Freezing, Food Safety Glossary

Lowering food to a frozen state to halt bacterial growth and preserve it for extended storage. Freezing is the process of taking food down to a frozen state, which stops food-poisoning bacteria from multiplying and greatly extends how long food can be kept. It works by holding food well below the temperature danger zone, so any bacteria present become dormant rather than growing. This makes freezing one of the most effective ways to preserve perishable food. It is important to understand that freezing pauses bacteria but does not reliably kill them. When frozen food thaws and returns to the danger zone of 5 degrees C to 60 degrees C, surviving bacteria can become active again. For this reason food must be handled hygienically before freezing, thawed safely, and cooked or used promptly after thawing, and thawed food should not be refrozen unless it has been cooked in between. Australian food businesses freeze food to preserve stock, manage production and reduce waste. Good practice is to freeze food while it is fresh and in good condition, package and label it with a date so it can be rotated, and freeze it quickly where possible, since faster freezing better protects quality. Cooked food should be cooled correctly before freezing rather than being placed in the freezer hot. Thawing is where many problems arise. Food should be thawed in the fridge or another controlled way rather than left out at room temperature, so it does not spend long in the danger zone. Once thawed, potentially hazardous food is treated like fresh food and kept at or below 5 degrees C, used promptly, and not refrozen raw. A cafe portions and freezes soup made in bulk. Each container is cooled first, labelled with the date, and frozen quickly. When needed, a container is moved to the fridge the night before to thaw safely, then reheated to at least 60 degrees C in one go before service rather than being left on the bench to defrost.