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STORING FOOD IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR
Red meat
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Ensure raw and cooked foods are stored in separate air tight containers to prevent cross
contamination from the loss of raw meat juices.
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Ensure delicatessen meats are consumed within the recommended storage time. These
can be stored in the slim storage bin if you want to keep them separate.
Poultry
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Keep poultry goods in the original packaging until you use them.
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Place packaged poultry in a dish and store in the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to
prevent any potential spills from contaminating other foods.
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Poultry goods should only be stuffed right before cooking. Preparation in advance may
result in food poisoning.
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Ensure stuffing is removed from cooked poultry, and both are sufficiently cooled then
covered before storing in the refrigerator.
Fish and seafood
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Whole fish and fillets are ideally consumed on the day of purchase. Ensure they are
stored in suitable covered containers or packaging. This will prevent foods from drying
out and transferring odours.
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If storing overnight or longer, ensure the whole fish is cleaned and dried before covering
and storing, preferably on a bed of ice, in your refrigerator. Ensure fish fillets and other
seafood are treated the same way.
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Keep shellfish chilled at all times and consume within 1 – 2 days.
Fruit and Vegetables
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Not all fruits and vegetables are suitable for prolonged refrigeration storage at
temperatures below 5°C.
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Undesirable physical and chemical changes will result from low temperature storage,
such as loss of rigidity, browning, increased rate of deterioration and potential loss of
flavour.
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Try to store fruit and vegetables separately, to reduce the potential for rapid ripening.
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Ensure fruits are not washed before storage, this increases the rate of deterioration.
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Ensure vegetables are sorted and damaged parts are discarded.
Precooked foods and leftovers
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Ensure cooked foods are stored in suitable covered containers. This will prevent foods
from drying out.
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Keep for only 1 – 2 days.
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Reheat leftovers only once and until steaming hot.
Beverages
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Ensure beverages are stored tightly in the door shelves of the refrigerator. This prevents
the bottles from tipping or falling out when the refrigerator door is opened. Otherwise,
use ‘bottle holders’ to store beverages on the shelves.
