Many people pay little attention to safely storing their food. Of course, if you are not practicing safe food storage, you could one day open your fridge to a noxious odor or actually make your family sick by feeding them foods that are no longer fresh. Food storage is not difficult; you simply have to learn when foods go bad and how to prolong their usability. How you store foods will depend on the type of food. For instance, dairy and meats are stored in a cold environment while packaged or canned foods can be stored in cupboards.

• Freeze or refrigerate perishable foods as soon as possible. When you return home from the grocery store, put any refrigerated or frozen foods away quickly. If you are planning to use a food that is frozen or refrigerated for cooking, be sure that you do not leave it out of the cold for more than two hours. This two hour rule applies to any prepared foods as well. If you have leftovers, be sure to store them in the refrigerator within two hours.
• Readymade foods such as packaged lunch meats should be eaten quickly. The rule is two days in the refrigerator. Anything longer than that poses a risk to your health. Bacteria can grow on these foods when left uneaten for too long.
• Check the temperature within your refrigerator. You want to keep your temperature at 40*F or lower. Your freezer should be kept at Zero degrees Fahrenheit. You should not put all of your trust in your temperature dial. Buy an appliance thermometer and keep it in your refrigerator to ensure that your foods are being properly stored.
• Learn how to read food storage labels and refer to them when storing foods. The “use by” date is important as it gives you information regarding when the foods will go bad. There are many items such as jellies, mayonnaise and other refrigerator foods that will last for many months but you should still check the dates. All foods should have a “use by” date printed on them.
• If you are in doubt about a particular food, it is much better to be safe than sorry. There is a saying “when in doubt – throw it out”. If you are unsure that for how long the food has been stored or you simply feel that it is not safe then by all means, throw it out.

There is no magic way to know when a food is safe. Some foods will remain good for much longer than others. Store your refrigerated foods in airtight containers and label them so that you will know when they were stored. It is recommended that eggs be stored in their cartons as opposed to the compartment that may be in the refrigerator door. Foods that are stored in the door area are not kept as cold as foods actually inside the fridge. Store only condiments and drinks in the door and keep spoilable foods safely inside on the shelves.

Here are a few additional tips for freezing foods:

• Foods that have freezer burn are actually not necessarily bad. Freezer burned foods will not taste as nice as those that have no freezer burn, but this is actually a quality issue and not a safety one.
• Foods can typically be frozen for up to one year, although most experts recommend that you eat frozen foods within six months of purchasing them.

Keeping your non-perishable foods safe to eat is also important. Again, you will want to check the “use by” dates on any boxed, packaged or canned foods to ensure that they are safe to eat. Inspect your canned foods for damages like swellings, dents or punctures. Canned foods that are leaky or swollen are likely no longer safe to eat and should be thrown out. It is also important that you keep your foods safely away from cleaning agents and other chemicals. Never store foods with cleaning products. Use your own common sense when it comes to eating foods that have been stored and remember to always check your dates.