Scientists say 17% of us keep our fridge at the wrong temperature – here’s how cool it should really be

It’s a staple feature in kitchens around the world, but it turns out you might be using your refrigerator wrong.

A new report reveals that 17% of us keep our fridge at the wrong temperature.

Researchers from RMIT University in Australia say that while the recommended range is 2-7°C (35.6-44.6°F), nearly a fifth of households keep their appliances warmer or cooler than this.

Dr Bhavna Medha, lead author of the study, said: “When food is very warm, bacteria multiply very quickly.”

“When food is too cold, it can freeze or freezer burn. Both conditions lead to food spoilage.

A new report reveals that 17% of us keep our refrigerators at the wrong temperature (stock image)

According to Raab, 9.5 million tonnes of food are wasted in Britain every year, 70 per cent of which is destined for human consumption.

“The food that would have been eaten would equate to more than 15 billion meals – enough to feed the entire UK population 3 meals a day for 11 weeks,” it explains on its website.

Since households are known to contribute significantly to food waste, researchers set out to understand the role our refrigerators play in our food waste behaviors.

The team monitored refrigerator and freezer temperatures in 56 families.

They found that 17% of fridges were warmer or colder than the recommended range, and they also recorded inconsistent temperatures across different fridge levels.

Some shelves were found to reach 10 °C (50 °F), while others dropped to -1.1 °C (30 °F).

Some refrigerators were found to reach 10 °C (50 °F), while others dropped to -1.1 °C (30 °F) (stock image)

Dr Medha said: “Our research found that families generally do not realize that their refrigerators can make their food spoil faster, especially if the refrigerator temperature is warmer than usual.”

“Most families blamed their own behaviour, such as incorrectly reading the use-by date, before thinking their fridge might be to blame.”

Things were worse for freezers, which must be kept between -15 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit and -4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the researchers.

Nearly half (43%) of the refrigerators tested were warmer or colder than this range.

Based on the findings, the researchers call for improved food storage information for consumers.

“Many of the families we interviewed said that conflicting information about how long to keep food in the fridge means a lot of leftovers and uncooked meat are thrown away just in case it is not safe to consume,” Dr Medha said.

“Our comprehensive food storage advice platform can be a really useful tool to combat all the conflicting advice on food storage that is confusing families.”

According to Wrap, there are many other things your family can do to reduce food waste.

This includes using a portion chart and replacing fresh foods with frozen options that last longer.

“By cutting food waste, the average UK household could save £500 every year and contribute positively to the UK’s waste reduction targets,” Raab said.