The major causes of food spoilage are power outages and failure of mechanical equipment. The RIMP pays claims for resulting losses, but not for failed mechanical parts. As seen in claims examples, outages and breakdowns may be unavoidable, but the resulting spoilage losses can be prevented or minimized. Preventing spoilage requires procedures for early detection of malfunctions and good emergency planning. In many instances, the loss of refrigeration was not discovered for as long as 48 hours, after the entire inventory was ruined.
Early detection requires procedures to monitor both equipment and food.
Managers should establish procedures for constant monitoring of freezer temperatures and product quality. Safety and health guidelines for storing potentially hazardous foods are contained in TB MED 530, Occupational and Environmental Health Food Service Sanitation. Early detection requires a reliable method for monitoring the temperature inside the freezer. Freezer temperature alarms can be purchased for walk-in freezers that will provide notification when the temperature falls below the set level. Often, when repair work is done, the freezer fails again because the initial repair did not completely resolve the problem.