Where should covered raw meat be stored to prevent contamination?

To prevent cross-contamination in refrigerated storage, the ServSafe Manager curriculum dictates a specific "top-to-bottom" order based on the minimum internal cooking temperature of the food. Raw meat must always be storedbelow ready-to-eat (RTE) food(such as produce or cooked items). This hierarchy ensures that if the raw meat leaks or drips juices—which may contain pathogens likeSalmonellaorE. coli—the fluids will not fall onto food that will not be cooked further.

The storage order from top to bottom is:

Ready-to-eat food (top shelf)

Seafood

Whole cuts of beef and pork

Ground meat and ground fish

Whole and ground poultry (bottom shelf)

Storing raw meat on top of or above RTE food (Options A and B) is a major critical violation. Even if the meat is covered, the risk of a leak is too high. Storing them side-by-side (Option C) is also unsafe because of the potential for contact or splashing. Following this vertical storage plan is one of the most effective and simplest ways for a manager to exercise "Active Managerial Control" over the Flow of Food. By keeping the "cleanest" food at the top and the "riskiest" food at the bottom, the operation significantly reduces the chances of a foodborne illness outbreak caused by drip-contamination.