Our other chef feels that is okay to store raw meat/seafood on a rack in our walk in cooler that sits above where we store bottled and canned beverages. I disagree, but he considers the beverages to be "sealed" and not a food safety concern.
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1Are the cans and bottles washed before being served from? – rackandboneman Mar 24 '18 at 23:40
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Nope! unless the bartenders and servers are doing it while no one is looking... That was exactly my point. – Stephanie Mar 24 '18 at 23:43
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What are the rules and regulations regarding storing meat, fish and seafood in your area? – Max Mar 24 '18 at 23:52
Common sense tells us that beverages can contact some of the outside surface of their container while being poured, especially with cans (which also sometimes open by pushing a bit of the outside ... INSIDE the beverage). Also, if bottles or cans are served as-is, people's lips are not unlikely to contact surfaces that were exposed in storage.
Also, beverage containers are typically served from raw, unlike other canned ingredients.
Also, while pathogens might have a hard time surviving on a reasonably clean metal or glass surface, storing them like that could potentially coat that surface with a layer of gunk that can harbor them.
While these risks seem to be commonly accepted, negligently exposing the containers to a risk of having their outside surface contaminated with concentrated pathogens - and nourishment for them! - seems to be something that might or might not be against regulations, but is certainly negligent and putting patrons at an avoidable risk.
answered Mar 25 '18 at 0:40
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2Common sense says never store things which can't drip under things which can, whatever they are. – Robin Betts Mar 25 '18 at 6:43
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