Fridges too warm to be safe - survey

Nearly three out of four New Zealand fridges are too warm to keep food safe, according to a survey released today.

The study, commissioned by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), was carried out in 158 households and 72 per cent of fridges were found not running at the recommended cool temperature range of 2-4degC to keep food safe.

Survey participants recorded the temperature in the middle and near the door hinge of their fridge every morning and evening for a week.

At the start of the week only a quarter of fridges were in the recommended range of 2-4degC, while 72 per cent were too warm (36 per cent at 4-6degC and 36 per cent were over 6degC).

Of those surveyed who made an adjustment, 77 per cent were successful in moving the temperature to the 2-4degC range, NZFSA microbiology principal advisor Roger Cook said today.

"Keeping your fridge suitably cool is important because not only does it maintain the expected quality of the food but it helps prevent harmful foodborne bacteria from growing as most of them cannot grow at low refrigeration levels," Mr Cook said.

He said older fridges were over-represented in the plus 6degC category.

A third of the fridges in this category were more than 20 years old. Also, fridges with seals that were in poor condition were twice as likely to be over 6degC as fridges that had good seals.

Mr Cook said checking the temperature by putting a thermometer into a glass of water kept in the fridge was recommended.

"This is because a built-in thermometer will measure the air temperature, which is likely to change whenever the door is opened and when new food is put into the fridge.

"For best results the container needs to be sitting on the middle shelf of the unit for more than two hours, which will enable you to get an accurate reading."

He also urged people to check for faulty door seals, ventilation or the location of your fridge.

He said that even though bacteria and fungi did not like the cold, some would still grow slowly and many would survive on fridge surfaces and contaminate food where they could then grow.

"So it's a good idea to have a general stocktake and clean your fridge every few weeks."

- NZPA