4-Hour / 2-Hour Storage Rule

4-Hour / 2-Hour Storage Rule

The 2-hour / 4-hour rule tells you how long freshly potentially hazardous foods, foods like cooked meat and foods containing meat, dairy products, prepared fruits and vegetables, cooked rice and pasta, and cooked or processed foods containing eggs, can be safely held at temperatures in the danger zone; that is between 5° C and 60° C. It takes time for food poisoning bacteria to grow to unsafe levels. Apply the following time limits to ensure these risky type foods remain safe to eat.