Stacking the refrigerator
It is important to stack items correctly in refrigerators. This reduces cross contamination and keeps food safe to eat.
Cross contamination
Cross contamination is when bacteria from a raw food is transferred to
- a cooked product
- or a ready to eat product.
Safety rules
To minimise cross contamination, store foods as directed on the label and follow these safety rules:
- store raw meat near the bottom of the fridge, or in a covered tray on a fridge shelf
- keep raw food covered and separated from cooked food
- cover cooked food that is not likely to be reheated before serving
- store cooked food on a shelf above uncooked food
- use small, shallow containers for left overs
- arrange food in your fridge so that cold air can easily circulate
- avoid overstocking the fridge
- defrost your refrigerator regularly
- keep food with strong odours well wrapped
- avoid storing food with strong odours near food like milk and cream
- avoid placing milk in the fridge door, where the temperature may vary.
For more information contact Environmental Health.
Last updated: 21 September 2015
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