Safe food storage

Home > Services > Environment > Food hygiene and quality

Poor food handling in kitchens is thought to cause about a third of food poisoning cases. You can protect yourself and your family from food poisoning by paying attention to how you store food.

Store foods in the right place

• Raw foods and perishable ready to eat foods belong in the fridge, in separate containers, with raw foods on the bottom of the fridge.
• Keep eggs and dairy products in the fridge.
• Check the labels of food jars to see which ones need to go in the fridge once they've been opened.
• Never put open cans in the fridge. Transfer the contents into a storage container or covered bowl.
• Reseal packets of dried foods such as flour, rice and breakfast cereal tightly after opening, or transfer the contents to storage jars.

Store foods for the right length of time

• No food lasts forever, however well stored. Most pre-packed foods carry either a 'Use By' or 'Best Before' date.

'Use by' dates

• 'Use by' dates are for highly perishable foods that go off quickly. No-one likes to waste food, but it can be very dangerous to eat foods past their use by date.

'Best before' dates

• 'Best before' dates are for foods with a longer life. They indicate how long the food will be at its best quality. If a food looks or smells off, don't eat it - even if it is within its best before date. Use up leftovers from the fridge within two days.

For general healthy eating and food safety advice, visit www.eatwell.gov.uk.

Contact information

• email: b-serv.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0141 840 3106
• call in or write to us at:

Renfrewshire Council
Environmental Services
Business Regulation
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1BR

back to top