Food should be stored so that those requiring a higher internal cooking temperature are on the lower shelves. What is the correct storage arrangement from top to bottom?

The correct storage arrangement is designed to prevent cross-contamination and ensure food safety. In food storage, it is important to place items requiring higher cooking temperatures on lower shelves. This ensures that any potential drips or spills from higher-risk items do not contaminate foods that are ready to eat.

When examining the correct option, it places ready-to-eat foods on the top shelf, which is ideal since these foods do not require any further cooking and are the most vulnerable to contamination. Moving down the shelves, seafood follows, as it requires a higher cooking temperature than ready-to-eat foods but is still lower than that of poultry. Whole cuts of beef and pork are next, as they are generally cooked at a higher internal temperature than seafood. Finally, ground meats, which require a higher temperature for safety, are stored near the bottom, followed by whole and ground poultry, which have the highest cooking requirements.

This arrangement maximizes food safety by minimizing the risk of cross-contamination and ensuring that all foods are prepared at safe temperatures when they are cooked.