As a Mess Management Specialist (MS), you may be assigned as the jack-of-the-dust or as the subsistence bulk storeroom storekeeper, responsible for the proper receipt and storage of food items and making breakouts to the general mess, officers' mess, and chief petty officers' mess. It is also your responsibility to keep these spaces clean, safe, and orderly and to keep the leading MS up to date on stock levels.

This chapter discusses the procedures for the receipt, inspection, storage, and expenditure of food items as prescribed by the Food Service Management, NAVSUP P-486.

RECEIPT

Deliveries can usually be anticipated because of shipment notices, delivery dates on requisitions, or other notifications, and preparations should consequently be made to receive the material.  Receiving personnel should be ready to inspect the material, storerooms should be ready to receive the material, and the necessary arrangements for working parties should be made well in advance so that once the anticipated material arrives, it maybe stored immediately to prevent temperature fluctuations. Such fluctuations will reduce the quality and storage life of food items.

Subsistence items received aboard a ship or shore activity are accompanied by a variety of receipt documents depending upon the method of request and the issuing activity. Certain certifications are common to all receipt documents. Receiving personnel must do the following:

Inventory all food items

Circle the quantity accepted

Date the document upon receipt

Have items inspected by a medical representative

Have the documents stamped by a medical representative as passing medical inspection

Sign the document to indicate receipt

UNLOAD SHIPMENT

Always remember that safety, sanitation, and security of food items should not be compromised when unloading and loading stores. Careful planning and preparation will minimize, if not prevent, this problem. Receiving procedures will be issued and routes established. This will facilitate unloading and loading stores and definitely eliminate wandering food items that could be lost or stolen.

Working parties should be requested well in advance and requirements are established from each department. Get the request for working parties and requirement lists including the day of delivery published in the plan of the day a few days before the day of delivery. When there is a sufficient number of personnel from other departments, use supply personnel as checkers, spotters, and supervisors to the greatest extent possible.

Unload and load as fast as possible to avoid prolonged exposure to less than ideal temperatures and to not diminish the average shelf life of food items and to prevent spoilage.

Safety

All personnel involved in receiving and storing food items must receive instructions on the following safety precautions:

The proper method of lifting heavy objects

Wearing of protective hats, safety shoes, and gloves

Operation of materials-handling equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks, and portable conveyors

Removal of hatch covers and ladders

Designated Receiver

When food items are received, the food service officer (FSO) or a designated assistant inspects the food items to verify the exact quantity received and signs the receiving documents to acknowledge receipt.

Custody

The bulk storeroom storekeeper having custody of the food items delivered accepts responsibility by signing a statement on the invoice that normally reads,

"I accept responsibility for these items and hold myself accountable to the United States Government."

Date Stamping

Food items must be date-stamped or color-coded to make sure the oldest stock is used first. INSPECTION

Regardless of the source from which food items are obtained and regardless of any prior inspection, it may be your responsibility to inspect them as they arrive to determine that the specified quantities have been received.

A designated member of the medical department should perform a fitness-for-human-consumption inspection upon receipt of food items that have been purchased from a local market or under contracts that require inspection at destination. The receipt document showing that this inspection has been done must be signed by the medical representative.

Inspection of Food Items Received From Naval Sources and Other Government Agencies

An ashore supply activity will perform a quality inspection of food items upon acceptance from the original supplier.  This inspection should be done according to NAVSUPINST 4355.4 and should make sure the food items conform to the specifications included in the purchase document. Such inspection will not be duplicated aboard ship. Before storing, the receiving individual will coordinate inspection procedures to detect any deterioration, contamination, or infestation that may have occurred since the quality inspection at the supply activity. Contaminated or infested foods received via underway replenishment should be immediately separated and disposed of according to the NAVSUP P-486. Government-owned subsistence items received in usable condition but unfit for storage should be used promptly and any loss surveyed.

Inspection of Food Items Received From Commercial Sources

Subsistence items received from commercial vendors will be inspected at origin and destination for conformance to all terms and conditions quoted or referred to in the contract or purchase order. However, inspection at origin may be waived if lack of time or other justifying circumstances exist. The supply officer will make sure the commercial vendor has certified that the food items delivered are in conformance with the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Meat, poultry, fish, and their by-products delivered under contract within the United States will be accepted only if they bear the appropriate stamps from the respective government agencies. In addition they should also have the special Department of Defense stamp. These various stamps are illustrated in figure 2-1.

Inspection by the Medical Department

A designated representative of the medical department will perform a fitness-for-human-consumption inspection upon receipt of food items that have been purchased on the local market or under contracts that require inspection at destination. The receipt document showing that a fitness-for-human-consumption inspection has been performed should be signed by the medical representative. Suspected items in which there is doubt as to fitness are not accepted and are referred to a local Army veterinarian or environmental preventive medicine unit (EPMU) for analysis.