You're storing your leftovers wrong! Expert reveals why you should NEVER use aluminium foil on the remnants of your Easter feast

Daily Mail​

21-04-2025

Over the Easter weekend, many Brits will have indulged in delicious lunches of roast lamb - with enough leftovers to last the week.
While they might be delicious, experts have warned that the remnants of your Easter feast could put you in danger.
Food safety experts say that wrapping food in aluminium foil for storage could lead to an infection of dangerous bacteria.
And even wrapping up your food correctly might not be enough to avoid food poisoning if you don't take the proper precautions, they warned.
Most bacteria require an environment with plenty of oxygen in order to rapidly grow on your food.
Unlike safer options such as Tupperware containers and sealable bags, tinfoil doesn't create an airtight seal around your food.
Dr Zachary Cartwright, a food scientist for Aqualab in Chicago, says this creates the perfect environment for dangerous pathogens.
'Aluminum foil alone cannot create a completely airtight seal because it's not inherently adhesive and [it] doesn't conform perfectly to surfaces,' Dr Cartwright told Southern Living.
Why is aluminium foil dangerous?
Wrapping a leftover roast up in aluminium foil and putting it in the fridge might seem like a sensible enough storage method.
Yet, although aluminium foil is convenient for cooking or transporting a sandwich, it isn't a safe option for cooked food.
Since foil can't adhere to itself, no matter how tight you wrap it there will always be a way for air to get in and allow bacteria, fungi, and viruses to thrive.
Improperly stored food can become a breeding ground for bacteria like staphylococcus, the bacteria which causes the staph infection, which creates toxins that cause food poisoning.
Likewise, food might become home to Bacillus cerus which excretes a toxic mixture of chemicals that lead to vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
In even more severe cases, wrapping your food in aluminium foil could lead to infections of Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, and Listeria monocytogenes.
Although these bacteria are much rarer, they can lead to serious illness and even fatalities in vulnerable individuals.
How to safely store leftovers
Instead of wrapping food in aluminium foil, leftovers should be stored in airtight containers or sealable bags.
Food should be placed in the fridge two hours after has been served, and anything left out for longer should be thrown away.
Leftovers in the fridge can still be eaten for up to 48 hours after being chilled.
Food can be stored indefinitely in the freezer provided it is cold enough to prevent bacterial growth.
The World Health Organisation warns that Clostridium botulinum creates toxins which are 'one of the most lethal substances known'.
The toxins can block nerve functions and lead to respiratory failure and paralysis in some cases.
When people eat food contaminated with L. monocytogenes, they may develop a disease called listeriosis, which can be very serious for pregnant women, people older than 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
Additionally, Food Safety Scotland (FSS) advises not to keep foods that are highly acidic, such as rhubarb, fruit, or cabbage, in tin foil.
This is because these foods may react with aluminium which causes some of the metal to leach into the food.
Although the amounts of metal are generally within safe limits it is still better to avoid using foil since it could affect the taste.
The FSS says: 'Aluminium foil or containers can affect the taste of these sorts of food, especially if they are stored for a long time.'
Instead, you should wrap and store your leftovers in non-reactive, airtight containers in the fridge.
Wrapping your food in foil could allow bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum (pictured), which creates the deadly botulism toxins, to grow on your food
The US Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) advises: 'Wrap them in airtight packaging or seal them in storage containers.
'These practices help keep bacteria out, retain moisture, and prevent leftovers from picking up odors from other food in the refrigerator.'
How to safely store your leftovers
Just wrapping your leftovers up correctly isn't always enough to keep your family safe from food poisoning.
This is because food needs to be stored at an appropriate temperature to ensure bacteria can't develop.
According to FSIS foods need to be kept out of the 'danger zone' between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F) in which bacteria can develop rapidly.
Bacteria start to grow on food in this zone even while it is still on the table so leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours of being served.
Any foods left at room temperature must be thrown away if they have been left out for more than two hours, or more than one hour if the temperatures are over 32°C (90°F).
So, if you are planning on coming back for seconds, make sure you don't leave it too late before getting the food somewhere cool.
However, when it comes to chilling your food, it's vital to make sure you are doing it properly.
A survey conducted by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) found that 27 per cent of people are likely to leave food that should be chilled in a cool place like a porch or garage due to a lack of space in the fridge.
To stay safe, food needs to be kept in a fridge which is set to at least 5°C (41°F) or lower.
Additionally, the FSA says that trying to make your leftovers last all week could be just as dangerous.
Putting food in the fridge only slows the growth of bacteria rather than stopping it entirely, so the government watchdog advises that leftovers must be eaten within 48 hours.
You can store your food indefinitely in the freezer as long as it is -18°C (-0.4°F) or lower to completely stop the development of germs.