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The Silent Small Sentinel

What happens to the food in your fridges and freezers when you have a power blackout, a brownout or a door is left open?

When you find that there was a blackout, do you know for how long? What about the fridge door, was it left open over night or was it just from the first delivery this morning? The temperature gauge on the fridge says that the internal temperature is 10°C, how long has it been at that temperature? Worse still, you know there was a blackout, the freezer is back on and all the food is frozen, but there is also frozen water on the floor……is that food safe?

With Thermocron Temperature Logger inside your fridges and freezers they will continually read the temperature, even during the blackout, so that you will know exactly the temperature and the time even when you are not there.

Food safety guidelines say that many foods that have been stored over 5°C for more than 2 hours must be discarded.

FOOD

Action if held over 5°C for more than 2 hours

MEAT,POULTRY, SEAFOOD

Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes

Discard
Thawing meat or poultry

Discard
Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad

Discard
Gravy, stuffing, broth

Discard
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef

Discard
Pizza – with any topping

Discard
Canned hams labeled “Keep Refrigerated”

Discard
Canned meats and fish, opened

Discard
CHEESE
Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco

Discard
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano

Safe
Processed Cheeses

Safe
Shredded Cheeses

Discard
Low-fat Cheeses

Discard
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)

Safe
DAIRY
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk

Discard
Butter, margarine

Safe
Baby formula, opened

Discard
EGGS
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products

Discard
Custards and puddings

Discard
CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS

Discard
FRUITS
Fresh fruits, cut

Discard
Fruit juices, opened

Safe
Canned fruits, opened

Safe
Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates

Safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish

Discard if above 10 °C for over 8 hrs.
Peanut butter

Safe
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles

Safe
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces

Safe
Fish sauces (oyster sauce)

Discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings

Safe
Opened creamy-based dressings

Discard
Spaghetti sauce, opened jar

Discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas

Safe
Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough

Discard
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes

Discard
Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette

Discard
Fresh pasta

Discard
Cheesecake

Discard
Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels

Safe
PIES, PASTRY
Pastries, cream filled

Discard
Pies – custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche

Discard
Pies, fruit

Safe
VEGETABLES
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices

Safe
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged

Discard
Vegetables, raw

Safe
Vegetables, cooked; tofu

Discard
Vegetable juice, opened

Discard
Baked potatoes

Discard
Commercial garlic in oil

Discard
Potato Salad

Discard

 

The Freezer poses a different problem

FOOD

Still contains ice crystals and is less than 0°C

Thawed.
Held above 5 °C for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD
Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats

Refreeze

Discard

Poultry and ground poultry

Refreeze

Discard
Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings)

Refreeze

Discard
Casseroles, stews, soups

Refreeze

Discard
Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products

Refreeze.

However, there will be some texture and flavour loss.

Discard
DAIRY
Milk

Refreeze.

May lose some texture.

Discard

Eggs (out of shell) and egg products

Refreeze

Discard
Ice cream, frozen yogurt

Discard

Discard
Cheese (soft and semi-soft)

Refreeze.

May lose some texture.

Discard
Hard cheeses

Refreeze

Refreeze
Shredded cheeses

Refreeze

Discard
Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses

Refreeze

Discard
Cheesecake

Refreeze

Discard
FRUITS
Juices

Refreeze

Refreeze. Discard if mould, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
Home or commercially packaged

Refreeze. Will change texture and flavour.

Refreeze. Discard if mould, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
VEGETABLES
Juices

Refreeze

Discard after held above 4.5 °C for 6 hours.
Home or commercially packaged or blanched

Refreeze. May suffer texture and flavour loss.

Discard after held above 4.5 °C for 6 hours.
BREADS, PASTRIES
Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard fillings)

Refreeze

Refreeze
Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or cheese filling

Refreeze

Discard
Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough

Refreeze. Some quality loss may occur.

Refreeze. Quality loss is considerable.
OTHER
Casseroles – pasta, rice based

Refreeze

Discard
Flour, cornmeal, nuts

Refreeze

Refreeze
Breakfast items –waffles, pancakes, bagels

Refreeze

Refreeze
Frozen meal, entree, specialty items (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie,convenience foods)

Refreeze

Discard

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.