5 Best Food Preservation Tips To Stop Food Spoilage

Food safety and the proper preparation and handling of food are of the utmost importance in keeping you, your family and friends safe.

As the weather becomes better and people turn to indoor and outdoor entertaining, it’s a good idea to revisit some of the basics of food spoilage - what it is and how it can be prevented to avoid illness and waste.

We’ve all been there – the hunger pangs strike and there’s nothing to eat. Then you realise you have some leftovers in the fridge from that roast you had a couple of nights ago. Or perhaps it’s that casserole that has been sitting on the bench all day that is tempting you? But how to know if these foods are still safe to eat?

In this article, learn how to know if a food has spoiled, what causes food spoilage, and how you can prevent food spoilage from occurring.

What is food spoilage?

Food spoilage is the process where a food product becomes undesirable or unacceptable to consume. Various factors can cause food spoilage, including light, heat, humidity and cross-contamination. When food spoils, pathogenic microorganisms may start to grow, making food unsafe to eat. This can occur even if the food looks and smells otherwise fine. But generally, when food has spoiled, you will often notice the following signs:

• Bad or unpleasant odour
• Visible signs of mould growth or deterioration such as a slimy film on the food
• Change of colour or texture
• Leaking or bubbling
• Bad taste

Aside from being unpleasant to smell and eat, food that has become spoiled may be dangerous to consume. Food poisoning can occur within hours of eating spoiled or contaminated food resulting in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. While symptoms will resolve in most people, some high-risk individuals (e.g. pregnant women, older adults, infants and young children, and people with chronic disease) can end up in the hospital due to eating spoiled foods.

How to prevent food spoilage

Luckily, there are many things you can do to prevent food from being spoiled. Keep these tips handy for the next time you host a dinner party or entertain guests:

1. Wash vegetables thoroughly

Growing your own vegetable garden is a cheap and delicious way to eat all your favourite vegetables, fruits and herbs year-round. However, if you are cooking from garden to kitchen, there are many chances of bacteria contamination.

Prevent fresh food contamination by choosing the right vegetable garden location (somewhere out of the path of people/pets with proper irrigation and no contact with harmful substances) and by avoiding the use of chemical pesticides. Whole fruits and vegetables will be contaminated on the surface, so scrubbing and washing them in water prior to prepping and cooking will keep you safe from potential contamination.

2. Practice food safety outdoors

If you’re planning on outdoor entertaining, particularly over the summer months, there is a high risk of food spoilage. Foods left outside and exposed to the elements can attract microorganisms that can damage and spoil them, making them unsafe to consume.

Simple rule of thumb is to always keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Unless you have an indoor/outdoor kitchen to keep foods safely stored, you will need to ensure that all your dishes aren’t left outside longer than 2 hours.

Other ways to prevent food spoilage when outdoor entertaining include:

• Keeping cold foods and perishables refrigerated in a cooler with ice packs
• Cut and prep foods prior to handling them outdoors
• Store raw foods, such as meat, away from cooked items
• Cover food dishes

3. Store food correctly

In order to keep your food as fresh as possible, you need to follow these tips:

• Store onions, garlic and potatoes in a cool dark place
• Keep meat in the bottom half of your refrigerator (the top half if generally warmer)
• Keep milk as low in the fridge as possible (the doors are not cold enough and can lead to early spoiling)
• Keep apples in a crisper by themselves as they can rot and spoil other foods
• Store bread in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight to keep it fresh
• Keep meat uncut and wrapped until ready to eat
• Use airtight containers to store leftover foods
• Perishable foods should be refrigerated within 2 hours if you want to eat it later
• Keep frequently used food items at the front of the fridge
• Let hot food/leftovers cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge or freezer
• Always reheat leftovers until they’re 75°c at the centre or thickest part of the food

4. Check expiration dates

You’ll notice that all food items come with either a use-by/expiration/or best before date. Make sure you pay attention to these dates prior to opening and consuming. If you choose to eat something that has a “best before” date, it’s generally safe to consume even well after this date. Normally, the best before date indicates when the food will taste its best by. After which, it may lose some of its flavour or consistency, becoming unpleasant - but not unsafe - to eat. On the other hand, if you come across a food that is past its “use by” or “expired by” date, you should throw it out.

5. Freeze leftovers

If you have leftovers from a meal that you want to reheat and eat in the future, it’s perfectly fine to freeze them. Most foods/meals can also be put into the refrigerator and consumed safely, so long as it’s eaten within 3-5 days. For example, soups and casseroles can last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Dairy-based desserts such as custards and creams can be used within 3 days after opening along with cold foods such as meats and salads.

When it comes to freezing foods, wrap or seal the foods tightly and label them along with the current date. In most cases, foods will keep indefinitely if stored in a freezer. However, there are some foods whose qualities can deteriorate after a few months. If you notice any frozen foods lacking in colour or if the defrosted items appear slimy, then it’s probably best to throw them out.

When in doubt, throw it out

Finally, if you’re second-guessing whether you should eat those leftovers or not, then go with your gut instinct and throw them out. While in many cases, food can be eaten without any harm, there are instances where food has become spoiled but doesn’t show any visible signs. It’s better to be safe than to spend the next day running back and forth to the bathroom - or worse - having to be admitted to the hospital due to food poisoning.