Fresh food storage

What temperature should a fridge be set at for fresh food storage?

The Food Standards Agency is pretty clear on this, stating that your fridge should be kept at 5?C or below. A temperature below 0?C will freeze most foods, so that gives you a range from 0 to 5?C.

That's important to know, but is it better to aim for the lower or higher end of the range? Most sources recommend storing refrigerated foods between 1 and 4?C. If you store your food too close to zero, you could freeze it if your gauge is slightly out. You will also be burning more energy to take heat out of the fridge.

On the other hand, bacterial growth rate increases the warmer it gets. Since bacteria multiply exponentially, a small difference in temperature can make a significant difference in shelf life.

If you have several fridges and tend to refrigerate food for long periods of time, you might notice a significant difference between one and five degrees. If you are storing high risk foods such as meat, fish and dairy products, it is probably best to err on the side of caution and aim low.

On the other hand, if you have a single fridge and a quick turnover of product, setting your fridge for 5?C could save you more on energy while having no impact on spoilage rates.

And by the way, if you think in Fahrenheit, then 5?Celsius converts to 41?F, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agency (FDA) recommending a fridge temperature below 40?F.

What temperature should a fridge be? special cases

Not all of our customers work in the food industry. Here is some extra information about refrigerating non-food products:

What temperature should a fridge be kept at for alcohol storage?

Alcohol rarely needs to be stored below 6?C, but if you don't have the luxury of a separate fridge, the main consideration is the gap between refrigeration and serving time. White wine is best removed from the fridge for 20 minutes before serving while red wine should be chilled in the fridge for 20 minutes beforehand. Beer, champagne and sweet liqueurs should be refrigerated as should vermouth, despite its high alcohol content.

What temperature should a fridge be set to for medicines and other medical products?

Some medicines and blood products also need to be refrigerated for safety purposes. We assume that if you are responsible for medicines, then you have been suitably trained and know that you should look at the information on the medicine or product you are storing for guidance on safe storage.

However, from a purely informational standpoint, insulin and some antibiotics need to be stored between 2?C and 8?C while blood should be kept between 2?C and 6?C.

What does it mean if my fridge keeps running warm?

There could be several reasons why your fridge is warmer than it should be, but one of the most common culprits is a dirty or damaged seal. We have written several articles on fridge seals, including how to clean them and how to tell when they need replacing.

It could also be that your fridge is not running high at all, and the problem is a faulty temperature gauge. It is not uncommon for fridge gauges to be out by several degrees so, to be sure, get hold of a free-standing appliance thermometer for a second opinion. The Food Standards Agency explicitly recommends this.

If you do need to replace a worn or damaged seal, please visit our home page and discover just how easy it is to source and order the exact seal you need for your commercial fridge.