Safe Home Food Storage 
Peggy Van LaanenAssociate Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist The Texas A&M University System How important is proper food storage? It can help you: 
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Preserve food quality, including nutrients, flavor and texture; 
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Make the most of your food dollar by preventing spoilage; and 
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Prevent food-borne illness caused by harm-ful bacteria. 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 quality of fresh meat or produce when it is acquired greatly affects how long it can be stored without spoilage or loss of quality. The storage times in this publication assume that foods are fresh and desirable when acquired. Remember that stored foods are never fresher than when first put into storage.When grocery shopping, choose perishable items last, go straight home and store them properly in the refrigerator or freezer. A good policy to follow is “first in, first out,”meaning that you rotate items so that you use the older items first. Also, buy foods in reasonable amounts so that you can use them while they are still of good quality. Excess food may become waste. Here are some general guidelines for proper food storage. 
Pantry 
Pantry storage conditions should be dry, cool and dark. Ideally, the temperature in the pan-try should be 50 to 70 F. Higher temperaturesspeed up deterioration. Always store foods in the coolest cabinets away from the range, oven, water heater, dishwasher or any hot pipes. For example, the area under the sink is not a good place to store potatoes or Onions. Although many staples and pantry items have a long shelf life and may be advertised at special prices, buy only what you expect to use within the recommended storage times.To prevent foods from deteriorating in the pantry, store them in metal, glass or plastic con-tainers. Keep these containers, as well as commercially canned foods, clean and free of dust, which can drop into them when opened. Treat storage areas for pests and clean the pantry periodically to remove food particles. 
Refrigerator 
Maintain the refrigerator temperature at 40° For below. Use an appliance thermometer at vari-ous points in the refrigerator to monitor temperatures. Always store the most perishable items, including meats, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, in the coldest sections of the refrigerator.Do not overload the refrigerator, which can reduce the temperature inside. Air must be able to circulate freely to cool foods adequately. Clean the refrigerator to remove spills and spoiled foods. These provide a medium for bacteria to grow in and possibly contaminate other foods. Refrigerator temperatures only slow bac-terial growth; they do not prevent it. To maintain the quality of refrigerated foods,store them in airtight wraps or containers. This prevents foods from drying out, and odors or fla-vors from transferring from one food to another. Avoid using plastic bags or containers not made for storage. Do not reuse plastic bags that originally contained raw meats, poultry or fish. Store raw meats, poultry and fish so that juices do not drip onto and contaminate other foods. Wrap them securely. Therefore, it’s also a good idea to set them on a plate or other container. 
Freezer 
Maintain a freezer temperature of 0° F or below. Food quality deteriorates at temperaturesabove 0° F. Monitor the temperature with anappliance thermometer. A good rule of thumb isthat if the freezer can’t keep ice cream brick-solid,the temperature is not cold enough.Remember: Freezer temperatures stop or pre-vent bacteria from growing, but do not kill them.Thus, as foods thaw, they can become unsafebecause bacteria that cause food-borne illnessmay be able to grow. Therefore, it’s best to thaw foods in the refrigerator. Package items for the freezer in moisture- andvapor-proof wraps or containers. Use only freezer-grade foil, plastic wrap or bags, or use freezer paper or freezer containers. If necessary,use freezer tape to make sure the package is air-tight. If the packaging is torn or develops holes, freezer burn may result. Label all freezer foods with the date, type offood and weight or number of servings. Partially thawed food may be refrozen as long as it still has ice crystals. Refreezing, however,may lower the quality. Do not refreeze combination dishes such as stews, soups and casseroles. 
Food freshness — checkthe label 
Consumers can judge the freshness of food when the manufacturer uses “open dating” on food packages. “Open dating” means that the manufacturer uses a calendar date (for example,Mar 12) to help store managers determine the length of time a food should be offered for sale. These dates are usually found on perishable foods. With “open dating,” there are four types of dates that may be found on a food package: 
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“Sell by” 
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“Pull date” 
— This date tells the store how long to display the food for sale. Foods eaten after this date are usually safe to eat as long as they are stored for no longer than recommended time, and handled and prepared safely. See the Food Storage Timetable for recommendations. 
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“Best if used by (before) date” 
— This date means that the food will be of its highest quality or flavor if consumed before the date on the package. Foods may be safely consumed after the date indicated on the package, if they are stored for no longer than recommended, are handled and prepared properly and show no signs of spoilage. 
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“Expiration date” 
— This is the last day the food should be eaten. Except for eggs, discard foods not consumed by this date.EGGS: The expiration date is the last date a store can sell the eggs and still refer to them as “fresh.” Buy eggs before the expiration date and use them within 30 days. After 30 days, discard the eggs. Do not buy eggs if the expiration date on the package has passed. 
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“Pack date” 
— This is the date the food was packaged or processed. Consumers may be able to determine the age of the product by looking at this date.