Back in the early days, without refrigerator systems, people had to resort to other preservation methods like fermentation, salting, smoking and pickling to keep stock of food readily available. Today, refrigerators are found virtually everywhere—at home kitchens, restaurants, convenient stores and manufacturing plants. Having a refrigerator is a huge importance to everyone—they keep our food stay fresh and they lengthen their lifespan by slowing down microbial growth. However, if refrigerator is used carelessly, it may lead to food safety issues such as cross contamination and food poisoning. This blog post discusses helpful refrigerator Food Safety tips to help you prevent them from happening.
Table of Contents
What should the temperature inside a refrigerator must be?
FDA advises that the temperature of the refrigerator must be at least 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Establish a monitoring schedule to keep your refrigerator’s temperature maintained. Remember, never place food in an environment with a temperature inside the Temperature Danger Zone. The Danger Zone is anywhere from 40 °F (4 °C) to 140 °F (60 °C), the range where the growth of bacteria doubles in number in 20 minutes time. Food that stays higher than 40 °F (4 °C) or more in 2 hours must not be consumed as risk of food poisoning is higher.
How to be certain the temperature is at least 40 °F (4 °C) or below?
Some refrigerator models, specifically newer ones, are equipped with built-in thermometer for ease of monitoring. Otherwise, there are thermometers that can be purchased meant for cold temperature. Prior to use, make sure the thermometer calibrated for accurate readings.
How to calibrate thermometer?
If using hand-held thermometer, you can use ice-point check calibration. Ice-point check is one of the most used and convenient way to calibrate a thermometer. Here is how it is done:
- In a large container, put crushed ice and water.
- Let it stand for 5 minutes for the temperature to stabilize (should be at 32 °F (0 °C)
- Now put the thermometer stem/probe in without it touching the container for 30 seconds or until the thermometer stop reading.
- The thermometer is accurate if it reads 32 °F (0 °C), otherwise, adjust the thermometer by moving the nut underneath the thermometer dial until it reads 32 °F (0 °C).
Read How To Calibrate A Food Thermometer for more information on this.
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Prevent cross contamination inside the refrigeration
Generally, foods that we store inside the refrigerator are those raw that we cook first before consuming. However, what about ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking? This is where the risk of cross-contamination (the transfer of bacteria and viruses from contaminated food to another) comes in. The most common result of cross-contamination in food is food poisoning.But this is easily prevented when safety guidelines and measures are followed and implemented. How?
Always keep a space inside the refrigerator for raw meat and seafood. It is recommended to keep them in closed containers and located at the lowest part or the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Always put ready-to-eat foods above raw foods. Ideally, they must be located on the top-most shelf of the refrigerator.
You might also like: Food Safety Tips When Using Cutting Boards
Exercise First In, First Out (FIFO) always
First In, First Out or FIFO is a widely recognized to system to keep stocks moving properly—older stocks are used before newer ones. To implement this system, organize the food items according to their expiration date. Whichever are sooner to expire must be placed in front, near the door. This way, foods do not get spoiled unattended inside the fridge.
Keep refrigerator running efficiently at all times
Never put hot foods inside as doing so raises the temperature of the inside of the refrigerator. Bear in mind that refrigerator temperature must be at 40°F (4°C). Temperature above this encourages bacterial growth. You can put hot foods in a cold water bath to lower the temperature before placing it inside.
Never overload the refrigerator with a lot of food items. Imagine, what would happen to a room if it is crowded? Right! It would be warmer. This is similar to putting a lot of foodstuffs inside the refrigerator.
If the refrigerator is overloaded, the air may not properly circulate and cool the items inside. This will also cause the refrigeration system to require more energy to do its work.
Make sure the door is properly closed and never open it unnecessarily. Every time the door is opened, the cool air goes out. If the door is left open for too long, more cool air goes out, making the compressor work harder and obviously, more electricity is consumed.
How long should food be stored in the refrigerator?
Perishable goods must be well-monitored. FDA advises to make it a habit of throwing out perishables that should no longer be eaten, once a week.
For cooked leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days. However, when it doubt of the condition of the leftover, throw it out—better be safe always.
Consuming certain food that has exceeded the safe time limit poses risk of food poisoning. Take a look at the table below for the safe time limits for some home-refrigerated foods.
| Food | Refrigeration time |
| Ground meat and poultry | 1 to 2 days |
| Steaks, chops and roasts | 3 to 5 days |
| Chicken or turkey | 1 to 2 days |
| Bacon | 7 days |
| Raw sausage | 1 to 2 days |
| Patties | 7 days |
| Pepperoni, jerky sticks | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Canned ham | 6 to 9 months 3 to 5 days when opened |
| Cooked whole ham | 7 days |
| Hotdog | 2 weeks 1 week when opened |
| Store-cooked dinners | 3 to 4 days |
| Homemade or store-prepared egg, tuna, ham, macaroni salads and chicken | 3 to 5 days |
| Cooked patties, nuggets, soup and stews | 3 to 4 days |
| Fresh fish or sea foods | 1 to days |
| Commercial mayonnaise | 2 months |
| Fresh eggs in shells | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs | 10 days 3 days when opened |
Cleaning and maintenance
Sometimes, it is not the leftover that brings out unpleasant odor—it could be the fridge itself. No matter how you keep the food inside the refrigerator properly, it won’t matter if the refrigerator itself is untidy and smelly.
You can easily eliminate the odor of the refrigerator by putting inside an open box of baking soda or pour baking soda into a cup and place it inside. Baking soda has the ability to attract acidic and base odor molecules, which when bond neutralize the odor inside the refrigerator.
When there is food spillage, don’t wait— immediately wipe it up with damp cloth quickly. You can use hot soapy water to clean the surface.
Having a regular fridge cleaning schedule is a-must to keep it clean all the time—at least weekly. Furthermore, cleaning also helps in monitoring which food has passed its safe time limit and needs to be taken out.
You may check the manufacturer’s instruction or manual to thoroughly education yourself on how to maintain your refrigerator.
Key takeaways
- Always keep an eye on your refrigerator’s temperature (must be 40°F or below)
- Prevent contamination by separating raw from ready-to eat
- Ready-to-eat must be place on top and raw must be on the bottom
- Implement First In, First out (put old food items in front and consume them first)
- Help the fridge work efficiently by not overloading it with items
- Keep the refrigerator clean.
- Baking soda can remove odors inside
- Have a regular cleaning schedule
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