Storing perishable foods and food ingredients in the fridge or freezer is primarily to prevent food poisoning or to slow down spoilage and loss of food quality. At 5°C or colder and at freezing temperatures many bacteria that cause food poisoning and food spoilage either don’t grow or their growth may be slowed down. Remember though that there is a limit to how long food can be refrigerated as it will eventually spoil and the quality deteriorate and some food poisoning bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes can grow and cause infection (see Advice on Listeria [external link]). Frozen food can be kept safely for longer […]

When freezing food, avoid freezing large amounts at a time. It’s better to split it into smaller quantities in separate containers. This also means you can defrost only the quantity you need. When freezing food you’ve just bought, place it in freezer bags to maintain quality. You don’t need to unwrap pre-packaged raw meat on trays, just put it in a freezer bag. This will help minimise cross contamination in your kitchen. Tie the bag after squeezing out as much air as possible, label and date. If you are freezing cooked food or leftovers, the most important thing is to […]

There are some clues when your fridge is having trouble coping. If the motor stays on most of the time, or if your milk, cottage cheese, meat (particularly mincemeat) or other perishables are going off quicker than they should, then this is a sign that your fridge is struggling and needs maintenance and/or adjustment If you lose power while you stored food in Fridge and Freezer When there is a power outage you need to take extra measures to reduce the risk of food-related illness. It is important to record the time the power went off. When a power cut is […]

Food businesses must ensure that all food received and stored in the food business is checked for best before and expiry dates. It is essential that food is not only handled and stored properly, but also used within the proper time frame. Food should be stored using the First In, First Out (FIFO) method. The practices under this method include: ensuring items that are received first are used first moving items nearing their expiration date to the front of the shelves clearly labelling and dating containers if food items are not stored in their original packaging checking best before and […]

Covid 19, unpredicted climate changes, conflicts among countries are all leading to increase in global price and shortage of food and other essentials. Each one of us are trying to reduce the expenses in our daily life. Cutting back on things are first thing which comes to our minds, which is of course essential but that does not mean we have to compromise on a healthy and nutritious diet. Being a responsible shopper and trying to save money not only reduces wastage of food but also reduces the pressure on our natural resources and ensures access of food to all […]