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Storing food correctly ensures it is safe to eat and maintains its quality and freshness, which also helps reduce food waste.
Follow date marks and storage instructions
It is important to always check food labels for any specific storage instructions, such as “refrigerate after opening” or “once opened consume within 4 days”.
Manufacturers give these instructions because they must be followed for the food to stay safe to eat until its use by or best before date.
Always discard any food past its use by date, even if it looks fine. Bacteria may have multiplied to unsafe levels or the nutrients maybe have become unstable.
Food past its best before date will still be safe to eat if it has been stored according to the directions on the label and there are no signs of spoilage.
Products with a shelf life of longer than 2 years do not need a date mark.
It is a good practice to check use by and best before dates regularly and rotate food so older items are used first. Throw away food with damaged packaging, including severely dented cans, which could be hiding tiny holes that allow bacteria to enter.
Separate raw food from cooked food
Food poisoning can happen when bacteria in raw food (such as juices from raw chicken) comes in contact with cooked or ready-to-eat food, and the bacteria have a chance to grow.
This is why cooked and ready-to-eat food must be kept separate from raw food, especially raw meats, fish and eggs.
Storing raw foods in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge, below cooked and ready-to-eat foods, helps avoid contamination.
You should always use separate equipment and utensils for raw foods or thoroughly clean and sanitise them after preparing raw foods.
Fridge and freezer temperatures
Home fridges should be kept below 5°C at all times. This is because food-poisoning bacteria grows best between 5°C and 60°C. It is a good idea to regularly check your fridge temperature using a fridge thermometer.
Freezers should be kept at -18°C or below. Food should be frozen solid at this temperature.
Activities like cooking meals, putting groceries away and catering for parties can cause the temperature of some fridges to rise unsafe levels. Follow these tips to help your fridge keep its cool:
- Close the door quickly each time you remove or put food in the fridge.
- Avoid overloading a fridge, especially when catering, as this reduces air flow and the fridge has to work much harder to keep the correct temperature. Consider cooling drinks for special events in an esky or bath filled with ice or a separate fridge.
- Give the fridge time to recover its temperature after cleaning or loading shopping by keeping the doors closed for a while afterwards. afterwards.
- Have a well-insulated, efficient fridge with door seals in good condition.
Beware the temperature danger zone
Temperature control – keeping food either hot or cold - is very important to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in certain types of food. Food poisoning bacteria grow best between temperatures of 5°C and 60°C, which is known as the ‘temperature danger zone’.
To minimise your risk of food poisoning, follow the 2-hour/4-hour rule. If your food has been in the temperature danger zone for:
- less than 2 hours – use it now, or put it back in the fridge for later
- between 2 and 4 hours – use it now or throw it out
- after 4 hours, throw the food out.
The time between 5°C and 60°C is cumulative — that means you need to add up every time the food has been out of the fridge.