Protect your food’s safety, quality, and nutritional value. Taking the time to safely store food helps prevent illnesses you can get from food. Storage also affects the quality of food. Let’s face it: no one enjoys eating a soft and wiggly stick of celery that has sat too long in the fridge! Finally, improper storage can cause some nutrients in foods to break down, leaving you with less than you paid for.
Keeping the food that you buy fresh and nutritious isn’t complicated. In fact, following a few simple guidelines will help you enjoy all of the benefits of healthy food.
At the Grocery Store
- Some foods need cooler temperatures to keep them safe and fresh, e.g., meat, fish, poultry, and milk products. Put these foods in your grocery cart just before you’re ready to pay for your groceries.
- Check the “best before date,” and choose the latest date possible. “Best before dates” tell you how long the unopened product will keep its taste and nutritional value.
- Avoid cans of foods that are bulging, leaking, or dented near a rim or seam. These dents may mean that bacteria have entered the food, making it unsafe to eat.
- Inspect produce carefully. Choose vegetables and fruit that look crisp and fresh. Avoid produce that is bruised, wilted, brown, or very soft.
- Go straight home. Food kept in a warm vehicle can reach unsafe temperatures. Heat can also destroy the taste and nutritional value of many foods. If you need to make a few stops on your way home, putting a cooler with a freezer pack inside the car is a good way to store your groceries safely.
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At Home
- Keep your food cold. Refrigeration helps keep fresh food such as milk, red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and certain types of produce safe and great tasting. Put away food that needs to be kept in the fridge or freezer as soon as you get home.
- Do a temperature check. Ideally, the temperature inside your fridge will read 4°C (40°F) or less. Freezers should keep food at -18°C (0° F) or less.
- Avoid the door. Keep meat, eggs, or milk on the shelves in the centre of your fridge instead of in the door where it’s often slightly warmer.
- Wash up. With the exception of leafy, salad greens (which may wilt without added water), do not wash fresh fruit and vegetables before storing. Instead, wash produce just before you plan to eat it. Wash all vegetables and fruit (even those that you will peel) under clean, cold running water for several minutes. (Using soap is not necessary.)
- Use leftovers sooner rather than later. Eat leftovers within two to three days, or freeze them for later use.
- Know when it has to go. Different food can be kept safely for different lengths of time. Know the safe storage times of different foods, and throw out food that is past its due date. If in doubt, throw it out!
Safety First!
Don’t take chances when it comes to food safety. Throw out any food that hasn’t been stored properly or that you believe is unsafe.
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Learn More
Food Safety Facts on Leftovers
Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
How to Store Food Safely
The Food Safety Information Society shares information on safe storage times for different kinds of foods. Call toll-free (1 800 892-8333) for more information.
Safe Handling of Vegetables and Fruit
Make the most of the money you spend on fresh produce with tips on buying, washing, and storing vegetables and fruit.
