Cooler Safety 101

One of our girls had a visit with her parents yesterday. I had to stay there, so I brought along a couple of magazines and tore out interesting items and disposed of the magazines.

One of the articles I found was on how to load a cooler. I don't think I've ever heard anything "official" on loading a cooler in order to keep food safe and edible.

By following these tips, we can save money and time by keeping food fresh and not having to replenish spoiled food. And not having to take someone to the doctor because they ate spoiled food!

The following tips are from the Rubbermaid Food Science experts, courtesy of the June 2009 Family Circle magazine (p. 186):

"- Store items separately in containers and keep in the fridge for an hour before loading up.

- Line your cooler with a ring of cold soda cans or water bottles, then pour ice in the center. Add in food next, and put a layer of ice on top.

- Position coolers out of the direct sun and keep the lid closed as much as possible."

- Discard any food that has been left out for two hours, or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees."

Do you have some cooler safety suggestions? If you receive this by email, make your suggestions here.


Some related topics:
Get Organized Month 2009 - Organizing Your Fridge to Keep Foods Fresh
Demystifying Food Expiration Dates
Organize an Emergency Kit for Your Car