When it comes to filling your fridge, the chances are you just try and fit everything in wherever it will fit.

While fridge Tetris will certainly allow you to make use of the space you have and ensure everything stays cool, it might not help when it comes to cross contamination.

Ideally, you should use the different shelves in your fridge to separate foods to avoid cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria that can lead to serious illnesses like food poisoning.

Failing to do so could leave you and your family seriously ill when a simple thing like storing certain items on different shelves in your fridge could have avoided it.

Here is how you should be arranging your fridge to make the most of the space and to avoid food poisoning:

Meat on the bottom

The first and possibly most important thing you need to remember is that raw meat and fish should always go on the bottom shelf of your fridge. This is so any juices don't drip onto other food, especially ready-to-eat food, as this can result in food poisoning.

All meat and fish should be packaged well and covered if in a dish to stop any cross contamination. If juices have leaked in your fridge, it is important that you clean them up quickly and disinfect the shelf so as to stop the spread of potentially harmful bacteria.

Vegetable drawers

Your fridge has vegetable drawers for a reason, so you really should be using them. Not only do the drawers help your fresh fruit and veg last longer - it will stay fresher in an environment that has higher humidity - it also ensures that it doesn't get affected by bacteria from other foods.

Ideally, you should keep fruit and vegetables in the original packaging or in loosely tied plastic bags, as well as in the drawers in your fridge. This will further help to ensure they stay fresh and free from contamination.

It is important to remember to wash any vegetables that aren't sold as ready-to-eat in order to remove any dirt, chemicals or germs before cooking.

Cooked meats

Any cooked meats, whether bought that way or leftovers, should be kept away from raw meats in your fridge. Ideally they should also be well-packaged and stored in the coldest part of the fridge to help it stay fresh for longer.

You should also be aware of how long cooked meat will keep, throwing out anything that looks or smells a bit odd. It's better safe than sorry, so if you aren't sure, bin it.

Eggs in the middle

Eggs need a consistent temperature in order to stay fresh for longer. This means you shouldn't put them in the egg holder in the door of your fridge or move them around too much to make room for other things.

Your carton of eggs should stay in the middle of the fridge at all times, as this will keep them usable for longer. If you're unsure whether your eggs have gone off, put them in a bowl of water one at a time. If an egg floats on the surface, it has gone off.

Don't fill all the space

After a big shop, it can be tempting to try and cram absolutely everything you can into your fridge. However, this will actually stop it working correctly as the cold air won't be able to circulate. If there are no gaps, the temperature in your fridge can actually rise, which puts you at risk as your food is not properly chilled.

You should leave spaces between everything in your fridge so it stays cool enough to keep food fresh. You can freeze a lot of foods, so it is a good idea to pop anything that won't fit in your fridge in your freezer until you need it.

Not only will this reduce the chances of food poisoning, it will also reduce kitchen waste.