Keep or toss food

[luvbwv]

Aren't most supermarket back storage rooms refrigerated in some parts? They have to be.

I used to work in receiving at a large grocery store. The back room receiving area was not refrigerated or even air conditioned in summer. In winter there were large overhead heaters blowing and heat lamps on the loading docks to keep ice from forming. Many times the dairy loads would sit on the dock inside before they made it into the cooler in the backroom. We would temp test an item or 2 from each load with a temp gun but that was it. As a previous poster said, it is probably best that we don't know everything that goes on in grocery stores or restaurants. If we did most of us would probably stop eating.
Our rule of thumb, if a product was found out of refrigeration and it still felt cool to the touch, it went back on the shelf. I worked at the same store for almost 25 years and there was never a case of any type of food borne illness linked to our store.

 

[EveDallas]

I once got salmonella because my great aunt thought "it still feels cool -- it's probably fine." It wasn't, and I spent 3 days wishing that I would die.

THIS. I ate some chicken once that my mom left on the counter overnight and spent 48 hours praying for death.

 

[_19disnA]

Reputable grocery stores keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot and have rules they follow to insure the foods they sell are safe to eat. If you know they don't do that, suggest you shop elsewhere. We had a brief power outage due to a recent storm and the local grocery store immediately started moving frozen items to their large walk-in freezer in the back.

 

[monica9]

I think it's fine. Things can stay at room temp for up to 4 hours.

 

[monica9]

Thus, why I suggested cooking both...bacteria pretty much dies out if you get a food product to 160 degrees https://www.thespruceeats.com/tip-safe-cooking-temperatures-913410 ...so both suggestions will take care of the "if" for the bacteria. So, if you open the products and it smells fine, it will also be fine if it is cooked for an appropriate time at an appropriate temp.

If botulism oocurs the spores won't die from heat. It's a nasty bacteria that can fight off any extreme temp

 

[tvguy]

Reputable grocery stores keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot and have rules they follow to insure the foods they sell are safe to eat. If you know they don't do that, suggest you shop elsewhere. We had a brief power outage due to a recent storm and the local grocery store immediately started moving frozen items to their large walk-in freezer in the back.

The Neighborhood Walmart near me had had three failures of the transformer in the past 3 months. All the refrigerated stuff got thrown out. And I suspect the electric company got a bill for all the lost food. Took them a week to restock all that stuff.

 

[_19disnA]

^ Agree, that is what reputable stores do. While others may take a chance on making their family ill, food safety guidelines are there for a reason.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just went out to my car and realized I left a bag of groceries in it, it had kids yogurt and ricotta cheese in it. It's been in the car for about 2.5 hours. It's about 80 here today. Everything still felt cool to the touch. Should I keep it or toss?

If it was still cool, I would keep it. Similar things have happened to us, and we never got sick. Just my take.
I would feel different if it hadn't already gone through a certain process, but cheeses can take room temperatures and not be bad.
Sure, stores cannot 'sell' food like that, but that does not mean it is ruined.

 

[amiskell28]

THIS. I ate some chicken once that my mom left on the counter overnight and spent 48 hours praying for death.

I'm sorry, I am probably a terrible person, but this comment made me almost snort soda out of my nose! Chicken left out overnight is definitely on the no-no list!

 

[EveDallas]

I'm sorry, I am probably a terrible person, but this comment made me almost snort soda out of my nose! Chicken left out overnight is definitely on the no-no list!

Well, in her defense, she was raised during the Depression and wasting any kind of food was a no-no. She had a hard time breaking that mindset. That said, I couldn't even LOOK at chicken again for years.