When combining two date-marked ready-to-eat TCS foods (for example, mixing two batches of cooked chicken prepared on different days) into one dish, what discard date should be used?

Giải thích

When ready-to-eat TCS ingredients with different date marks are combined, the finished dish must carry the earliest discard date among its components, so nothing is held past its safe limit. Taking the later date, restarting the 7-day count on the day of mixing, or dropping the date mark entirely would all let the older batch exceed the maximum safe age. The 7-day maximum at 41°F still governs each component.