The fridge. The humble chiller. All day and all night it’s there for you, playing it cool, humming away in your kitchen or utility room while you work, rest, or play. It’s there to set you up first thing with breakfast and present you with your sandwiches before you head out for the day. And it’s there to greet you in the evening with a comforting snack, something tasty for dinner and a refreshing, cold drink. It’s an appliance that no home would be without, and it deserves our respect.
But what happens when our respect fades? What are the consequences when we let things slip? We surveyed the people of Britain to unlock their fridge habits. Plus, we spoke to the experts to get the low-down on everything from fridge etiquette to masses of mould (yuck!). Keep the fridge door ajar — we’re going in…
What does your fridge say about you?
Your fridge is there to keep your food and drinks (plus anything else you store in there, such as jars, condiments and medicine) in tip-top condition for as long as possible. By keeping consumables cool, you can enjoy them at their freshest and best.
But filling your fridge isn’t just about unloading groceries and moving on. Whether you live alone or in a bustling household, your fridge plays a vital role in your well-being by preserving the food that fuels you. So, keeping it organised and well-maintained is just as important as choosing what to eat and drink each day.
An organised fridge is a happy fridge
As with so much in life, if you can get things organised, then it becomes infinitely easier. And it’s the same with your fridge. Our survey uncovered that 88% of Brits organise their fridge, with 79% saying outright that a well-organised fridge was important to them. Meanwhile**, 24% admitted that they felt embarrassed by the state of their fridge** when it was seen by a guest.
And despite 1 in 10 Brits admitting that they arranged their fridges to make them Instagram-worthy, (with 1 in 6 following influencers who post their own fridge organisation or restocking videos), the main reason for keeping things spick and span goes beyond the aesthetic.
First in, first out
With an organised fridge, you can see clearly when food is going off and spoiling — helping you to avoid food wastage. Fridge rotation, also known as FIFO (first in, first out), is an easy way to make sure fridge food hits your tum rather than the bin. All you have to do is place your newer food and drink items behind older ones to ensure the older items are used first.
Now, food waste is a problem. According to theecoexperts.co.uk, UK households throw away 1.96kg of food per day on average (an equivalent of 8 meals per week). But this isn’t just a waste of food, it’s a waste of money too. Food waste can cost a UK household up to £470 a year, and a staggering 41% of this food is thrown away because it wasn’t used on time.
Enhanced energy efficiency
Keeping things neat and organised in your fridge allows for proper air circulation, which can help your fridge stay cool more effectively. Make sure your food isn’t blocking air vents and avoid overfilling. In doing so, you’ll extend the lifespan of your fridge while reducing energy consumption too.
Shelf and safety
The most important reason (by far) for keeping your fridge organised is to improve food safety. In other words, to avoid cross-contamination from harmful bacteria which can cause illness. That’s why we enlisted the help of Dr. Helen Onyeaka, Associate Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, to share her wisdom when it comes to storing food properly in a fridge.
Organise like an expert: how to store food properly in a fridge
Top shelf: Store ready-to-eat foods such as leftovers, cooked meals, and packaged dairy products here. This reduces the risk of contamination from raw foods below.
Middle shelf: Suitable for dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, as these require consistent cold temperatures.
Bottom shelf: This is the coldest area, ideal for raw meat, poultry, and fish. Always store these items in sealed, leak-proof containers to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.
Crisper drawers: Designed for fruits and vegetables. Keep fruits and vegetables in separate drawers to prevent ethylene gas emitted by fruits from speeding up vegetable spoilage.
Fridge door: The warmest area, suitable for condiments, sauces, and beverages.
Always keep the fridge temperature between 0–4°C (32–39°F) to ensure optimal preservation and safety (Food Standards Agency, 2023).
It’s more than just a matter of taste…
Keeping your fridge neat, tidy, at the correct temperature, and well-supervised keeps the bugs and bacteria away. If you don’t, then you put your food (and yourself) at risk from the effects of mould. Mould can cause food to rot and smell bad, but if that wasn’t bad enough, it can be dangerous if eaten. Equally, if mould spores are inhaled, they can cause reactions including asthma attacks. That’s why if you spot mould on your food, you should throw it away immediately!
As Dr. Onyeaka says, organising your fridge properly is hugely important when it comes to health and safety. But overall, how aware are Brits when it comes to fridge safety and best practices? Some of the results from our UK fridge survey are pretty chilling, to say the least. While the majority of you seem to be well aware of the dangers, more than one or two of you out there seem willing to risk your health in pursuit of a quick meal or avoiding waste.
Brit fridge confessions
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Have you ever eaten meat from the fridge without being 100% sure if it was safe to eat? | 33% | 67% |
| Did you know that it is important to keep raw meat items on your lowest shelf? | 78% | 22% |
| Do you always throw out food that is past the sell-by/use-by date? | 50% | 50% |
| Have you ever tried to cool down a hot item quickly by putting it directly into the fridge? | 22% | 78% |
| Did you know that the ideal fridge temperature is between 0–4°C? | 77% | 23% |
| Do you rely on the “sniff test” more than dates when deciding if food is safe to eat? | 56% | 44% |
| Do you defrost frozen food in the fridge rather than on the countertop? | 50% | 50% |
| Have you ever kept cooked food in the fridge for more than three days? | 51% | 49% |
| Do you know that refrigerating hot food too quickly can cause bacteria to grow? | 72% | 28% |
| Do you regularly check that your fridge temperature is set correctly? | 58% | 42% |
| Do you know that dairy products should ideally not be stored in the fridge door? | 39% | 61% |
| Have you ever had food freeze accidentally because the fridge was too cold? | 46% | 54% |
There is a lot to unpick here. Sure, a sniff test can give you an idea if something smells wrong, but it’s no substitute for following the use-by date on the packaging. That didn’t stop well over half of you however, with an astonishing 56% willing to follow your noses and rely on a sniff test over packaging guidance.
That’s not a good idea: according to the Food Standards Agency, you should make sure that everything gets eaten by its use-by date. Any food that you take from the package should be clearly labelled, so that you don’t lose sight of what that date is. Despite all these warnings, 50% of you don’t always throw out food that has gone past its use-by date, leaving your fridge potentially prone to mould and bacteria, plus putting your health at risk.
Saying that however, if your food smells odd but is still within the use-by date limit, it’s better not to take the risk. While the use-by date is excellent guidance, there’s always a chance that something has gone wrong in the process of getting your food from its source via the supplier and the shop to your mouth. Always bin it if you’re unsure.
In fact, some of those we surveyed are so anti-waste that they’ll happily do things their own way no matter what. One participant remarked that they “very rarely throw anything out,” adding that they “don't believe in sell by dates [and] just use everything”, before pointing out that they were “both in excellent health at 83 and 78.”
Why different generations ditch their food
When it comes to why people dispose of their food, each generation has its own reasons as to why their nosh might end up in the bin. The post-war generation are the most likely to stick to the use-by date, with 46% of them doing so. Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, Gen Z are the ones most likely to dispose of their dinner because it had gone past the best before date.
The ones with the most sensitive noses appear to be Gen X, who are the most likely to throw food out on account of the way it smells (44% of boomers feel the same way). While Millennials are the ones who have eyes bigger than their bellies and buy too much food in the first place.
| Gen Z | Millennial | Gen X | Boomer | Post-war | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| It’s past its use-by date | 30% | 28% | 24% | 26% | 46% |
| It's past it's best before date | 17% | 11% | 13% | 7% | 8% |
| I forgot it was in there | 11% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| It looks or smells off | 32% | 37% | 46% | 44% | 23% |
| I bought too much and didn’t use it | 6% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 8% |
| I changed my mind about eating it | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 0% |
Fridge, cupboard, or counter?
One of the biggest things we discovered as we explored the nations’ fridge habits was where people choose to store certain items of food. In fact, it’s a sauce [sic] of fierce debate between friends and families in the UK. It’s the sort of thing that sets blood racing and causes people to lose their cool! Should mustard go in the fridge or the cupboard? Where should you store chocolate? And don’t get us started on ketchup, apples, or eggs!
Store stats: where Brits store their food
| Food | Fridge | Cupboard | Counter | Unsure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 14% | 46% | 38% | 2% |
| Butter | 86% | 3% | 10% | 2% |
| Eggs | 55% | 16% | 27% | 2% |
| Potatoes | 19% | 59% | 19% | 4% |
| Onions | 33% | 43% | 20% | 4% |
| Avocados | 46% | 8% | 24% | 22% |
| Tomatoes | 79% | 5% | 12% | 3% |
| Chocolate | 33% | 53% | 11% | 3% |
| Bananas | 10% | 13% | 74% | 3% |
| Red wine | 17% | 37% | 34% | 12% |
| Ketchup | 53% | 40% | 5% | 2% |
| Soy sauce | 20% | 63% | 8% | 10% |
| Jam | 64% | 28% | 5% | 3% |
| Mayonnaise | 81% | 13% | 3% | 3% |
| Brown sauce (HP) | 42% | 46% | 7% | 5% |
| Dried herbs and spices | 3% | 77% | 17% | 4% |
| Fresh herbs | 44% | 20% | 26% | 10% |
Of all the foods, ingredients, condiments and more listed above, ketchup is one of the most contentious. Depending on whose house you’re enjoying fish fingers and chips at tonight, there’s a high probability you could be receiving a dollop of ketchup served from either the fridge OR the cupboard. 53% of Brits store red sauce in the fridge, while 40% prefer their ketchup to stay in the cupboard.
Brown sauce ties even closer still, with 42% of Brit households preferring to keep their Daddies or HP below room temperature, while 46% think that the cupboard is where it should go.
Brits also tend to go bananas if you place the yellow fruit behind closed doors, with 74% keeping theirs out on the counter. Meanwhile, onions seem to present a problem. No-one seems to know where to put them, with 33% going for the fridge, 43% deciding to pop them in the cupboard, and 20% setting them on the countertop. It’ll all end in tears, honestly.
Expert storage tips:
Glass containers are airtight and durable, they don’t leak chemicals into food, and they’re easy to clean.
Silicone bags are both reusable and flexible, making them ideal for space-saving storage.
Beeswax wraps are a sustainable alternative for wrapping cheese or covering containers.
The mighty thaw: when freezer meets fridge
One big factor that affects how food impacts you is the thawing process. Frozen food is a hugely convenient way of storing food for the long term while preserving its lifespan. But as with fridge food, there are several specific rules for freezer food which need to be followed if you’re going to be able to serve and eat the food safely.
Luckily, we have Dr. Onyeaka to give us her recommendations and expert tips for safe thawing. She advises that you should never defrost freezer food at room temperature, as this allows bacterial growth to occur in the ‘danger zone’ of 5–60°C (41–140°F). Instead, Dr. Onyeaka recommends a few fail-safe methods to ensure food is thawed out properly…
The big un-freeze: safe methods for defrosting frozen food
Refrigerator thawing: Slow but safe, as food remains at a cool temperature.
Cold water thawing: Submerge the sealed food in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Microwave thawing: While this is quick, the food requires immediate cooking post-thawing.
Don’t forget — food shouldn’t be refrozen once it’s been thawed out.
Cool and clean: how to get your fridge to safely sparkle
To keep any potential bacterial invasions or outbreaks of mould at bay, you need to clean up your fridge good and proper. A hygienic and organised refrigerator will set you on the path to fridge happiness, and Dr. Onyeaka is on hand once again to ensure that you clean like a boss for a fresh fridge to be proud of. Check out her fridge cleaning best practices below!
Dr. Onyeaka’s shelf-by-shelf guide for a clean fridge
1. The deep clean
Do this every 3-4 months, or sooner if spills occur:
Remove all items and discard expired food.
Wash shelves and drawers with warm, soapy water.
Clean interior surfaces with baking soda and warm water, or a food-safe disinfectant.
Avoid bleach and other harmful chemicals, which may leave harmful residue.
2. The routine clean
Carry this out once a week:
Spot-clean to address spills and crumbs.
Use a vacuum cleaner to clear crumbs from drawers and corners before wiping.
Whenever you clean your appliance, clean in sections. This is to minimise the amount of time that food is out of your fridge and the length of time the fridge door remains open. Be sure to keep cleaning supplies such as microfibre cloths and natural cleaners nearby for quick use.
You and your fridge: a cool combination
From the smallest chest freezer through to the largest integrated American fridge freezer, we salute our cool friends in the corner doing their bit to keep it fresh. Our fridges deserve the best, and by keeping them clean and organised, they’ll give that love back time and time again.
Whether you’re after a fridge freezer for your kitchen, a fridge freezer with bigger freezer for your garage, or a fridge freezer tall enough to take on several family shops in one go — we’ve got you covered at Currys. For your new integrated freezer and so much more, we’ve got everything you need to keep things cool.
Methodology
The survey data was collected through Pollfish, sampling 2,000 British respondents aged 18 and over.
Google search data was sourced using Google Keyword Planner to analyse relevant search trends and volumes related to food storage and preservation.
