--- title: "Deli Date Marking Checklist" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/deli-date-marking-checklist/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/deli-date-marking-checklist/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / [Sandwich Shop & Deli](/checklists/sandwiches-delis/) / Date Marking, Rotation & Shelf Life # Sandwich Shop & Deli Date Marking, Rotation & Shelf Life Checklist Every opened ready-to-eat pack in a Sandwich Shop & Deli needs **an opened date, a discard date, and a maximum of 7 days at 5°C (41°F) or below** - the limit FDA Food Code 3-501.17 sets specifically to control Listeria monocytogenes. These 8 checks cover date marking, the difference in shelf life between made-fresh and pre-packed items, the 10-day ceiling on chilled pre-packed lines, and rotation of the stock nobody dates: decanted condiments and prep containers. Date marking is the second most commonly failed control in this category, with 52.2% of deli departments not following the rules. [Run this checklist - free](/run/sandwiches-delis/?list=dates) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-sandwiches-delis-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-sandwiches-delis-checklists.xlsx) The checklist · 8 checks ### Every opened pack gets a clock **1\. Mark the date on every ready-to-eat pack the moment you open it - the opened date AND the discard date** More than half of delis get date marking wrong. An open pack with no date has no proof of a safe shelf life at all. **2\. Opened ready-to-eat food gets a maximum of 7 days at 5°C (41°F) or below under the US FDA Food Code (3-501.17), counting the day you open it as day 1. Check the matching limit in your own food code** That limit exists to control listeria growth. Day 8 means throw it out. Don't guess. **3\. Use a shorter clock for your highest-risk items: sliced deli meats and soft cheeses** Retail-sliced deli meat causes most deli-meat listeriosis deaths. A long shelf-life date is most dangerous for this product. ### Made-fresh compared with pre-packed **4\. Give made-fresh sandwiches a same-day use-by date, unless you have proven a longer shelf life through testing** A sandwich built in-store has no modified atmosphere and no testing behind it. Sell it today or throw it out. **5\. Cap chilled pre-packed shelf life at 10 days at 3–8°C (37–46°F), unless you have a documented extra safety step. Check the matching rule where you operate - in the UK, this follows ACMSF/FSA guidance** Without a step that controls botulism risk - storage below 3°C (37°F), a proven heat step, or the right acid, salt or moisture level - 10 days is the limit, not a goal. **6\. Re-check use-by dates on every pre-packed sandwich in the case at each part of the day** Studies show expired packs do reach the checkout. Selling one out-of-date sandwich costs more than a full day's profit from that case. ### Rotate the stock nobody dates **7\. Date and rotate condiments, dressings, spreads, marinades and pickles that you pour into another container** Bulk tubs poured into squeeze bottles lose their printed date. This is the most common rotation mistake on a sandwich line that nobody notices. **8\. Check the walk-in and every prep-well backup and put the oldest date at the front (FIFO)** Rotation only works where staff actually reach. The back of the walk-in is where discards pile up. ## Frequently asked questions **How long can opened deli meat be kept?** A maximum of 7 days held at 5°C (41°F) or below, with the day of opening counted as day 1 - FDA Food Code 3-501.17 states these parameters are intended to help control growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Run a shorter clock on your highest-risk lines: the FDA/FSIS risk assessment attributed roughly 83% of deli-meat listeriosis deaths to product sliced and packaged at retail, and nearly 70% of predicted deaths to retail-sliced product without ingredients that stop bacteria growing. **What shelf life should a made-fresh sandwich get compared with a pre-packed one?** Give made-fresh in-store builds a same-day use-by unless you hold tested and proven evidence for longer, because an in-store build isn't specially packaged to stay fresh longer, and hasn't been tested and proven safe for longer. Chilled pre-packed sandwiches stored at 3–8°C (37–46°F) are capped at 10 days under ACMSF/FSA guidance unless an additional Clostridium botulinum control applies - storage below 3.0°C (37°F), a 90°C (194°F) for 10 minutes heat step or equivalent allowing around 42 days, or pH below 5.0, salt above 3.5%, or water activity below 0.97. No published data compares waste or shelf life between the two formats directly; that is one of the gaps this pack flags rather than guesses at. **Do condiments, dressings and prep containers need date marking?** Yes - the moment bulk product is decanted into a squeeze bottle or prep tub it loses its printed date, which makes it the most common silent rotation failure on a sandwich line. FDA's date-marking requirement covers refrigerated RTE TCS food generally, and 52.2% of deli departments were not following it. There is no published audit figure isolating condiment and prep-container rotation specifically, so the daily open-condiment date check is how you generate that number for your own site. ## More Sandwich Shop & Deli checklists [Goods-In & Receiving](/checklists/sandwich-shop-receiving-checklist/)[Opening & Cold Line Set-Up](/checklists/sandwich-shop-opening-checklist/)[Slicer, Boards & Cross-Contact](/checklists/deli-slicer-cleaning-checklist/)[Time-of-Day Production & Grab-and-Go](/checklists/sandwich-prep-production-checklist/)[Closing, Waste & Overnight Cold Chain](/checklists/sandwich-shop-closing-checklist/)[Weekly Checks](/checklists/sandwich-shop-weekly-checklist/) One free app has all of them: [open the Sandwich Shop & Deli Checklists app](/run/sandwiches-delis/) - offline, no account, add it to your home screen. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [FDA Retail Delis 2015–2016](https://www.fda.gov/media/148247/download?attachment) - [CDC EHS-Net, Retail Delis practice summaries](https://www.cdc.gov/restaurant-food-safety/php/practices/retail-delis.html) - [CIDRAP report on FDA risk factor study](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/foodborne-disease/disease-hazards-common-food-operations-fda-says) - [FDA Trend Analysis Report](https://www.fda.gov/media/157225/download) - [FDA Food Code 3-501.17, Date Marking](https://www.fda.gov/media/127796/download) - [CDC MMWR, Retail Deli Slicer Cleaning Frequency](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6512a2.htm) - [FDA/FSIS Comparative Risk Assessment, Lm in RTE Deli Meats](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2020-07/Comparative_RA_Lm_Exec_Summ_May2010.pdf) - [FSAI, Microbiological Safety of Pre-Packaged Sandwiches](https://www.fsai.ie/getmedia/efcf5ec9-2b81-45dc-835c-7a28a2887f16/prepackaged_sandwiches.aspx?ext=.pdf) - [Champions 12.3, The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Restaurants](https://champions123.org/publication/business-case-reducing-food-loss-and-waste-restaurants) - [ReFED Fact Sheet: Food Waste by Sector - Retail](https://refed.org/uploads/by-sector-retail.pdf) - [Harrison, Peters & Fielding, J Appl Microbiol 2000](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/records/65dfa7130f3e94b9e5daeb5e) - [Purdue University release on Simmons/Oliver retail deli Listeria studies](https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/archive/releases/2015/Q1/study-listeria-pathogen-is-prevalent,-persistent-in-retail-delis.html) - [Chilled Food Association, The 10 Day Rule for Shelf Life](https://www.chilledfood.org/the-10-day-rule-for-shelf-life/) - [CDC Vital Signs: Preventing Norovirus Outbreaks](https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/norovirus/) - [Hong Kong CFS, Microbiological Quality of Higher Risk Buns and Sandwiches](https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fm_01_18.html) - [EFSA/ECDC EU One Health 2024 Zoonoses Report](https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/plain-language-summary/european-union-one-health-2024-zoonoses-report) - [Bartsch et al., Public Health Reports 2018, via Johns Hopkins BSPH](https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/a-foodborne-illness-outbreak-could-cost-a-restaurant-millions-study-suggests) - [IGA, 4 Ways To Reduce Deli Shrink](https://www.iga.com/insights/4-ways-to-reduce-deli-shrink)