Under California Retail Food Code §114065, raw animal foods must be stored in a walk-in cooler in a specific top-to-bottom order based on each food's required cooking temperature. From TOP shelf to BOTTOM shelf, which sequence is correct?

Explanation

California Retail Food Code HSC §114065 requires raw animal foods to be stored so that drip from a higher shelf cannot contaminate a food on a lower shelf. The storage hierarchy follows the REQUIRED MINIMUM INTERNAL COOKING TEMPERATURE: foods that will be cooked to the HIGHEST temperature go on the LOWEST shelf, because they have the greatest pathogen kill margin and can tolerate any drip from above. Top-to-bottom: (1) ready-to-eat and cooked foods, then (2) raw seafood and raw whole/intact meats and eggs (145°F), then (3) raw ground meats including ground beef and ground pork (155°F), then (4) raw poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) on the bottom (165°F). Options A, B, and C all invert pieces of this hierarchy and would allow chicken/Salmonella drip onto a lower-cooked food. Equally important: all raw items must be physically below or separate from ready-to-eat foods such as salads and cooked items. The rule applies even when items are wrapped, because packaging can leak and exterior packaging can carry pathogens from the slaughterhouse.