Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. In developed countries there are intricate standards for food preparation, whereas in lesser developed countries the main issue is simply the availability of adequate safe water, which is usually a critical item.

Think food storage is simple? Take our quick quiz to make sure you're keeping foods safe and maximizing flavor and freshness. The soup cans are on the shelves with the crackers and raisins, and the fresh salmon is in the refrigerator along with the juice and cheese. What more is there to know about food storage? Plenty. Take our quick quiz to test

This handy guide from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Food Safety charts the length of time food should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. These short but safe time limits will help keep refrigerated and frozen food from spoiling or becoming dangerous. After looking at the chart, I will definitely throw out some of my food.