Baby food cold storage
Storing Baby Food | Happy Baby Organics
Read time: 6 minutes
How to store homemade baby food and store-bought pureed foods
How to thaw and re-heat pureed baby food
How to help prevent bacterial contamination of baby foods
Whether you buy baby food at the market or make it from scratch, it’s important to know how to store, prepare, and reheat your baby’s food correctly and safely.
Store-bought baby food usually comes in a glass jar, plastic container, or pouch and usually does not require refrigeration or freezing before opening. These foods are manufactured to be shelf-stable, like any other pantry item (think beans, soups, or condiments). They can typically stay fresh on the shelf for 1 to 2 years, but always check expiration dates carefully.1
Baby food storage guidelinesPureed store-bought baby vegetables and fruits can stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 to 72 hours and in the freezer for 6 to 8 months.
Pureed store-bought meat, poultry, or fish can be refrigerated for 24 hours after cooking and frozen for 1 to 2 months.
Homemade baby foods will keep for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator and for 1 to 2 months in the freezer.2
Be sure to refrigerate freshly cooked baby food within two hours as bacteria will start to grow at room temperature after those two hours are up. Note that your refrigerator should be kept at, or below, 40 degrees F. Any warmer and illness-causing bacteria can thrive and quickly multiply.3
Want some tips on feeding your little one or on making baby food? The Happy Baby Experts are infant feeding specialists and here to help (for free!) with questions about starting solids and picky eating, as well as formula and breastfeeding. Chat now!
Can I feed baby directly from the jar or pouch?If you feed your little one directly from the jar or pouch, all leftovers must be thrown out after the meal.
Saliva from baby’s mouth gets back into the jar or pouch via the spoon, this introduces bacteria that can quickly multiply and contaminate the food.
If you know baby won’t finish it all, spoon a serving in a separate bowl and feed from that. Then you can refrigerate the jar or pouch of remaining food for an upcoming meal!4
Read more: How Can I Make my own Pureed Baby Food?
How to warm refrigerated or shelf-stable foods and thaw frozen foods:Microwave: Warm up store-bought food directly in its glass jar or transfer the food – including previously frozen purees – into a separate glass bowl (never heat up pureed food in a plastic container or pouch). Reduce the microwave to 50% power (or use the defrost feature) and then warm the puree in 15 second increments.4 Check and stir the food thoroughly each time to ensure even heating and to eliminate any heat pockets that may burn your baby’s mouth.
Stovetop: Warm your baby’s store-bought food or thaw frozen baby food on the stovetop by placing the food in a small saucepan and warming on low heat until the puree is the same consistency and no longer frozen.
To preserve the nutrients, heat only as much as is necessary.Submersion Method: Thaw frozen baby food by placing the pureed cubes in a plastic bag and then inside a bowl filled with hot or warm water. This method allows for even warming but does take a little longer – figure about 10-20 minutes for the food to thaw fully. 5 Many parents also use the submersion method to thaw frozen breastmilk.
Refrigerator: Thaw frozen baby food simply by transferring it to the refrigerator.5 This process will take 4-12 hours so plan ahead (transferring the food the night before it’s needed to allow thawing overnight is a good rule of thumb). Homemade frozen baby food that’s been thawed can safely stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Be sure to keep thawed baby food in a sealed container to avoid contamination.
DO NOT let baby food thaw for long periods of time on the counter at room temperature. This will allow bacteria to grow.
5
Sanitize or thoroughly clean standard ice cube trays before spooning the puree directly into each cubed section. You could also cover a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and spoon small ‘mounds’ of puree onto the sheet to freeze.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and place into the freezer.
Once the cubes or ‘mounds’ are solidly frozen, pop them out and store them in plastic freezer bags.
Label the bags with the type of baby food as well as the date. This allows you to use it before it expires. (Remember: store-bought fruits and veggies can be frozen for 6 to 8 months, while meats, poultry, and all home-made baby food can be frozen for 1 to 2 months).
When your baby is ready to eat, grab an individual portion of the cubes you want to use and thaw!
Ice cube trays are not only convenient, they are also incredibly helpful in portioning out homemade baby food.
The cubes are roughly one ounce each, so you can easily measure the amount of food your baby is eating and thaw small portions at a time to reduce waste.
Glass baby food jars (or any glass container) are not meant to be frozen. Frozen glass can burst or cause tiny fractures in the glass leaving behind microscopic shards that you may never see.Freeze baby food in safe “ok to freeze” plastic containers instead.
Consider a deep freezer if you want to store purees long-termFor best results, frozen foods should remain at a constant sub-zero temperature. A deep freezer is better equipped to handle this temperature control as opposed to your regular freezer, which may fluctuate with you opening and closing the door often.
Throw away leftover food that’s already been reheatedYou cannot reheat (or re-freeze) baby food more than once, so once you’ve thawed a frozen puree, toss any leftovers.
This rule also applies to breastmilk. So if you’re using breastmilk to thin out your homemade baby food purees, add the milk while it’s fresh!
Read more: Safe Storage of Pumped Breastmilk
You can also use formula to thin a puree. Do not freeze formula in its original can or bottle, but once mixed into a puree it’s ok to freeze. Freezing formula causes a separation of the fats from the liquid, which may negatively impact the texture and quality.6
Let’s Chat!We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.
Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday through Friday, from 8am–6pm ET. Chat Now!
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For more on this topic check out the following articles
How do I Choose Store Bought Baby Food?
Food Safety for Babies and Toddlers
Everything You Need to Know About How to Prepare and Store Infant Formula
Avoid Giving Your Child Too Much Sugar And Salt
Tips on Freezing and Best Containers
Learn the secrets to storing and freezing homemade baby food for ultimate freshness—AND the best baby food storage containers to use to ensure that you never waste what you make!
Baby Food Storage
Going through the effort to make homemade baby food really only works if you have a good plan for how to store the food to ensure that it stays fresh and that baby has plenty of opportunities to enjoy it.
After making a LOT of baby food for my third kiddo to send with him to daycare, I got into a good routine of making and storing baby food—both in the fridge and freezer. Here’s how you can do it too.
TIP: You can find my favorite baby food recipes here.
Homemade Baby Food Storage: In the Fridge
You can store baby food in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. You can use masking tape and a Sharpie to label the containers with the contents and the date if you have a hard time keeping track of when you made something. (It’s definitely helpful to do that!)
Best Baby Food Storage Containers
I have a four favorite baby food storage containers that I use regularly.
1. Wean Green Baby Food Cubes
These are small, incredibly durable, and made from glass. They’re easy to clean and last forever. (Seriously, I’ve been using the same set for 7 years and they’re still as good as new!) $19.99 for a set of 4
2.
Easy Lunchboxes Mini DippersThese small containers are a perfect size for 1-2 frozen baby food cubes and they’re my go to for packing food for a baby to take to daycare. They also nest nicely when stored in the cabinet. $7.95 for a set of 8
3. Beaba Food Storage Containers
I have two sets of these and I use them regularly for larger amounts of baby food (you could probably fit 4 cubes of frozen food) and for toddler snacks. When assembled, they snap together, so they’re an easy way to stay organized. $14.95 for a set of 6
4. Oxo Tot Baby Food Blocks
This neat system is easy to keep contained in the fridge and is also made from a polypropylene body that is PVC, BPA, and phthalate free. They are dishwasher and microwave safe. $9.99 for a set of 6
Homemade Baby Food Storage: For Freezing
Storing homemade baby food in the freezer allows you to make a bigger batch at once, and then serve it to baby over the course of a few weeks or months.
The easiest way is to use an ice cube tray, which has the added benefit of portioning out the baby food nicely.
TIP: Any ice cube tray will do. You can use silicone ice cube trays if you prefer a non-plastic option.
Baby Food Storage Without An Ice Cube Tray
If you don’t have an ice cube tray or you’d just rather not use one, you can place a predetermined amount of baby food into a pint-size freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, press flat, and seal. Place flat in the freezer to freeze. Then you can thaw the entire bag in the fridge overnight, or break off a portion of it to thaw.
How to Store Baby Food in the Freezer Step by Step
- Place baby food into each compartment of the ice cube tray, or fill as many as you need to with the amount of baby food you have.
- Cover (if your ice cube tray has a cover) and freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Pop out frozen cubes and transfer to freezer storage bags. Label as desired with the type of baby food and the date.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
TIP: I like to have a bag of sweet fruit purees and more savory vegetable purees to avoid having too many separate bags in the freezer at any given time. Then you can combine them into baby food combinations easily!
How to Thaw Baby Food
To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve. 1 cube may be plenty for a baby aged 6-7 months and older babies may enjoy two cubes.
Tips for the Best Baby Food Storage
- Keep fresh baby food in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Use a regular ice cube tray to freeze, a silicone ice cube tray with a lid, or a small freezer bag with the contents pressed flat.
- Store frozen baby food in a freezer storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To avoid freezer burn, try to remove as much air as possible from the storage bags.
- Label your bags with the contents and the date.
- To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Use leftover baby food to flavor yogurt, baby oatmeal, baby rice cereal, smoothies, or cottage cheese.
- See some of my favorite Baby Food Pouch recipes here for more ideas on how to serve your baby food!
I’d love to hear your feedback if you have another storage technique or container that you love, so please comment below!
/ Refrigeration equipment for baby food
The category of goods that will be discussed in this article requires even more reverent attitude than the “headache” of many grocery stores - confectionery. In fact, melted (or frozen) chocolate is a problem that will hit your budget, not the health of your customers. We will not take rare and almost anecdotal cases from the series "poisoned by a cake." Baby food products stored improperly can cause irreparable harm to an organism that has not yet learned to defend itself.
If we ignore the lyrics, then every businessman working in this area understands perfectly well what negligence can turn into in matters of food storage for the smallest. However, the niche is tempting and always in demand. So, it is worth buying proper refrigeration equipment for trading in baby food stores and earning without risk.
First of all, it is worth understanding that the theory of equipment universality does not work well here. That is, if products intended for an adult stomach can have any average temperature for their total mass, then with types of baby food everything is extremely individual. It is necessary to clearly understand the conditions under which a certain category of this product can (more precisely, must!) be stored. According to the shelf life, baby food is divided into three categories: long-term, medium-term and perishable. For each of them, you will have to install your own refrigeration equipment - cabinets or showcases. Do not forget to take into account that not only the temperature regime is important here, but also the relative humidity of the air.
Long shelf life baby food is a different type of canned food. If you do not take exotic, then there are three of them: fish, meat and fruits and vegetables. "Seafood" in the children's version, that is, canned fish, must be stored at a temperature not exceeding 15 ° C with a humidity of 75%. Under such conditions, they will retain their condition and suitability for two years. This is a fairly general term, in a good way it is worth studying the information provided by the manufacturer. Even the label on the jar will be able to tell you which food refrigerators are best to use.
Canned fruits and vegetables are stored at a temperature of up to 20 ° C for the same two years, and meat - in a mode up to 25 ° C, however, depending on the manufacturer and method of production, their shelf life can be from 6 to 30 months. The air humidity for all three types of products is the same - 75%.
Which of the equipment will suit us in this case? "Plus" showcases, which can be from among the simplest confectionery.
In the sense that the exposition of baby food does not require special lighting and original design. Similar refrigerated display cases for shops are presented in the catalog of the KupiHolod.ru online store by ARIEL and TITANIUM models or wall-mounted refrigerated slides VIOLA from the well-known domestic brand ARIADA. They maintain temperatures up to 7 °C at the upper limit of the mode, have sufficient capacity and are convenient both for loading goods and for choosing them by the buyer. Many entrepreneurs, at their own peril and risk, put baby food on non-refrigerated counters and display cases, which are somewhat cheaper. But this is fraught with damage to the product in the summer, or even just when the air conditioning system fails. The risk is not justified.
The refrigeration equipment produced by Ariada, already mentioned above, is also suitable for baby food with an average shelf life. Dairy and grain-based dry foods can withstand temperatures up to 25°C. This is the maximum, not the recommended value.
Humidity varies: for products with a milk base it is 75%, which ensures safety for 3-6 months, for products with a grain base - 70%, and the shelf life here is longer - up to two years.
Perishable baby food is represented by liquid fermented milk products (cottage cheese, kefir, etc.) and adapted milk formulas. This is the most demanding category, requiring 2.6°C at 75% humidity. They will be stored only for half a month, but since the goods are running, there is no big trouble in this. A refrigerated cabinet wx 0 4, operating in the range from 0 to 6 ° C, is optimal. A small volume relevant for a product with a short shelf life, an automatic defrosting function and a dynamic cooling system that ensures even distribution of cold throughout the entire volume of the chamber are just what you need for the perishable baby food section. The manufacturer is the POLAIR company, which, along with the ARIADA concern, holds the lead in the domestic market of refrigeration equipment. We recommend Russian brands for the reason that they are not inferior to foreign counterparts in terms of technology and reliability.
And if we take the financial aspect, then the price of a Polair or Ariada refrigerator will be significantly lower.
The online store encourages its customers to take certain responsibilities. Everyone understands that expanding the assortment of a grocery store is a necessary step for development. But if you take on the sale of baby food, take the issue seriously. Installing high-quality equipment is a guarantee that children (including yours) will be provided with quality products. This means that they will grow up healthy and join the ranks of shop visitors. Both in this department and in all others.
Storage conditions for dairy products in refrigerators
For the first time, people began to consume milk for food several thousand years before our era. And to this day, dairy products do not lose their popularity.
They have long been recognized as the most useful food product, containing in its composition all the nutrients needed by a person.
Dairy products are perishable.
Therefore, it is necessary to observe certain conditions for its storage.
The table shows an example where each product, depending on the temperature, has its own shelf life:
| Product name | Storage temperature, ° С | Shelf life |
| Pasteurized milk + 90312 + 29032... 6 | 72 hours | |
| Cream | +2...+5 | 36 hours |
| Butter | -10...-12 9003 months | |
| solid cheese | 0 ...+4 | 4-8 months |
| Soft cheese | 0 ...+3 | 15 days | ice cream | -20 ... -24 | 1-1.5 months |
| Smetana | 0 ...+6 | 5-85 days |
| Kefir | +2 ...+5 | 3 days|
| Curd | +1...+3 | 55 days |
| Yoghurt | +3 ...+5 | 25 days |
| Fit milk | 0 . ..+10 | 12 months |
| Dry milk | +1 ...+8 | 8 months 8 months |
Storage conditions
Dairy products are susceptible to various bacteria. In this regard, many of them have a short shelf life. The quality of products directly depends on the careful observance of storage conditions.
Storage is carried out in special refrigeration equipment. A refrigerator for dairy products must strictly maintain the temperature regime, as well as humidity and lighting levels.
On an industrial scale, it is reasonable to use several technical solutions at the same time. This will not only reduce operating costs and improve the safety of dairy products, but also extend the life of the refrigeration equipment.
Temperature
The temperature regime is considered the main condition that ensures the quality and safety of dairy products.
Pasteurized milk, like butter, is stored at +6°C.
To ensure long-term preservation of the oil, use the method of deep freezing (-10..-12°C).
For packaged fermented milk products (fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, etc.), the maximum shelf life provides a temperature range of +2..+6°C.
Depending on the variety, cheeses prefer a temperature of 0…+4°C. To increase the shelf life, a temperature of -4°C is recommended.
To store ice cream, a freezer with a temperature no higher than -24°C is required.
Given the difference in temperature for different types of dairy products, refrigeration equipment must be equipped with several temperature zones.
Humidity
A dairy cold store must maintain a fairly high level of humidity at all times. This is another important factor that ensures the safety of products. The optimum air humidity, which should be in the refrigerator, is 85-90%.
Lighting
And the last condition for the correct preservation of dairy products is the correct lighting regime.
All dairy products must be stored in a dark place to avoid losing their beneficial properties. Therefore, the refrigerator compartment for milk and other products must be equipped with a light switch-off button.
Storage equipment
Dairy products are available at any store. It belongs to the category of perishable products, therefore it requires special equipment for storage - refrigerating chambers. In addition, dairy products are in the highest demand among other food products. Therefore, the choice of specialized refrigeration equipment must be approached very responsibly. It must not only provide all the necessary conditions for maintaining product quality, but also withstand intensive use.
When choosing equipment, it should also be taken into account that different products require different temperatures. This suggests that, if necessary, it is more expedient to purchase several refrigerators.
Milk cold store
The medium temperature cold store is recommended for storing dairy products.
