The ongoing debate in Australian kitchens about whether to store tomato sauce in the fridge or pantry is clarified by food scientists. According to Dr. Rozita Spirovska Vaskoska from CSIRO, it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s storage instructions found on the bottle. While many people store tomato sauce at room temperature without issues, refrigeration after opening helps maintain the sauce’s quality by slowing microbial growth, particularly spoilage organisms like yeast.
Other condiments such as jams, bottled sauces, and mayonnaise should also be refrigerated once opened, as their formulations can support microbial growth. This contrasts with items like vinegar-based hot sauces and honey, which can safely remain in the pantry due to their natural preservatives.
Food safety experts highlight that refrigeration significantly reduces the risk of food poisoning from pathogenic microorganisms, which pose a far greater health risk than those that merely spoil food.
Identifying when to discard condiments can be tricky; while visual cues like mould or off smells may indicate spoilage, some pathogens are undetectable by sight or smell. Most condiments carry a “best-before” label, which signifies quality rather than safety, while items with a “use-by” date should be discarded past their indicated date.