Refrigerate Right

When storing food in a refrigerator, it’s important to cover and place the food in a way that helps to keep it from getting cross-contaminated with drippings or juices from other foods.

  • Keep food wrapped or covered.
  • Use shallow pans for quick cooling.
  • Store ready-to-eat foods above raw meats to prevent cross-contamination.
    • Store your cooked and ready-to-eat foods (i.e. milk, cheese, deli) on the upper shelves.
    • Store unwashed fruits, vegetables and reheatable foods in the middle shelves.
    • Store raw meats (i.e. poultry, beef, pork) and seafood on the bottom shelves.
A graphic displaying the proper way to shelf food in a fridge. Full description below image.

The “Refrigerate Right” graphic is available for download in the following languages: