When you shop for meat, poultry, fish or dairy products (and we hope you do at Peacock Poultry Farm) you’ll want to ensure that product freshness and quality will be maintained up to the time the meals are prepared.

“The Food Keeper” is a useful consumer guide or food quality and safe handling developed by the Food Market Institute and is posted on their website (www.fightbac.org).  The following is some useful information that will help make sure the best will be served at your family’s table:

First, plan ahead for upcoming meals.  That means buying foods in reasonable quantities and rotating them (first-in / first-out)  in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

 

Now let’s consider some hints specifically related to your refrigerator unit:

–  The refrigerator should be set to maintain a temperature of 40-degrees F or below.

–  Don’t overload the refrigerator.  Air must be able to circulate freely to cool all foods evenly.

–  Leave meat, poultry and seafood in the store packaging before using.  Repeated handling can introduce bacteria into products.

–  Store opened food in foil, plastic wrap, leak-proof plastic bags or airtight food storage containers to keep the foods from drying out.

–  Place meat, poultry and seafood in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  This is normally on the lowest shelves, and this location also minimizes the chance of leakage onto other foods.-

–  Defrost or marinate meats in the refrigerator … never on the counter.

–  Finally, clean the refrigerator regularly to remove spoiled food, odors and bacteria that cannot be detected.

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This month’s “Facts from the Farm” …