You take your ice cream carton out of the freezer, and are presented with something more akin to the iceberg that sank the Titanic than the beautiful creamy confection we all know and love.

In a domestic setting, this isn’t such a catastrophe. After all, we usually store ice cream at home in small quantities.

But imagine how much greater the frustration is when this happens in a restaurant?

Temperature is the key when it comes to storing ice cream so that it does not go hard (or indeed too soft).

Your ice cream should be cold, but also scoopable – not something that you need a pickaxe to break into!

The importance of correct ice cream storage

Ice cream is a perishable product and requires careful handling.

When exposed to temperatures above -12°C (10°F), everything from flavour, body and texture will be impacted.

The optimum temperature is -18°C (0°F), but any colder and you risk serving up ice cream that’s too hard.

As everybody knows, rock-hard ice cream is bad news but can be avoided if those storing it follow a few guidelines on ice cream storage.

What causes ice cream to harden in the freezer?

The common cause for ice cream to harden in the freezer is a simple one – the temperature is just too low.

If the temperature is below -20°C (-4°F), the ice cream can become overly hard and difficult to scoop.

Another reason why you get hard ice cream is because of something called freezer burn. This is when ice cream loses moisture and is exposed to the air.

You’ll notice certain changes in the look and texture of the ice cream if this happens. Maybe its colour will be transformed slightly, the texture will be grainier, and you’ll notice ice crystals have formed on the surface.

Ways of storing ice cream so it doesn’t go hard

Minimise thawing

When ice cream is constantly being taken in and out of the freezer, it thaws a little in the heat of the kitchen before refreezing once it’s returned to a colder temperature, thus creating ice crystals.

While it’s impossible not to keep opening the freezer in a busy kitchen, you can reduce the risk by storing ice cream as far back in the unit as possible.

Choose the right ice cream storage

We can’t stress enough the importance of storage to ensure ice cream is at its optimum best.

Food safe, able to withstand the necessary temperatures, and an appropriate size for the amount of frozen dessert must be taken into account.

Ensure lids are airtight

You’re wasting your time and effort making ice cream if you don’t opt for containers specifically designed for the purpose – that is, with a tight seal to prevent air exposure.

An airtight lid is key to storing ice cream as it will ensure the product inside will not oxygenate.

Check temperatures

It’s vital that you regularly monitor and adjust the temperature settings of your storage freezers and display cases to ensure that your ice cream does not go hard.

Freezers react to external temperature changes, so the setting it is on now may not be suitable if there’s a drop or rise in temperature.

Freezer burn hack

If ice cream has been opened and has partially melted on top, you can minimise the possibility of freezer burn with this hack: flip the container upside down with the lid securely fixed.

You should ensure that nothing is dribbling out before placing it back into the freezer where any runny remnants of ice cream will collect in the lid rather than turn to crystals.

Want to learn more? Our previous article titled ‘Tips on storing ice cream’ is a good place to start.

How to keep ice cream soft when freezing

Professional ice cream makers have blast chillers that deep freeze ice cream within minutes, and it’s this that keeps ice crystals small, ensuring that your frozen treat remains deliciously fresh and creamy.

However, not every small restaurant or supplier can afford such luxuries.

No worries; the right kind of storage container can speed up freezing, thus helping ice cream inside to retain its soft texture.

What you need is a container with a high surface area to volume ratio; that is, one that’s wide and flat so more of the ice cream is exposed to cold air.

The correct container for your ice cream can make a difference between a top tasting product and one that’s distinctly inferior.

Why not start your search by browsing our ice cream container range?

The post How to store ice cream so that it doesn’t go hard appeared first on Venturepak.

You want your product to be displayed in an attractive way, but you need to preserve its flavour and consistency.

The correct container is essential to serving up delicious ice cream time after time.

In restaurants, ice cream parlours, and supermarkets the optimum temperature at which ice cream containers for a freezer should be stored is 18°C (0°F) or colder, and the temperature in a supermarket’s freezer case should not be above 12°C (10°F).

With that in mind, it’s vital a storage container can cope with these extremely cold temperatures.

Is it best to store ice cream in a glass or plastic container?

Plastic is affordable and convenient to use, and has a whole raft of benefits that can outweigh glass.

The main thing is that it needs to be the right kind of plastic. If not certified food safe, it can leak chemicals and toxins into your delicious frozen delights.

For that reason, you should always buy ice cream containers form a reputable wholesaler like Venturepak.

While glass has loads of benefits, not least it’s inert and needs no chemical layer between its surface and the foodstuffs being stored, it weighs more and is more likely to break if dropped.

As you know, accidents happen in busy kitchens and the last thing you want is to have shards of glass scattered everywhere.

Pros of storing ice cream in plastic

• Plastic is airtight, which is important when protecting ice cream from freezer burn, and also from absorbing flavours of other products stored in the freezer
• An airtight plastic container acts as a barrier for both moisture and air. Because neither can penetrate it, the quality of ice cream is preserved
• The right kind of plastic is able to cope better with low temperatures
• Ice cream is best stored in a wide, flat plastic container because it will cover a greater surface area and freeze faster as a result
• You can buy plastic containers specifically for the purpose of freezing ice cream
• Labelling, which is vital when it comes to listing ingredients and allergens as well as expiry dates and other relevant information, works better on plastic containers
• Plastic is more affordable! This especially applies to large-scale production where the raw material and manufacturing cost for plastic is way cheaper than glass.

Pros of storing ice cream in glass

• It’s made of only a few ingredients; sand, ash and limestone, and consequently is non-toxic.
• Glass doesn’t react with whatever is contained inside, because no chemicals can leach into it
• You can recycle glass
• Glass containers of certain shapes tend to be easy to scoop from.

Which is better?

Clearly, when it comes to storing ice cream, plastic is the outright winner.

It’s lightweight, costs less than glass, and is more versatile.

Plastic can also withstand low temperatures, maintaining the quality of a product. For restaurants where economy of space is all-important, plastic packaging will also be easily stackable.

You may wish to opt for different sizes and shapes of ice cream container depending on storage dimensions and capacity.

Also, you can talk to us about how we can introduce printing and labelling to make your product unique.

So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us.

The post Is it better to store ice cream in a glass or plastic container? appeared first on Venturepak.

However, as a restaurant owner, the onus is on you to provide food that’s safe (that is, not injurious to health) and fit for human consumption.

Food hygiene regulations are incredibly strict, so having a food safety management system in place is a priority.

Latest legislation for food safety

At the beginning of 2024, ministers in the UK government were given the powers to amend, repeal and replace REUL (retained EU Law) and assimilated laws, with food safety identified as an area of significant importance for legal reform.

The start of this year also saw changes in food labelling introduced so that pre-packaged food sold in Great Britain now needs to include a UK address for the Food Business Operator (FBO).

Even if you don’t sell pre-packaged food, it’s something that needs to be on your radar.

Similarly, if you own a restaurant, you need to be aware of an increase in scrutiny and enforcement for greenwashing relating to food.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has found plastic bottle recycling claims a cause for concern because they were vague, factually inaccurate, or unsubstantiated.

For example, “100% recycled material“; “100% recyclable material“; and the use of circular and green imagery with generic environmental statements.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are studying green claims, with the CMA currently applying particular focus on food and drink products.

Essentially, you should not be making claims about packaging that cannot be substantiated.

Natasha’s Law

Natasha’s Law was introduced after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperpouse passed away after having an allergic reaction to a baguette bought from a Pret a Manger store.

She collapsed on a flight from London to Nice in 2016 because the baguette had contained sesame, which she was allergic to. However, this ingredient had not been listed on the packaging.

Natasha’s Law took effect on the October 1 2021, requiring all food produced and packed for sale in the same premises to provide complete ingredient lists

Allergies

There are now one in four people living with allergies in the UK, with a worrying rise in numbers of children diagnosed, as well as an ever-increasing number of adults with no history of allergic reaction suddenly becoming anaphylactic.

Natasha’s Law means that any food business selling Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods will be required to identify all ingredients on the product label, with an emphasis on the 14 allergenic ingredients.

However, as the death last year of 13-year-old schoolgirl Hannah Jacobs shows, labelling alone is insufficient and if you run a restaurant or coffee shop you need to be extra vigilant.

Hannah, who had a dairy allergy, died following a severe reaction to a Costa Coffee hot chocolate bought by her mother Abimbola Duyile, who has called for better awareness training.

The 14 most dangerous allergens identified by the Food Standards Agency are:

• Celery
• Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats)
• Crustaceans (such as shrimps, crabs, and lobsters)
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lupin
• Milk
• Molluscs (such as mussels and oysters)
• Mustard
• Peanuts
• Sesame
• Soybeans
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if at a concentration of more than ten parts per million (ppm))
• Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, and macadamia nuts)

Which regulations apply to food hygiene at restaurants in the UK?

The Food Safety Act was passed in 1990, and is an important part of environmental law with which all food businesses in the UK must comply.

It was introduced to ensure that people were not misled by false advertising, essentially so that consumers can be assured that what they eat is what a restaurateur says it is.

There are also guidelines on how to run a kitchen, and of course there’s that all-important hygiene rating that can signal success or failure to a restaurant business.

The impact the food industry can have on people’s health is embedded in the legislation, and the main aim of the act is to ensure that people don’t eat anything that will be harmful.

That means any business involved with food, whether preparing it, labelling it, storing it, transporting it, or selling it needs to understand what is required of them.

There are food hygiene regulations for restaurants and these requirements must be followed rigorously.

What are the legislative requirements?

According to the Food Safety Act (1990), food hygiene regulations for restaurants stipulate that a business must not:

• Cause food to be dangerous to health
• Sell food that is not what the customer is entitled to expect in terms of content or quality; and
• Describe or present food in a way that is false or misleading

These regulations make it necessary for all food businesses to implement food safety management procedures based on Hard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) techniques:

• Identify points in those operations where food hazards may occur
• Decide which points identified are critical to ensure food safety
• Identify and implement effective control and monitoring procedures at critical control points (CCPs)
• Make a periodic review and analysis of food hazards, CCPs, and control and monitoring procedures, and also when there is an operational change

Basic overview of the regulations (and what UK restaurants are required to do by law)

Make sure that food is safe to eat.

A restaurant needs to show that it has done all it can to prevent food from being harmful.

There are areas where food hygiene regulations for restaurants apply.

They include:

Cross-contamination

Cross-contamination happens when bacteria, or other microorganisms, are transferred from one object to another.

The most common example is when bacteria between raw and cooked food come into contact.

This is why storage is so important. Proper storage containers which are labelled correctly will ensure that raw foods don’t come into contact with each other.

To keep your food allergic customers safe, you must follow the allergen information rules by:

• Providing accurate allergen information
• Handling and managing food allergens adequately in the kitchen

The stark truth is that cross contamination can be a matter of life and death as in the case of Celia Marsh, a mother of five who had an acute dairy allergy.

Celia ate a Pret a Manger flatbread wrap which was labelled as vegan despite containing traces of milk, and sadly died.

It was found that the coconut yoghurt dressing in the wrap had been cross-contaminated with milk protein during manufacture.

Appropriate food storage will not only dramatically cut the risks of cross contamination but also ensure that your business complies with food safety regulations.

Hygiene

Food businesses and handlers must ensure their practices minimise the risk of harm to the consumer.

Part of complying with food safety is managing food hygiene and food standards to make sure that the food you serve is safe to eat.

Chilling

Foodstuffs need to be kept at the correct temperatures to ensure that they don’t develop bacteria.

Cooking

Food also needs to be thoroughly heated to ensure that harmful bacteria is not present.

Meat must be cooked thoroughly as harmful bacteria could be present and cause illness. Chicken is notorious for causing food poisoning, but any type of poultry, duck or other types of fowl should be heated completely.

The same goes for pork, rolled joints of meat, products like kebabs, burgers and sausages made from minced meat and kidneys, liver, and other types of offal.

Kitchen staff should be aware of this and check that meats are steaming hot throughout, that juices run clear and there is no pink or rare meat inside.

Reheating food properly will kill the harmful bacteria that may have multiplied in the meantime.

Food should only be reheated once.

Management

Food safety management is about complying with food hygiene and food standards.

You must ensure that you have food safety management procedures in place. You also need to consider:

• The suppliers you use
• How you trace the food you buy, and the food you sell to other businesses
• How you transport food

Using a diary

Restaurants need to keep a diary for presentation to the local authority’s food safety officer.

How to manage food safety

• Ensure that food isn’t treated and nothing is added or removed to make it harmful to eat
• Make sure the food is the quality as stated
• That it is not advertised or marketed as something it isn’t
• That if food is found to be unsafe it is withdrawn, and an incident report is made
• Keep record on where the food is from so that you can easily produce documents for purposes of traceability
• Display your food hygiene rating

Packaging

Materials and packaging that can be reasonably expected to come into contact with food are called ‘food contact materials’.

These can include:

• packaging
• food processing equipment
• cookware
• work surfaces

To keep food safe for consumption:

• Make sure food contact materials don’t transfer anything to food they touch
• Make sure food contact materials don’t change the food they touch
• When inspected, be able to show where the food contact materials came from

Use of food grade plastics

When choosing the correct storage and packaging for your restaurant, you need to ensure containers are made from food grade plastics which are specifically manufactured to meet certain standards of purity.

This means they’re made without the use of dyes, or any recycled materials, that could pose a risk to human health.

Venturepak’s products are created to the highest standards, so you can rest assured your storage will be free from anything that could cause harm to your customers.

Bacteria and food poisoning

To keep food safe from bacteria, you should follow HACCP. Bacteria that cause serious health problems are:

• Coli O157 and campylobacter
• salmonella, particularly related to the storage and handling of eggs

Food hygiene training

Employers are responsible for staff hygiene training.

It can be either a formal programme or informal training, such as on-the-job training or self-study.

You can also ensure staff understand the importance of allergy awareness with a specific course in the subject.

What happens if these regulations are not adhered to?

If a restaurant does not adhere to food hygiene regulations, the consequences can be severe.

Your customers could get food poisoning, which in some cases could be highly dangerous or even fatal.

You can be fined for food safety offences and if accused of several breaches of food safety laws this amount could be quite sizeable.

The court can also impose a prison sentence of up to two years on the responsible person(s).

For offences under The General Food Regulations, the maximum when tried summarily is an unlimited fine and/or six months’ custody.

At Venturepak, we want to help restaurants keep their customers safe.

We understand the importance of the correct food packaging and what is appropriate for different products as well as how to create systems to ensure that food isn’t left to go bad or becomes contaminated.

So why not contact us today and take a look at our packaging range?

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