Consumer

A well-stocked kitchen can be a lifesaver when it comes to pulling quick meals together and keeping our food intake healthy. To ensure your food is safe to eat, however, it is important to take proper care with how your food is stored. Stay safe by following these these basic guidelines on the how, when and where of food storage.

Proper food storage is important to help you:

• Keep food safe by limiting the growth of harmful bacteria and preventing contamination of foods
• Preserve food quality, including nutrients, flavor and texture, and
• Make the most of the money you spend on food by preventing spoilage.

To store food properly, you need to know not only how to store foods, but also how long they will be safe and of high quality. The advice below on date marks, storing leftovers, freezing and defrosting will help you to store your food safely. It is also essential that cross-contamination between raw foods and ready-to-eat foods is prevented.

Date markings

Food packages have date markings to let us know how long food can be kept before it is unsafe to eat or before the quality of the food begins to deteriorate.
 

Use-by-date

A 'use-by-date' indicates the length of time that a food will remain safe to eat if properly stored and means that the food should be eaten by this date at the latest when correctly stored (for example, in a fridge at 5 degree Celsius or less).  Perishable foods such as cooked meat products, prepared foods and salads will display a 'use-by-date' on the label and should not be eaten after this date has expired as this could present a health risk. Remember that the when pre-packaged foods, such as cooked meats and prepared salads, are opened, the use-by date no longer applies and the food label will advise that the product should be consumed within a specified number of days – normally 2 or 3 and by the original use-by date.     
 

Best-before-date
 

A ‘best-before-date’ is more about food quality than safety, so when the date runs out it doesn’t mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. Remember, the ‘best-before-date’ will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as ‘store in a cool dry place’ or keep in the fridge once opened.

Storing leftovers

Leftover food needs to be handled and stored safely so that it does not pose a food safety risk.

Here are a few tips for storing leftover food:

• When you have cooked food and you are not going to eat it straight away or if there are leftovers after serving, place on a clean plate, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.
• Throw away any high risk food that has been standing at room temperature for more than two hours and throw away all food scraps.
• Remember to use clean dishes and utensils for cooked food to prevent cross-contamination.
• Dividing food into smaller portions and putting it in a shallow dish can help to make it cool more quickly.
• When you are cooling a turkey or other large bird, removing the legs will help it cool more quickly. It is important that leftover cooked rice is quickly cooled and then refrigerated.
• Remember not put food in the fridge when it is still hot, because it could raise the temperature of the fridge and allow other foods to get too warm.
• Leftovers stored in the fridge should be eaten within three days.
   

For guidance on reheating leftover food click here.

Freezing

Freezing is a great way to store food. If food is properly frozen there are no food safety concerns and the maximum length of time for storage of food in the freezer is a quality and not a food safety issue. There are however a number of steps that you can take to make sure that frozen food is stored safely:

• Don’t put food in the freezer when it’s still hot. Cool it as quickly as possible (within two hours), cover and put in the freezer. It makes good sense to divide foods to be frozen into usable amounts and this speeds up the cooling process.
• Remember to keep the freezer door properly closed and only open when necessary.
• Do not freeze any foods after their ‘Use by’ date, because they might not be safe to eat.
• If you have a power cut, keep the freezer door shut. Afterwards, throw away any food that has started to defrost. If you’re not sure what to do in this situation, contact your local Environmental Health Officer or you can call the safefood Helpline on 0800 085 1683 (NI) or 1850 40 4567 (ROI).
  

Defrosting

• The safest way to defrost food is in the fridge. Allow at least 24 hours for every 2-2.5 kg (4-5 lbs).
• Make sure that poultry has thawed completely before cooking. You can check whether the meat feels frozen by using a fork or skewer. When defrosting a whole bird, make sure there are no ice crystals in the cavity. If poultry is still partially frozen when you start to cook, it will cook more slowly and might not reach a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria.
• When you have defrosted food, cook or eat it within 24 hours. Don’t refreeze.
• Don’t defrost food in the microwave unless you are going to cook and eat it straight away. This is because when food is defrosted in the microwave it can get warm enough to allow harmful bacteria to grow. With pre-packed foods, always follow the manufacturers’ instructions. If a food label tells you to cook the food from frozen, you should do this – don’t defrost it.