The Use and Performance of Household Refrigerators: A Review

The domestic refrigerator is now a common household device with very few households in the developed world not possessing 1, or more, for the storage of chilled foods. Domestic storage is the last, and in many respects the most important, link in the food chill chain. Inadequate domestic refrigeration or cooling is frequently cited as a factor in incidents of food poisoning. The authors reviewed the temperature performance of refrigerators in 2008. This new review builds on that review, covering studies that have been published since (and those that were unfortunately missed in the first review), and also seeks to put this important stage of the food cold chain in its context. It is clear from the published data that many refrigerators throughout the world are running at higher than recommended temperatures. It is also clear that, despite improvements in energy use, the temperature performance and use of refrigerators have not changed significantly in the last 40 or so years. Many householders still remain unaware of the recommended refrigeration temperature range, how to ensure that the correct refrigeration temperature range is achieved, the importance of monitoring that it is being maintained, and the potential hazards of temperature abuse.