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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Increase the proportion of people who refrigerate food within 2 hours after cooking — FS‑10 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About this objective  |  Methodology  |  History

About this objective

Data

Data Source:  Food Safety and Nutrition Survey (FSANS), FDA

National baseline: 76.9 percent of consumers correctly followed the recommendation to properly chill a soup or stew containing meat or chicken in 2019

National target: 79.5 percent

Numerator
The number of survey respondents who refrigerate soup or stew containing meat or chicken within 2 hours.
Denominator
The number of survey respondents who cook soup or stew containing meat.
National target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
National target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
National target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline. The Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an achievable target.
National data collection frequency
Periodic

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey:

Numerator:
If you cook a large pot of soup, stew, or other food with meat or chicken and want to save it for the next day, when do you put the food in the refrigerator?
  1. Immediately
  2. After first cooling it at room temperature
  3. After first cooling it in cold water
  4. Do not cook such foods
  5. Would not refrigerate it
  6. Don't know
For about how long would you let it cool at room temperature?
  1. Less than two hours
  2. Two hours or more/About 2 hours
  3. Don't know

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Retained, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 with no change in measurement.
Revision History
Revised. 

In 2026, the data source was updated from FSS to FSANS. The measure was revised from tracking consumers who correctly followed the recommendation to properly chill a soup or stew containing meat to track adults who follow the recommendations to properly chill a soup or stew containing meat or chicken. The baseline was revised from 85.0% in 2016 to 76.9% in 2019. The target setting method was revised from percent improvement to minimal statistical significance, and the target was revised from 88.0% to 79.5%.