02The rules of the cold chain

What the food agencies ask of storage, Copco containers included

A container changes how a shelf reads, not how long food lasts. Before you weigh any storage promise, ours included, it is worth knowing what the public guidance actually asks of a kitchen.

Time and temperature are the whole rule

Bacteria grow fastest between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Perishable food left out longer than two hours gets discarded, one hour when the day is above 90. Cooked leftovers earn three to four days in the refrigerator, in shallow covered containers so they cool fast. No lid changes those numbers.

US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, read August 30, 2026

The fridge wants air, not a wall

Cold air has to circulate around the food, so an overpacked refrigerator holds its temperature worse. The agency asks for a thermometer on the shelf, because few dials show real degrees, and for spills wiped as they happen. A bin that lifts out makes the second part a ten-second job.

US Food and Drug Administration, read August 30, 2026

Storage windows are published, food by food

The federal cold-storage chart puts the refrigerator at 40 degrees or below and the freezer at zero, then lists the window for everything from egg salad to a pork roast. It is the reference our own storage notes are written under, and it is free to read.

FoodSafety.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, read August 30, 2026

What is printed on our cards

Diameter, capacity, tier count, pack count and material, read out of our own product data. Those are the figures you can hold a tape measure against, and they are the ones this catalog stakes its name on.

One button, the whole Copco range

Every diameter, capacity and pack count in the Copco basics sits behind this button, with the current price beside it. Measure your shelf, check the figure on the card, and it ships from our retail partner.