Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles Food Storage and Cold Storage Guidelines

Spoilage and Nutrient Loss What causes spoilage?? Heat Air Moisture Light Dirt What are the signs? Wilting Discoloration Slimy Moldy Tears, holes, bruises Smelly Nasty taste

What is shelf-life??? Length of time the food can be stored and still retain its quality Important to Buy only what you need Eat older food first (FIFO) Follow “Sell By” or “Use By” dates Use canned foods within 1 year Clean surfaces and throw out spoiled food

Rule of Thumb…… Wherever you find it in the grocery store, you can store it there at home!!! Ex. Bananas are in the aisle at room temp. Store them on the counter at home. What about ketchup, salad dressing, jelly? At room temp until opened, then in fridge

Guidelines for Refrigerator Storage Don’t overstock Transfer food from open cans to storage containers Meat, poultry, and fish on plate in bottom Fruits and Veggies in crisper drawers Shallow containers for leftovers Label containers Use leftovers within a few days or freeze Pay attention to dates If frost or ice forms, turn the temp. down

Guidelines for Freezer Storage At 0ºF or below, foods keep 1mo. to 1 year Freezers function best when full Use special packaging to prevent freezer burn. (freezer bags, containers, etc)

Don’t Freeze These… Raw Veggies (lettuce) Cooked or raw eggs Mayo products Egg based sauces Many cheeses Baked goods with cream filling

Power Outage Freezer Refrigerator Full = 2 days Half full = 1 day Dry Ice…..DON’T TOUCH Discard food thawed for longer than 2 hours Clean it! (Baking Soda) Refrigerator 4 to 6 hours Ice block Discard food longer than 2 hours Fruits and Veggies safe if not moldy