When using a bottom to top food storage shelving order in a cooler What determines the best food?

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Although it may seem like a small part of food preparation, refrigeration plays a large role in keeping food safe. The temperature of the refrigerator, the order of the food on shelves, and the amount of time left in the refrigerator can all play a large role in the growth of bacteria or other harmful pathogens on the food. 

Follow these three food storage rules to keep you and your customers safe.

1. Know the recommended refrigerator temperature

To avoid your food reaching a temperature where pathogens can grow on your food, it’s important to measure the temperature of your refrigerator often. Keeping your refrigerator at 41°F (5°C) or below ensures an environment that will minimize the growth of pathogens.

Many refrigerators come with built in thermometers; if your fridge does not have this feature, an appliance thermometer should be kept in the fridge.

This can be very important, especially if there is a power outage. If when the power comes on, the refrigerator is still at 41°F or lower, the food is safe to consume. If the temperature of the refrigerator goes above 41°F, food should not be consumed as there is an increased risk of foodborne illness.

2. Arrange by proper food storage order

Although it may not seem like it would matter, the wrong order of food on shelves could potentially promote the growth of pathogens, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. Shelves should be ordered from lowest cooking temperature to highest, going down. This is done to prevent juices or other liquids from higher temperature cooking foods from contaminating foods that won’t reach that temperature.

Let’s break down what foods should be kept on each shelf.

Top Shelf: Ready-to-Eat

The top shelf should be reserved for ready-to-eat foods. These are foods that will be served without being cooked first.

Second Shelf: 135°F (57°C)

This category includes foods that will be hot-held that are not included in other categories.

Third Shelf: 145°F (63°C)

Foods that should be cooked to 145°F include whole seafood; whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb; roasts; and eggs that will be served immediately.

Fourth Shelf: 155°F (68°C)

It is important that meat that has been ground, injected, or tenderized be kept on a lower shelf. This category also includes eggs that will be hot held.

Bottom Shelf: 165°F (74°C)

The bottom shelf should hold foods with the highest cooking temperatures. This includes all poultry (turkey, duck, chicken, or fowl); stuffing that contains foods that require temperature control; dishes with previously cooked foods, such as casseroles.

3. Know when to throw food away

Although refrigerators slow the growth of pathogens, it should be remembered that they do not stop the spoiling process. Throwing food away can seem like a waste, but knowing when to throw out food can help keep you and your customers safe and healthy.

Leftovers can often be kept for a few days, but should be thrown out before they spoil. Food that has been left out of the fridge for over 2 hours should not be consumed, even if it was put back in the fridge. When in doubt, throw it out.

Follow this food storage chart to know how long food can be kept:

Up to 2 Days
Ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb; stew meats; variety meats; whole chicken or turkey; giblets; raw or poultry sausage; fresh fish and shellfish.


Up to 4 days
Cooked egg dishes; soups and stews; cooked casseroles; gravy, broth, patties, and nuggets; store-cooked dinners and entrees; fully-cooked ham slices.


Up to 5 days
Canned ham (labeled “Keep Refrigerated”); egg, chicken, tuna, ham, and macaroni salads; opened luncheon meats; fully-cooked ham, half.


Up to 7 days
Bacon; smoked sausage links or patties; fully-cooked ham, whole; corned beef in pouch (with pickling juices)


Up to 2 weeks
Unopened hot dog and luncheon meat packages.


Up to 3 weeks
Opened summer sausage packages; hard sausage (such as pepperoni)

This chart is meant to be a guide. If something exhibits qualities associated with spoiling, such as an unpleasant smell, discoloration, or an off-flavor, it should be disposed.

Leftovers should be kept as long as the fastest-spoiling ingredient it contains. For example, a casserole containing bacon should only be kept for a maximum of 4 days because it is a casserole, regardless of the fact that the bacon would be good for another 3 days.

Being aware of the ingredients of your dish and how long they are good for can help reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness.

Following these simple rules when it comes to refrigeration can help ensure food is safe to consume. Checking the temperature of the refrigerator, ensuring you order your food from lowest to highest cooking temperature, and storing food for the appropriate amount of time can help keep your food safe and your customers happy.

For more information and other food safety tips, take our online Food Handler course.

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Knowing where in the fridge to store your food is a question that many people wish they knew the answer to. Refrigerating your food correctly is important to ensure that your food remains safe to eat and stop harmful bacteria spreading for raw to ready-to-eat foods. But what goes where?

How to Store Food in a Fridge:

(Please note that the diagram below was created for the purposes of a domestic fridge, with the bottom shelf being a vegetable drawer).

Top and middle shelf

Ready-to-eat foods, such as dairy products, ready meals and packaged foods, leftovers, cooked meats and prepared salads. These should all be covered or kept in sealed containers to prevent contamination. Ready-to-eat foods are stored at the top of the fridge, away from raw foods so that harmful bacteria cannot transfer from the raw food to the cooked food.

Bottom shelf

Raw meat, poultry and fish in sealed containers to stop them touching or dripping onto other foods. Raw meats should always be stored at the bottom of your fridge to prevent cross-contamination. Ensure that each item is wrapped or in a sealed container so that it doesn’t come into contact with other foods.

Salad drawer

Fruit, vegetables and salad vegetables that have been washed prior to storage. Make sure that your fruit, vegetables and salad are wrapped in paper or plastic with air holes to keep them protected from any contamination. For salads and herbs, try wrapping them in a damp paper towel before storing to prevent them from drying out and to keep them fresher for longer.

Have you seen our latest report examining regional standards of food hygiene across the UK? Check out our interactive map and discover how hygienic your hometown really is in Food Hygiene: Know the Score.

Food Hygiene Tips for Your Fridge

Remember that your fridge should be set at a temperature between 0-5°c so that the rate of food spoilage is slowed and harmful bacteria cannot multiply. At this temperature, your food will be kept safe to eat.

Also remember to keep an eye on use-by dates. Any food that has passed its use-by date should not be eaten as harmful bacteria has had chance to grow and make the food dangerous to health. Foods past their best-before dates can be eaten as this is only a mark of quality, not safety.

Thinking of selling your homemade produce? Look no further than our Starting a Food Business From Home guide.

General Rules of Refrigeration

• Make sure that the refrigerator is never overloaded. Whilst cramming that last piece of food into the fridge may seem a good idea at the time, you are in danger of blocking the cooling unit that will chill your food. There is also a danger that the fridge door could not be properly shut, leaving you food that is unfit to eat the following morning! Air needs to be able to circulate around the food.
• New stock should always be placed behind old stock. Yes, the rules in a commercial kitchen should apply at home as well. Ensure you eat the food in the fridge based on the use by date in order to prevent food wastage which ultimately hits your wallet!
• Open cans should never be stored in the refrigerator as this may result in chemical contamination, especially acidic food such as fruit and tomatoes. If you wish to put canned food in the fridge, ensure that you put the food into a container that is suitable for chilling first.
• If your fridge temperatures are too high, it may be the result of overloading, the blocking of cooling units, or the thermostat being set too high. If your fridge does not have a thermometer built in, we recommend that you purchase a fridge thermometer to monitor the temperature. Remember that the correct temperature is- 0-5°c.

Responsible for a commercial refrigerator? Our Level 3 Food Safety Course is a comprehensive overview of everything required to manage food hygiene in your business. 

Further Food Hygiene Resources