Take Action!
Keep cold foods cold.
Refrigerate or freeze all food that can go bad if it’s left at room temperature (like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and open jars of mayonnaise).
Food needs to be refrigerated at 40 °F (degrees Fahrenheit) or cooler. Food can go bad quickly if you leave it at a temperature between 40 °F and 140 °F for more than 2 hours.
- Check the settings on your refrigerator and freezer. Set the temperatures to:
- 40 °F or below for the refrigerator
- 0 °F or below for the freezer
- Keep thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer to make sure they are staying at the correct temperatures.
- Throw away food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If it’s a hot day (over 90 °F), throw away food left out for more than 1 hour.
Use foods that need to be kept in the refrigerator (dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, and vegetables) as soon as possible. Print this chart of how long food is safe and put it on your refrigerator.
