While largely associated with beachside holidays and hot weather, ice cream is a big business for countless large and small-scale companies all year round, with the average person in the UK eating as much as 9 litres of ice cream annually. This has understandably contributed to a market that’s currently enjoying its highest ever worth at around £597.5 million. Unfortunately, losses in the industry are also high due to the quickly perishable nature of this product and the often careless mistakes made by companies handling it. Here, we’re going to help you to avoid that pitfall by considering just a few of the ways that proper storage can single handedly stop company profits from freezing over
Storing Ice Cream Health and Safety
Ice cream is a perishable dairy product that, when incorrectly stored, is prone to spoiling that can prove incredibly dangerous, leading to everything from nausea and diarrhoea to incredibly serious illness. According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the safe storage of all ice cream products during both serving and freezer storage especially rests on a range of simple considerations such as –
- Are you storing at the correct temperatures? (optimum temperature is -18°C but freezers should never exceed -10°C)
- Is ice cream stored in the main part of the freezer?
- Are ice cream container lids airtight and secure?
- Are scoops and toppings also kept in accordance with safety standards?
- Etc.
Ice cream storage mistakes to avoid
As well as leaving vendors at risk of significant lost profits, improper storage of ice cream products either during display or in the freezer can pose risks to both the quality and safety of ice cream products. Exposed seals or incorrect storage temperatures especially bring the risk of spoiled, and thus dangerous products. To avoid this damaging eventuality, and to ensure the highest quality products at all times, ice cream vendors must always aim to avoid the most common storage mistakes, which include –
- Exposure to temperature variations
- Incorrect temperature settings
- Air exposure due to improper containers
- Exposure to moisture
- Incorrect positioning in the freezer
- And more
Understanding Ice Cream Container Options
While storage conditions themselves play a crucial role in the safe preparation and distribution of ice cream products overall, containers are also key indicators of quality whether you’re working with finished products or the ingredients for soft-scoop ice creams, gelatos, frozen yoghurts, or beyond.
Here at Take Away Supplies, we offer a wide range of popular ice cream storage solutions to suit every possible storage and serving need for your ice cream parlour or business, each of which offer airtight seals that preserve the shelf life and safety of every single product. In large part, finding the best container for your needs is likely to vary depending on a range of factors, including –
- The products you’re storing: Our Napoli range of ice cream containers are attractive, compact, and incredibly popular for the storage of finished ice cream products, while alternatives like our bottles and buckets are generally better suited to the storage of ingredients before production. As such, it’s essential to consider what you’re storing, when, and why as early as possible during the buying process.
- Your size requirements: All of our ice cream containers are available in a range of sizes, including 500ml and 1000ml bottles, as well as general containers that begin as small as 1.25 litres and span right up to 5-litre options. By considering your storage requirements as well as your facilities to accommodate them, you ensure that you’re always selecting the right size of container for your needs.
- Your usage preferences: It’s also essential to consider your personal preferences with regards to everything from opening mechanisms to the shape of your containers. Our popular Napoli containers, for example, are a traditional lengthy rectangular shape which makes it easy to achieve round, neat scoops. However, if you’re limited on space or simply prefer a deeper container, then our square containers will undeniably prove to be a better match.
Let Take Away Supplies take the hassle out of your storage solutions
Running an ice cream business can be a lot of fun, but it’s also dependent on your ability to understand both what makes a quality ice cream, and what supplies you need to bring that within easier reach. Your storage containers play a huge part in both of those considerations. By browsing our fantastic range here at Take Away Supplies, you simplify even this crucial consideration, automatically making it easier to achieve the quality, and safety, that your consumers expect!