It is important to remove as much outer packaging as possible outside the
kitchen area as the packaging can bring soil, bacteria, and insects into the
kitchen. Items such as fruit and vegetables are decanted from crates and boxes,
and placed in plastic containers. Glass containers are emptied or replaced with
plastic containers before storing in the unit to prevent breakage during the
cooking process. For operations which produce large amounts of bakery
products, flour may be delivered in bulk and transferred pneumatically into
storage silos. For frozen items, it is vital, both for reasons of quality and hygiene,
that products are thawed in a temperature-controlled environment. Thawing
items in a warm room will encourage the growth of pathogens and cause the
structure of the items to break down reducing texture and quality