Consumer handling 257 Table 12.3 Mean actual and perceived storage life Food storage life(days) storage life( days) Meat-raw cooke Bacon 3.3 ource: Evans et aL. 1991 igures were almost replicated in the survey where only 3 of the households did not own a working refrigerator and 49.4% owned a fridge-freezer. Almost 32% owned an ice box type refrigerator and the rest larder refrigerators. The temperature at which a refrigerator operates is critical for the safe storage of chilled food. Recommendations concerning the microbiological safety of foods advise that maximum temperatures in domestic refrigera tors should not exceed 5C(Richmond, 1991) Consumers in the survey were therefore asked what temperature they tried to operate their refrigerator. Nearly all participants were unable to name actual temperatures and gave answers based on the method they used to set the temperature dial (Fig. 12. 4). A large number of people (32.8%) set their refrigerators according to the weather, setting the refrigerator to a lower temperature(higher setting) in the summer. It was interesting to note that although 38 participants had a thermometer in their refrigerator only 30 actually used the information to set their refrigerator temperature. To evaluate temperatures within each refrigerator, a miniature data logger with 3 air and 2 product sensors was placed into the refrigerator to monitor temperatures every &s and to record mean temperatures every 5min for a period in excess of 7 days. Air temperature sensors were posi tioned in the top, middle and bottom sections of the refrigerator and a sim- ulated food product(87 mm diameter by 28 mm high disc of, a food substitute, in a petri dish) placed on the middle shelf. Sensors were placed in the geometric centre and centrally on the surface of the Tylose disc(Fig 125 Results showed that the mean temperature over 7 days(evaluated from top, middle and bottom sensors)ranged from-1 to 11C. The overall mear air temperature for all the refrigerators in the survey was 6C, with 70% of refrigerators operating at average temperatures above 5C(Fig. 12.6).An investigation carried out in Northern Ireland found similar results with 71% of refrigerators having a mean internal temperature above 5C(Flynnfigures were almost replicated in the survey where only 3 of the households did not own a working refrigerator and 49.4% owned a fridge-freezer. Almost 32% owned an ice box type refrigerator and the rest larder refrigerators. The temperature at which a refrigerator operates is critical for the safe storage of chilled food. Recommendations concerning the microbiological safety of foods advise that maximum temperatures in domestic refrigera￾tors should not exceed 5 °C (Richmond, 1991). Consumers in the survey were therefore asked what temperature they tried to operate their refrigerator. Nearly all participants were unable to name actual temperatures and gave answers based on the method they used to set the temperature dial (Fig. 12.4). A large number of people (32.8%) set their refrigerators according to the weather, setting the refrigerator to a lower temperature (higher setting) in the summer. It was interesting to note that although 38 participants had a thermometer in their refrigerator only 30 actually used the information to set their refrigerator temperature. To evaluate temperatures within each refrigerator, a miniature data logger with 3 air and 2 product sensors was placed into the refrigerator to monitor temperatures every 8 s and to record mean temperatures every 5 min for a period in excess of 7 days. Air temperature sensors were posi￾tioned in the top, middle and bottom sections of the refrigerator and a sim￾ulated food product (87 mm diameter by 28 mm high disc of ‘Tylose’, a food substitute, in a petri dish) placed on the middle shelf. Sensors were placed in the geometric centre and centrally on the surface of the Tylose disc (Fig. 12.5). Results showed that the mean temperature over 7 days (evaluated from top, middle and bottom sensors) ranged from -1 to 11°C. The overall mean air temperature for all the refrigerators in the survey was 6 °C, with 70% of refrigerators operating at average temperatures above 5°C (Fig. 12.6). An investigation carried out in Northern Ireland found similar results with 71% of refrigerators having a mean internal temperature above 5°C (Flynn Consumer handling 257 Table 12.3 Mean actual and perceived storage life Food Actual mean Perceived mean storage life (days) storage life (days) Meat – raw 3.9 2.4 Meat – cooked 5.4 4.5 Poultry – raw 3.3 2.5 Poultry – cooked 3.9 2.4 Bacon 8.2 6.6 Sausages 5.6 4.1 Paté 10.3 4.1 Pies 3.2 3.3 Source: Evans et al., 1991