We buy food every day and store it in refrigerators, freezers and cupboards. There are rules on how you store food and many people don’t know them.
One of the biggest consequences of storing food is the risk of food poisoning. Read on to see if you’re making these common mistakes. If you are cross contaminating due to lack of space this is not a good enough reason. You can easily get more storage with Longspan Shelving from website like www.rackzone.ie/pallet-racking/long-span-shelving and then you can start organising your food properly.
Using plastic containers
Most of us use plastic containers to store leftovers, but food experts have said they’re a bad idea. Using them can lead to chemicals entering your food. Dishwashers can speed up the risk, due to the high heat.
You should always use glass containers which are the safer option. They can be reused and are microwave safe.
Opaque containers
If you look at your plastic containers, you’ll most likely find that they’re opaque. This causes problems, because leftovers stored in opaque containers can be forgotten. Use clear containers to stop your food being wasted.
Refrigerator storage
It’s easy to place your groceries in the fridge without thinking about which shelf each item should be on. Raw foods such as chicken should never be stored above ready made and packaged foods. Always store meats at the bottom of the fridge.
Overfilling the fridge
A big grocery shopping trip means you’ll be trying to stuff items into the fridge. It may not seem like a problem, but an overfilled fridge can reduce the air flow. Bacteria will multiply and it can damage your food, which leads to food poisoning.
One option is to calculate what you’ll need to buy and ensure you don’t overfill the fridge. If your family is growing and you need more space, then it’s time to upgrade to a larger size. There are many fridges to choose from and in recent years, more people have opted for a glass door refrigerator.
Putting cooked and raw items together
You must always ensure that you separate cooked and raw items. Placing them in bags together can lead to serious illnesses, such as salmonella and E.Coli. You should store raw meat and other items in sealed containers, to ensure there’s little chance for contamination. It’s a common issue, but the potential effects on your health means contamination should be avoided.