Keeping Food Fresh
17
Keeping Food Safe
to Eat
Your Sub-Zero unit is the most
advanced refrigeration system
available to help keep food
fresh, and keep it safe to eat.
But the quality and safety of
your food depends not only on
having the best refrigeration
system. It also depends on you
and how you handle your food.
The information in this section
gives you the most current food
handling and storage recommen-
dations to help you keep food at
its best. If you have specific
questions that are not addressed
here, contact your University or
County Extension Service, or
the USDA Meat and Poultry
Hotline – Mon.-Fri.10am-4pm
EDT, 800-535-4555.
Most food deteriorates over
time. That is inevitable. From
the time it is harvested, slaugh-
tered, or manufactured, until it is
consumed, food undergoes
changes. Microorganisms (bac-
teria, yeasts and molds) get into
food, multiply in number, and
cause spoilage. Enzymes that
occur naturally in food continue
the ripening process, even after
the food is harvested. Improper
temperatures cause food to dete-
riorate faster. Changes in humi-
dity cause wilting and shriveling
that can lead to spoilage.
But good handling practices can
minimize the rate of changes in
food. Here’s what you can do…
• Follow the recommended
storage times and temperatures
in the following pages of this
booklet. Your Sub-Zero unit
accurately maintains temper-
atures in different temperature
zones, helping to slow the
growth of food spoilage
microorganisms, and to slow
the ripening process.
• Use specially designed com-
partments for dairy foods, deli
foods, and fresh produce.
These compartments maintain
temperature and humidity
levels that keep foods fresh.
• Rotate food in refrigeration
units, using a “first-in-first-out”
system.
When food does spoil, it’s
usually obvious. It becomes
moldy, has an off-odor, looks
rotten, slimy, or discolored. But
there are times when it may not
be so obvious.
As a general rule, if you think a
food has been stored too long
and may be spoiled, discard it.
Don’t taste it to check and see if
it’s ok. While the bacteria that
cause this kind of food spoilage
will not cause foodborne illness,
or food poisoning, taste-testing
is not a recommended practice.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Most foodborne illness, often
called food poisoning, is preven-
table. It can be prevented by
following some basic rules…
keep food either hot or cold,
and keep everything that touches
food clean.
eeping food at its best
K
eeping
food at its best
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