How long can grocery store keep chicken under the warmer to be sold?

As long as the food is kept cool enough or warm enough to satisfy the local Board of Health, there is no violation of law or regulation, as far as I know. However, most stores have quality and policy guidelines that are stricter than simply “following the Board of Health”.

Go ahead and complain about a dry, poor-quality product and let the store make it up to you, but I don’t think that a law has been violated just because it’s dried out and tasteless.

I’m sure it’s still “safe” to eat, just probably tastes bad. I would be more concerned with eating undercooked chicken rather than chicken that has just been sitting out.

There might be some type of law for situations like, how long the food can be out for (I’m not sure though). You can always ask a health inspector. If you’re really concerned you could ask the manager about the laws and their policy, but they might just offer you more free chicken =D

At some of the places I’ve worked at, I’ve pulled them every 2–3 hours. But I guess it depends on the company and their food safety rules.

Here in NYS the inspector checks the temperature on the table, and as long as the temp is above 160 degrees F the food is allowed to stay. Your chicken must have been like gnawing on an old shoe.

You could probably lodge a complaint on the grounds of the chicken being unpleasant to eat but as long as it was maintained at the correct temperature it would be legal. To be honest though, anything kept at the legal temperature for 5 hours is going to be dried out and nasty. If it’s not, it wasn’t hot enough.

When I first read that I thought it said children, not chicken!

Until he starts to sunburn and asks for lotion?

The concern over cooking chicken is that bad that doesn’t get killed when you cook it. Once it is properly cooked and the bad stuff is killed you can treat it like anything else.

@Austinlad aww~ You sure know how to make me laugh. I bet people can’t stay a bad mod around you . LOL

Locate the label on the chicken package and find the expiration date and time. all food must have this label.save the label and take the chicken back to the store for a refund. next time, have you hubby check the expiration date, BEFORE he makes the purchase.

@john65pennington He does not think he is grab and go kinda guy.

I’ve sold chicken and I was told 3 hours… but then another boss said keep it until its sold…I’ve seen some nasty chicken and I was embarrassed to serve it