Handling food in the home

This fact sheet helps you avoid problems when buying and storing food.

• 7 September 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

A guide to shopping

• Don't buy these foods 
• Examine these foods closely
• Be careful
• After buying food

Today most foods are purchased at supermarkets where you, the customer, can select your own purchases.

It is a good idea to spend a little extra time examining and reading the label of each package. In this way you can often detect defects in the items before you buy, so saving time and money.

Although the standard of food available in Australia is generally very high, problems do occur and the following hints will help you to avoid them.

Don't buy these foods

• Swollen chilled food packages - this fault is not uncommon and results from microbial action - i.e. the contents are `going off' - which produces gas and swells the container. Foods which can be affected include fruit juices, unprocessed cheeses, pasta and yoghurt. These items are not sterile when they are packaged. When spoilage occurs it usually means they have been stored for some time at temperatures above those necessary for safe storage.

• Swollen and severely dented cans - swollen cans are rare and should always be brought to the notice of the store manager because it means all is not well inside the cans. The contents of severely dented cans should never be consumed.

• Dairy products and delicatessen items kept outside a refrigerated cabinet - they should be cold at the time of purchase and the wise shopper does not buy from a store which keeps these foods at room temperature.

• Refrigerated food such as casseroles, pasta, past its 'use-by' date - at best it could have quality defects; at worst it could cause food poisoning.

• Frozen and refrigerated foods which have been stored outside the `load line' in the display cabinet - the load line indicates the level to which foods may be stored and remain at the correct temperature. Unfortunately this line cannot always be seen but it is usually about 5 cm below the rim of the cabinet.

• Frozen food packs containing ice crystals or packets with clumps of ice between them - both conditions indicate re-freezing and probably loss of quality. The ice present in the pack is water which has been withdrawn from the food and the result usually is undesirable changes in the flavour and texture of the food.

• Foods in torn packages or with imperfect seals: the food has probably deteriorated in quality.

Examine these foods closely

• Cheese packed in transparent films - look for evidence of mould growth.

• Labels - they should be informative. Favour those brands with labels which list storage temperatures or describe any special precautions necessary for storage. Directions for preparations are put there for a good reason and should always be followed with chilled, frozen and canned foods.

Be careful

Advertising claims about the health giving properties of a food are tightly controlled by regulations. Only certain claims are permitted. The best way to ensure your family is being properly nourished is to plan meals sensibly using the Australian Dietary Guidelines and a variety of foods. Advice on this aspect of family care is freely available at Nutrition Australia [external link].

Weekly specials in food lines can be slow moving items nearing the end of their acceptable storage life. Several weeks of storage in the home may be possible with stable items such as canned goods, but storage for many months without inspection should be avoided.

Avoid overbuying, particularly perishable foods, but also so-called long-life foods such as canned and dehydrated items. The convenience and economy of quantity buying is lost if some of the food deteriorates or spoils and you have to throw it out.

After buying food

Make sure chilled and frozen packaged foods are wrapped in several layers of paper - preferably butcher's paper but newspaper will do - to keep temperature changes to a minimum on the way home. If the store staff are unwilling to wrap perishables take the time to do it yourself or shop around for a store which will wrap them for you.

Note: It is a safe surmise that if staff look after food as it is leaving the store they probably look after it properly when they receive it.

Take along an insulated container to keep items cold if there is likely to be a delay before you reach home.

Return home as soon as possible after you have finished shopping.

Place perishables in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as you get home after you have read the storage instructions.