Each Finished Product will have legibly marked 8 digit lot code. Comprised of julian date produced on and Julian date Use or Freeze By. Example: 72227282 = Product produced on 8/10/07 and use or freeze by date of 10/9/07. (7)222(7)282 where 7 is the last digit of the year followed by the Julian Date.
Which food allergens are recognized in RMH Foods products?
Milk, Egg, Wheat, Sesame Seed, Soy, Sulfites
What is Country of Origin labeling?
Country of Origin Labeling is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouse stores, notify their customers with information regarding the source of certain foods. Food products, (covered commodities) contained in the law include muscle cut and ground meats: beef, veal, pork, lamb, goat, and chicken; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng. Regulations for fish and shellfish covered commodities (7 CFR Part 60) became effective in 2005. The final rule for all covered commodities (7 CFR Part 60 and Part 65) went into effect on March 16, 2009. AMS is responsible for administration and enforcement of COOL.
How do you determine the serving size of your entrees?
FDA established RACCs (Reference Amount Customarily Consumed) for 139 food product categories, and these values represent the amount of food customarily consumed at one eating occasion. Most of the RACCs are for foods in a ready-to-eat form. If your product in the form in which it is sold (i.e., "as packaged"), does not have a RACC in the tables, then you must generate an appropriate RACC for your product using 21 CFR 101.12(c) for products that require further preparation, (d) for imitation foods, (e) for aerated foods, and (f) for products that represent two or more foods packaged and presented to be consumed together.
I noticed that the "use or Freeze by" date allows a very long time in the refrigerator. In one case it was over 2 months. Do you achieve this with preservatives?
Yes.Most manufacturers add food preservative to the food during processing. The purpose is generally to avoid spoilage during the transportation time.Food Preservation is basically done for three reasons:
- To preserve the natural characteristics of food
- To preserve the appearance of food
- To increase the shelf value of food for storage.
Where is the meat raised? Is it a US product?
Yes. All of our meat used in our facitlty comes from a USDA inspected plant.
Some of your meats are pink inside. Are they safe?
Yes. As acknowledged by FSIS, FDA, and the Pork Board, properly cooked pork may be pink even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. Regulatory agencies and the food safety scientific community all caution that meat/poultry doneness cannot be judged by color. The following references may be useful: