A deli makes chicken salad on Monday and holds it cold at 41°F. Under the Food Code, ready-to-eat TCS food held cold must be date-marked and used within how many days, counting the day of preparation as day 1?
a.10 days
b.7 days
c.14 days
d.30 days
Explanation
Ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F or below may be kept for a maximum of 7 days, with the day of preparation counted as day 1, so chicken salad made on Monday is discarded at the end of Sunday. Every other choice runs past the Code maximum: 10, 14, and 30 days all leave the food on hand while Listeria and other pathogens slowly grow under refrigeration.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.17Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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