An Overview of Retail Food Hygiene in Europe - Retail Food Safety - page 97

circulated over the product in an 'air curtain' usually via a grill vent at one end of
the counter (air off). The air passes back through the cabinet condensers (air on)
where it is re-chilled and then back onto the product. Delicatessen counters will
have an array of equipment including slicers, knives, cutting boards, serving bowls,
packaging, weighing scales, etc.
Salad bar —The salad bar offers a wide variety of cut and sliced salads and veg-
etables, many of which may be dressed with pH-controlled dressings. Salad bars
are generally refrigerated, but they are more often open and designed for self-
service by the customer. Salad bars also serve a variety of prepared fruit products.
As they are self-serve, salad bars may be located next to manned service counters
or located in other parts of a supermarket, often situated adjacent to the produce
aisle or near take home aisles to cater for meal time trade, i.e., lunch. Products for
the salad bar may be prepared in store or are often purchased in bulk, ready pre-
pared where the product is either decanted into the display bowls or where the bowl
is replaced completely.
Meat and fi sh counter —Counters for the display of store prepared meat, poultry
and fi sh products, whether in a supermarket or in specialist butchers or fi shmongers,
essentially operate in a similar way to the delicatessen counter. They are usually
chilled with circulated, cold air although fi sh counters may use ice with or without
air circulation. Many counters are completely open, although some may have
screens similar to many delicatessen counters. In addition, meat and fi sh counters
often feature misters that circulate a fi ne mist of water over the products to prevent
dehydration and maintain optimal visual quality (Figs. 7.2 and 7.3 ). Meat and fi sh
counters are usually separated although often co-manned and some, although
predominantly displaying raw product, may also co-display raw and RTE product.

Fig. 7.2 Fish counter with ice bed and chilled air circulation