Which ready-to-eat TCS food does NOT require date marking when held for more than 24 hours?
a.House-made tuna salad portioned into deli cups and held in the walk-in cooler for three days
b.A commercially processed food whose original container remains unopened and it is held cold
c.An opened commercial deli container of sliced turkey kept on the sandwich line for two full days
d.Pasta that was cooked and cooled in-house, then held in the walk-in cooler for several more days
Explanation
Date marking applies to ready-to-eat TCS food that is prepared on-site, or held more than 24 hours after a commercial container has been opened. A commercially processed, hermetically sealed container that is still unopened needs no date mark until the day it is opened, however long it sits in cold storage. The tuna salad and the pasta were both prepared in-house, and the deli container has been opened, so all three must be date-marked and used or discarded within 7 days at 41°F or below, counting the day of prep or opening as day 1.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.17Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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