Why does food go off in my fridge?
Question:We moved 3 months ago into a rented flat, which came with white goods. Soon after we moved in we had problems with meat going off in the fridge - packets would be puffed up like a balloon, and opening them they stank horribly. So we spoke to the landlord, and arranged a new fridge, which we've had about 10 weeks now, and today I went to get chicken out of the fridge with 2 days left for the best before, and it smelt awful, I had to throw it away. What could be causing this?
Answers:
Hi,
A fridge will only slow down microbial growth, whereas a freezer stops it. In essence, the colder it is, the longer your food will stay good for. Fridges usually work between 2-5 degrees Celcius, and even at this temperature bugs can grow.
If your food was put into the fridge after being left out for a while (or left in your car), you will have allowed the micriobes to mulitply (They usually double once every 20 minutes, so you only have to leave food out for a sort while to get bacterial growth).
Check that the seal around the door is good. Also, given that heat rises, try putting meat in the bottom where its coldest. Also, spread your food around well so that air circulates well inside.
In the summer you may need to ramp up the fridge's reference temperature to get it cold enough.
Hope this helps,
Iain.
Environmental Health Officer
maybe it's not cold enough?
Is it cold enough? That's the only thing I can think of.
is it cold enough? Check the dial, if it is on 1 you need to turn it up much higher.
Otherwise stop buying your meat from where you are and go somewhere else.
Get a fridge thermometer to check that your fridge is the right temperature, it sounds like its not cold enough to me.
You have'nt set it to the right temperature.
lThe only thing it could be is the temperature of the fridge. Is there any chance that your electricity supply is being switched off during the night ? If you have an electric clock or similar check each morning that its still showing the correct time.
The refridgerator is plugged into a circuit that doesn't carry enough amperage for the unit. Have your landlord get an electrician to check this, and replace the breaker, if necessary.
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