Clean your fridge and pantry for your family’s health

You clean your windows and vacuum your rugs. But have you looked inside your fridge and pantry lately?

“Your refrigerator and pantry are important allies in the food safety fight,” explains Dr. Don Schaffner, a microbiologist and spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists, a non-profit society of food scientists. “They store and protect your family’s food. And when it comes to health and safety at home, the refrigerator and kitchen pantry are crucial. If not cleaned properly, refrigerators and pantries can harbor bacteria, which can lead to food-borne illnesses.”

Bacteria are invisible enemies, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, because you can’t see, taste or smell them. Under the right conditions, bacteria can grow rapidly. Controlling temperature is a critical factor in controlling bacteria in food. Refrigeration slows bacterial growth in food. For safety, foods must be held at proper cold temperatures in refrigerators or freezers. Here are some food safety tips to keep in mind.

• A refrigerator set at 40 F or below will protect most foods. Avoid setting the refrigerator so low that some food items freeze, because this can lower food quality and shelf life.

• Frozen food will hold its top quality for the longest possible time when the freezer maintains zero degrees.

• Maintain proper refrigerator temperature by using an appliance thermometer. It’s specially designed to measure the temperature of the air in either the refrigerator or freezer. Most appliance thermometers are either liquid-filled or bimetallic-coil thermometers.

• Most refrigerators and freezers can be easily adjusted to run colder or warmer. The temperature control is usually accessible in the refrigerator part of the appliance. Check the owner’s manual for specific details on adjusting the temperature. An adjustment period is often required when changing the temperature.

• Pantries should be cool and dry. High temperatures or humidity may reduce storage time.

Once your refrigerator and pantry are at the proper temperature, keep them clean using these tips:

• Wipe up spills immediately.

• To keep the refrigerator or pantry smelling fresh, place an opened box of baking soda on a shelf.

• Clean refrigerator surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water and then rinse. You can also wipe inside the unit with equal parts vinegar and water. Vinegar provides acid, which destroys mildew. Carefully remove and wash refrigerator shelves and drawers.

• Generally, the limit for storing cooked food is four days. For raw poultry and ground meats, the limit is one to two days. Refer to the cold storage chart for storage of meat, poultry and egg products in the home refrigerator.

• Throw out leaking, bulging, rusting or badly dented cans, cracked jars or any container that spurts when opened, or which seems to have lost its vacuum seal.

• Avoid using solvent cleaning agents, abrasives and all cleansers that may impart taste to food or ice cubes, or cause damage to the interior finish of your refrigerator. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

The front grill of the refrigerator should be kept free of dust and lint to permit free air flow to the condenser. The condenser coil should be cleaned several times a year with a brush or vacuum cleaner to remove dirt, lint or other accumulations.

“Like fresh foods, pantry foods have storage time limits for best quality,” says Schaffner.

• Know the product dating terms. “Sell By” tells the store how long to display the product. The “Best if Used By” date is recommended for best flavor or quality, and “Use By” is the last date recommended to use the product at its peak quality.

• In general, high-acid canned foods such as tomatoes, grapefruit and pineapple can be stored from 12 to 18 months.

• Low-acid canned foods like meat, poultry, fish and most vegetables will keep two to five years, if the can is in good condition and is stored in a cool, clean, dry place.

“If you don’t see a ‘Use By’ date on a container of food, just note the date you purchased the food yourself, using a permanent marker. This will help you practice good ‘stock rotation,’“ Schaffner says.