In a cold table, is it dhec approved to hold raw meat up top next to ready to eat food, provided they have lids. There is a 3-4 inch steel spacer in between each top holding area. It would not be above the ready to eat food in any way, and the way the table is designed, splashing is not likely. If anyone could refer me to the specific law that would be great as well. Thanks.
Meat – In a restaurants’ kitchen in SC, is it DHEC approved to store raw meat next to ready to eat food
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Best Answer
Here is a link to the South Carolina Retail Food Establishment Regulation page. I'd recommend looking at section 3-302. It says that except as specified, you should separate raw animal foods from ready-to-eat foods during storage, preparation, holding, and display. If you can't find what you're looking for I would call them and ask them what the regulations are because laws can vary from each locality.
Personally, I would never store or work with raw meat anywhere near ready-to-eat (RTE) foods without sanitizing in between. Also, raw meat is a TCS food, is the cold table going to keep it cold enough? I guess it depends how long you're holding it for. If your establishment is constantly handling raw meat throughout the day I'd recommend having separate stations for RTE foods and raw meat (cross-contamination between the two is extremely dangerous to customers and it's better to separate them altogether). Hope that helps.