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Food Safety Guidelines for Stores

Required standards for all Refreshi partner stores

To ensure all food sold through Refreshi is safe, high quality, and compliant with local regulations, please follow these guidelines when preparing, storing, and handing over surplus items. These guidelines support customer safety, brand reputation, and responsible food distribution. By partnering with Refreshi, you commit to ensuring food safety and protecting customer health.

1. Food Quality & Suitability

Only offer food that is safe to eat at the time of collection. When assessing suitability, ask yourself:

  • Check the Use-By Date. Do not sell or distribute food past this date.
  • Will you eat the product? If no — do not sell it.
  • LOOK: Does your product look acceptable? No mould, discolouration, leakage, or damaged packaging.
  • SMELL: Does your product smell normal? No unusual or pungent odours.
  • TASTE: Does your product taste as it should — not sour, bitter, or 'off'? If in doubt, don't sell it.
  • Do not offer products showing signs of spoilage, contamination, or uncertain storage history.
  • Do not offer temperature-abused products.

    • 2. Storage & Handling

  • Maintain safe storage at all times: chilled items ≤5°C, frozen items ≤-18°C, hot foods ≥60°C until pickup.
  • Avoid the "danger zone" (5°C–60°C) for extended periods.
  • Store raw and ready-to-eat foods separately to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Wash hands before handling food. Use clean utensils, gloves, or tongs. Avoid direct hand contact with ready-to-eat items.

    • 3. Hot Foods

    Hot foods require additional care due to higher food safety risk:

  • Maintain at ≥60°C until collection using warming cabinets, heat lamps, or insulated containers.
  • Do not allow hot food to remain below 60°C for more than 30 minutes.
  • If cooling: transfer to shallow containers, refrigerate promptly to ≤5°C, and communicate to the customer that the item is now chilled.
  • Do not repeatedly heat and cool the same item.
  • Do not sell if temperature safety cannot be confirmed, if the food has been in the danger zone too long, or if signs of spoilage are present.

    • 4. Packaging & Allergen Disclosure

  • Use clean, food-grade packaging suitable for the product type.
  • Ensure containers are sealed or covered to prevent contamination.
  • For warm foods, use heat-safe and insulated containers where possible.
  • Clearly inform customers of known allergens (nuts, dairy, gluten, etc.).
  • Provide an allergen sheet or verbal disclosure at collection.
  • Take care to avoid cross-contact when packing mixed items.

    • 5. Collection Process

  • Keep orders refrigerated or frozen until the customer arrives.
  • Keep hot foods at ≥60°C until handover.
  • Hand over items promptly to minimise temperature abuse.
  • If an item becomes unsafe before pickup, remove it from the order immediately.

    • 6. Compliance & Staff Training

  • Follow all local food safety laws and hygiene requirements.
  • Ensure staff handling orders are trained in basic food hygiene, safe temperature handling, and allergen awareness.
  • Maintain basic records of items prepared for Refreshi.
  • Refreshi reserves the right to suspend listings if food safety standards are not met.

    • 7. Recall & Customer Notification Policy

    Refreshi maintains traceability and direct customer communication capabilities to protect customer health and retailer reputation.

    In the event of a food safety concern or recall:

  • Refreshi records the number of bags sold per day, per supplier.
  • Each bag is categorised (bakery goods, fruit & vegetables, dry goods, deli items, etc.).
  • Refreshi securely stores customer contact details enabling direct notification where required.

    • Recall Procedure:

  • 1. Supplier or Refreshi identifies a safety concern.
  • 2. Affected items or bags are immediately removed from sale.
  • 3. Refreshi identifies all impacted customers using internal sales records.
  • 4. Customers are contacted directly via phone, WhatsApp, and/or email with clear instructions.
  • 5. Suppliers cooperate in providing product details or batch information.
  • 6. A brief incident record is maintained for review and prevention of recurrence.

    • 8. Reporting Issues

    If there is any problem with a Refreshi bag (safety concern, wrong item, damaged packaging, customer complaint):

  • Notify Refreshi Support immediately:
  • WhatsApp Business line: 083 799 6479
  • Email: support@refreshi.co.za
  • Provide: date, order number (if available), issue description, and photos (if possible).
  • Remove and replace any affected bags from the pickup area.
  • Keep records — Refreshi may request a quick incident form.

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