Why Fridge Organisation Matters
We all know the importance of healthy eating, but how often does life get in the way of making good food choices? One of the most powerful steps toward achieving healthier eating is as simple as organising your fridge properly. When your fridge is well-arranged, healthy eating becomes effortless—food is easy to find, ingredients stay fresher for longer, and meal prep is a breeze.
A cluttered fridge, on the other hand, can lead to wasted food, lost items, and food that spoils before you have a chance to use it. The good news is that fridge organisation can directly impact your health and well-being. By creating a smart system in your fridge, you’ll save time, reduce food waste, and have fresh, nourishing ingredients at your fingertips.
I personally use the Mitsubishi Electric WX Series Multi Drawer Fridge (700L), which simplifies organisation. With its spacious 700-litre capacity and innovative multi-drawer design, this fridge allows you to categorise food efficiently and optimally store fresh ingredients. The dedicated drawers for vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats, and more help keep your food at its best, giving you the ultimate advantage in your journey to healthier eating. If you’re due for a fridge upgrade, I highly recommend it!
Step 1: The Smart Fridge Layout – Maximising Each Section
Organising your fridge into strategic zones will help you store your food efficiently and maximise its freshness. Here’s how to create an effective fridge layout that works for any fridge design:
Optimal Zones for Maximum Freshness
Properly storing different food groups in the right areas is essential for keeping them fresh and prolonging their shelf life. Here’s a guide to help you optimise your fridge storage:
- Vegetables & Fruits:
Store your fresh produce in the dedicated drawer, as these areas are designed to control humidity. For veggies like leafy greens, carrots, and capsicum, use the lower drawers where the humidity is typically higher. For fruits that need less humidity (like apples and berries), the top shelves or middle sections tend to work best. The key is to keep moisture levels in check to prevent wilting or over-ripening.
My Mitsubishi Electric fridge uses a VitaLED lighting system in the dedicated Vegetable Drawer which slows down the wilting process and helps keep fruit and vegetables crisper and fresher for longer. The vegetable drawer also features a tray at the top, which is ideal for storing and organising smaller items.
- Dairy (and Non-Dairy Alternatives):
Keep dairy items (and dairy alternatives) like milk, cheese, and yoghurt on the middle shelves, where temperatures are most consistent.
If your fridge has a chilled compartment to keep cheeses and similar items, this can save you time by offering a dedicated space at the ideal temperature. My Mitsubishi Electric fridge has a Wide Chilling Case where I store dairy products, at about 0°C to 3°C. Using a compartment like this removes the hassle of searching for items and ensures they stay fresh.
- Meats:
Place meats on the bottom shelves to prevent cross-contamination and ensure that they remain fresh. Ideally, store raw meats in sealed containers or on trays to catch any drips, maintaining a sanitary fridge.
Check your fridge’s function for features that maximise meat storage. In my Mitsubishi Electric WX Series Multi Drawer Fridge (700L) there’s a Supercool Chilling Case ideal for storing meat, fish, or other perishable food at about -3°C to 0°C without freezing it. This allows you to store food ready for cooking, without needing to defrost it. There’s also a Soft Freezing function that lets you freeze food for up to three weeks in a ‘soft’ state, so you can easily cut without thawing. These features reduce food waste and save time when you forget to take something out of the freezer for dinner!
What I also like about the Supercool Chilling Case is that I can transfer items from deep freeze to this drawer when I plan to use it within the next week. It can slowly defrost without completely thawing out.
- Ready-to-Eat Foods & Snacks:
For busy days when you need something quick, keep your pre-prepped meals, leftovers, and grab-and-go snacks on the middle shelves where they’re visible and accessible. This could include things like salads, hummus, pre-cooked grains, chopped vegetables sticks, or fruit, making it simple to throw together a healthy snack or meal without rummaging through the fridge.
By creating clear zones for your foods, you’ll not only reduce the risk of spoilage but also make meal prep and everyday eating much smoother and reduce the mental load around meal times. Keeping the fridge tidy and organised helps you easily see what you have on hand, preventing food waste and making it easier to plan healthy meals throughout the week.
Step 2: Fridge Organisation Hacks for Healthier Eating
A few simple organisation hacks can make a big difference when it comes to healthier eating.
- Clear Containers & Labels: Use clear storage containers and labels to keep your ingredients visible. This way, you can easily see what you have on hand, reducing the chance of food going to waste and helping you create meals without constantly rummaging.
- Make sure you label leftovers or meal-prep with a date to help prevent food waste. Use a whiteboard marker, chalk pen or tape a label on the container.
- Meal Prep Sections: Designate a drawer or shelf for prepped meals and pre-cut veggies. When you make things easy to grab, you’re more likely to reach for healthy options when hunger strikes.
- “Eat Me First” Section: Designate a specific drawer or section for foods that need to be consumed soon. This is especially useful for fresh produce that might otherwise be forgotten and end up spoiling. Make sure these are bought to the front to be used up. Leave a note on the outside of the fridge as an extra reminder to family members when they are in that “what can I eat” frame of mind.
- Keep your ready-to-eat meals or prepped healthy snacks at eye level so these are the first thing you see, reducing temptation and inspiring healthy choices.
Step 3: How to Store Food for Maximum Freshness
A few tips for maintaining freshness by checking your zones and temperature settings:
- Ensure that each zone is set to the ideal temperature for its contents. For example, meats should be kept at a colder temperature, while produce benefits from a slightly warmer setting. The Mitsubishi Electric fridge I use has different temperature points in the fridge, this technology efficiently cools all food, even in hard-to-cool places like the door pockets.
- Best Practices for Storing Fruits & Vegetables: Keep fruits and vegetables in the designated humidity-controlled drawers to preserve moisture and prevent spoilage. Avoid storing fruits like apples and bananas near vegetables, as they produce ethylene gas, which can accelerate the ripening of nearby produce. Storing vegetables & fruits in plastic wraps or containers, ideally with adjustable air vents, may help to keep them even fresher.
- Dairy & Meat Storage Tips: Use separate compartments for dairy and meats to reduce contamination and maintain their quality. Be sure to keep dairy in the middle shelves, where temperatures are more stable, or use a dedicated drawer for dairy, and meat at the bottom to prevent any leaks.
Note from Mitsubishi Electric:
The temperatures shown above are recorded at the lower centre of the refrigerator after stabilisation, under conditions where the ambient temperature is 32°C and the doors remain closed with no food inside. Temperature variations can occur due to factors such as how food is stored and the frequency of door openings. The internal temperature may temporarily rise or fall before and after the defrosting process.
Step 4: How to Keep Your Fridge Clean & Odour-Free
It’s important to not only organise your fridge but also keep it clean to ensure optimal freshness. This simple weekly routine below includes easy steps to reset and refresh your fridge:
- Weekly Fridge Reset Routine:
- Remove expired or unwanted items. Doing this regularly before your grocery shop will help ensure all items in the fridge are fresh and not hidden at the back.
- Prior to grocery shopping check your fridge for ‘eat me first’ items and make meals around using these items first to help reduce food waste.
- Wipe down shelves and drawers with a damp cloth and mild non-toxic cleanser (I use a low-tox vanilla kitchen spray for hygiene and a fresh scent).
- Best Natural Deodorisers: Keep your fridge smelling fresh by using natural deodorisers like baking soda, lemon slices, or even coffee grounds. Simply place them in a small container and leave them on a shelf to absorb any unpleasant odours.
Final Thoughts: Make Your Fridge Work for You
A little effort in fridge organisation goes a long way in supporting your health. When you create a system that keeps ingredients fresh and makes healthy options easily accessible, healthy eating becomes second nature. The Mitsubishi Electric WX Series Multi Drawer Fridge (700L) allows you to easily incorporate these tips into your routine. With its smart design, optimal storage compartments, game-changing multi drawers and precise temperature controls, this fridge supports your journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
If you follow @livelovenourishaus on Instagram you’ll know how much this fridge is a game-changer to healthy meal times and being more organised in the kitchen.
Mitsubishi Electric was also awarded CHOICE Best Brand Fridges for the fourth year in a row (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) based on reliability, customer satisfaction and overall performance. CHOICE experts rate over 50 popular fridge models based on various criteria, including food freshness, temperature stability, 10-year running costs, and reliability.
*Partnership post with Mitsubishi Electric.
Casey-Lee Lyons is a nutritionist, naturopath, and recipe creator behind Live Love Nourish. Known as your wellness wingwoman, she’s here to make healthy living simple, tasty, and sustainable.
