Spring Cleaning: Don’t Forget the Fridge!

Spring is in full bloom and it's time to give your home a thorough spring cleaning. This year, be sure to include the refrigerator among your chores. Cleaning out your fridge and freezer will not only make things tidier, but will also improve the safety and quality of your food.

To avoid getting a foodborne disease (which cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), store food properly as quickly as possible after you leave the grocery store. Make sure to set your refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

To clean the refrigerator, wipe down the interior walls, shelves, and rubber gaskets with a weak, sanitizing cleaning solution. (Ideally, this should be done once a week. Once a year is a must.)

As for which foods to keep and which to toss, use the expiration date as a guide. Note that the dates reflect when to buy or use products at their best quality. Therefore, the trick is to know how long a product is good to eat after its expiration date. Here are some tips to follow:

The Refrigerator
"Sell-by" (or "pull") dates tell stores how long to display the product for sale and take into account additional storage time at home. Try to buy a product before this date.

"Use-by" dates indicate the last day recommended for use of a perishable product while at peak quality. Try to avoid buying foods that are already past this date, even though most are generally still safe to eat.

Regarding specific foods: Store meat, fish, and poultry, sealed-tight, in the "meat keeper" drawer or the back of the bottom shelf, where the refrigerator is coldest, for one to two days only. Keep eggs in their cartons up to five weeks after expiration. Dairy products tend to spoil quickly after their expiration dates have passed, so use them accordingly. Raw fruits and vegetables may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

The Freezer
Frozen foods are safe indefinitely, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. So, while their expiration dates apply only to quality and nutritional value, make sure the items are frozen solid without signs of thawing. Otherwise:

• Freeze food right away to help keep the product at its peak quality.


• Freeze food in either its original packaging or packed in freezer bags or heavy-duty foil for maximum freshness.


• Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food.

The Pantry
Bread products that contain eggs but have been baked (like muffins) can safely be kept at room temperature for about a week. If you see signs of mold, they should be tossed. Bakery items (which should have a "sell-by" date) that contain custards, meat, vegetables, or frostings made of cream cheese, whipped cream, or eggs should be kept refrigerated.

Bottom line: While you may be methodical about checking nutrition labels on foods for calories and fat content, keep in mind the dangers of improper food storage. Thus, along with your usual hard work, resolve to add the refrigerator and freezer to your spring-cleaning list this year.

And in general, be sure to follow expiration dates to determine how long foods are safe to eat. Of course, regardless of the date on any product, throw out any food that smells funny or has something growing on it that you think shouldn't be there.

Robin Brett Weschler
Modern Menus Nutritionist
www.modernmenus.com