What is storing food in the freezer?

The freezer keeps food at about -18\,^C, where bacteria cannot multiply (they are not killed, just paused). Rules:

SingaporeNutrition & Food ScienceSyllabus dot point

How should we store different foods, in the fridge, the freezer and the cupboard, to keep them safe and fresh for as long as possible?

Describe how to store food safely, including the correct use of the fridge and freezer and the meaning of food date labels

A simple, focused answer on food storage for N(A)-Level Nutrition and Food Science: how to store food in the fridge, freezer and cupboard, where to place raw meat, the temperatures to use, and the meaning of use-by and best-before dates.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.87 min answerUpdated 2026-06-06

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What this dot point is asking
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Try this

What this dot point is asking

SEAB wants you to describe how to store food safely in the fridge, freezer and cupboard, where to place raw meat, the temperatures to use, and what date labels mean. The big idea links back to bacteria: cold storage slows or stops bacterial growth by removing the warmth they need, and good storage also prevents cross-contamination and waste. The marks come from correct temperatures, the bottom-shelf rule, and the use-by versus best-before distinction.

The answer

Storing food in the fridge

The fridge keeps food cold to slow bacterial growth. Rules:

Keep the fridge at about $0\,^\circ\text{C}$ to $5\,^\circ\text{C}$ (below 5 degrees Celsius).
Store raw meat and fish on the bottom shelf, in covered containers, so their juices cannot drip onto ready-to-eat food below (preventing cross-contamination).
Cover all food to stop it drying out, picking up smells, or spreading bacteria.
Do not overfill the fridge, so cold air can circulate.
Put cooked food in only after cooling it quickly, and use leftovers within a couple of days.

Storing food in the freezer

The freezer keeps food at about $-18\,^\circ\text{C}$ , where bacteria cannot multiply (they are not killed, just paused). Rules:

Wrap or seal food well to prevent freezer burn (dry, damaged patches).
Label food with the date so older food is used first.
Thaw frozen food in the fridge, not on the counter, so the outside does not warm into the danger zone while the inside is still frozen.
Do not refreeze food that has been thawed, as bacteria may have grown.

Storing dry and ambient foods

Dry foods such as rice, flour, sugar and canned goods are stored in a cool, dry cupboard in sealed, airtight containers to keep out moisture and pests. Use the first in, first out rule so older stock is used first.

Food date labels

Date labels guide safe use:

A use-by date is about safety: food may be unsafe after this date and should not be eaten. It is used on high-risk foods such as meat, fish and dairy.
A best-before date is about quality: after it the food is usually still safe but may have lost flavour, texture or freshness. It is used on longer-life foods such as biscuits and canned goods.

Putting away a grocery shop safely

A student returns from the supermarket with raw chicken, milk, vegetables, frozen peas, rice and canned tuna, and wants to store everything safely.

Step 1: Deal with chilled and frozen items first

Put the frozen peas straight into the freezer and the milk and raw chicken into the fridge quickly, so they do not warm up into the danger zone.

Step 2: Place raw meat correctly

Store the raw chicken in a covered container on the bottom shelf of the fridge, below the milk and vegetables, so its juices cannot drip onto ready-to-eat food.

Step 3: Store the ambient foods

Keep the rice in a sealed, airtight container and the canned tuna in a cool, dry cupboard, placing newer stock behind older so the older is used first.

Step 4: Check temperatures and dates

Check the fridge is at 0 to 5 degrees Celsius and the freezer at about minus 18, and note the use-by date on the chicken and milk so they are eaten in time.

By chilling perishables fast, placing raw meat low, and storing dry goods sealed, the student keeps all the food safe.

Examples in context

Example 1. Storing leftover dinner. After dinner, a family cools the leftover curry quickly (for example by dividing it into shallow containers) and refrigerates it within a short time, then uses it within a day or two. Quick cooling limits the time the food spends in the danger zone, showing safe storage of cooked food in a warm climate.

Example 2. Reading labels at the supermarket. A shopper picks a carton of milk with a use-by date several days ahead because that date is about safety, but is happy to buy biscuits past their best-before date on offer, knowing they are still safe though perhaps less crisp. This shows the practical difference between the two date labels.

Try this

Q1. State the temperature a fridge should be kept at. [1 mark]

Cue. About 0 to 5 degrees Celsius (below 5).

Q2. Explain why raw meat should be stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge. [2 marks]

Cue. So its juices, which may contain harmful bacteria, cannot drip onto ready-to-eat food below, preventing cross-contamination.

Q3. Explain the difference between a use-by date and a best-before date. [2 marks]

Cue. Use by is about safety (do not eat after); best before is about quality (usually still safe but may have lost freshness).

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

Original6 marks(a) State the temperature a fridge should be kept at. (b) Explain why raw meat should be stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge. (c) Explain the difference between a 'use by' date and a 'best before' date. (Section B style)

Show worked answer →

(a) A fridge should be kept at about $0\,^\circ\text{C}$ to $5\,^\circ\text{C}$ (below 5 degrees Celsius).

(b) Raw meat can drip juices that contain harmful bacteria. Storing it on the bottom shelf, in a covered container, means the juices cannot drip down onto ready-to-eat food below, preventing cross-contamination.

(c) A 'use by' date is about safety; the food may be unsafe to eat after this date and should not be used. A 'best before' date is about quality; after it the food is usually still safe but may have lost some flavour, texture or freshness.

What markers reward: the correct fridge temperature range, explaining bottom-shelf storage to stop raw juices dripping onto other food, and the safety-versus-quality distinction between use by and best before.

Original4 marks(a) State two rules for storing food safely in the freezer. (b) Explain why cooked food should be cooled quickly before being put in the fridge. (Section B style)

Show worked answer →

(a) Any two of: freeze food at about $-18\,^\circ\text{C}$ ; wrap or seal food well to prevent freezer burn; label food with the date; do not refreeze food that has been thawed; and thaw frozen food in the fridge, not on the counter.

(b) Cooked food should be cooled quickly so it spends as little time as possible in the danger zone where bacteria multiply, and so that putting warm food in the fridge does not raise the fridge temperature and warm other foods.

What markers reward: two genuine freezer rules, and explaining quick cooling both to limit time in the danger zone and to avoid warming the fridge and other food.