An educational brainteaser asked people to identify the items that don’t belong in their fridge in 60 seconds or less.
The illustrated image shows a refrigerator stocked with vegetables, condiments, meats, and more unorthodox items like phones and lotion.
This puzzle challenges viewers to search through the items and identify the 10 objects that could contaminate your food and cause food poisoning.
Only 50 percent of people could correctly identify all items and a study found that the majority are storing them despite the health risks.
A brainteaser asked people to identify the 10 items that should never be stored in a fridge
The brainteaser, created by AO.com, shows items that should not be stored in the refrigerator cleverly hidden among properly stored food.
This puzzle was designed to test people’s knowledge but reported that only those with a high IQ could find all 10 in 60 seconds.
The first identified item was red wine which can be found on the left door and has a flavor profile that only flourishes if it’s kept at room temperature.
Next up was eye cream – which could be found on the third shelf on the left door – and nail polish, which AO.com said people did say they actually store in the fridge to preserve it.
The nail polish can be spotted on the right side of the chocolate cake on the third shelf on the right side.
‘Eye cream and nail polish might feel refreshing when cold, but storing them in the fridge isn’t necessary and could even alter their texture,’ said AO.com’s food storage expert, Sarah Heaps.
People were found to also store sunscreen in their fridge to make them feel more refreshing when applied, but Heaps warned this is something you should not do.
‘Sunscreen might feel more refreshing to apply after it’s been cooled in a fridge, but cold temperatures can actually cause the active ingredients in sunscreen to break down, making it less effective at protecting against UV rays,’ she said.
The sunscreen can be spotted in a yellow bottle behind the carrots on the second left-side shelf.
The items included hot food, phones, red wine and flowers, among others that could pose health risks
Hot food may be the more confusing red flag, with many people storing an item in the fridge immediately after it’s cooked.
It is highlighted as the steaming turkey on the right second shelf and Heaps warned storing hot food is something you should absolutely not do.
‘Hot food should never go straight into the fridge as it can raise the appliance’s internal temperature, potentially leading to bacterial growth,’ she said.
Pet food is another item that should never be stored in the fridge because it can contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria that can contaminate human food and cause food poisoning.
If you must keep the pet food cold, you should store it in a separate fridge that doesn’t contain human food.
Viewers will also observe a bouquet of flowers on the righthand refrigerator door, but even though keeping them cold may prolong the floral arrangements’ life, these should also be stored elsewhere.
Refrigeration can cause some flowers to lose their scent and if it’s stored alongside fruits and vegetables which emit ethylene gas can shorten their life.
Storing non-food items alongside your perishables like flannels can also pose a health risk because they ‘can introduce new bacteria to your fridge environment if they haven’t been cleaned or maintained properly.’
The flannels, which can be found in the bottom right drawer, also accompany lipstick which AO.com’s study found people do put in their fridge.
The lipstick, seen on the second shelf of the righthand door, represents all makeup items that can break up and separate if exposed to cooler temperatures.
The tenth and final item identified was phones – seen in the bottom left-hand drawer – which some people might think to put in the fridge to cool down if it’s overheating, but Heaps said this isn’t advisable.
‘Whilst most people probably wouldn’t think about putting their iPhone in the fridge to cool it down, our latest study revealed that iPhones made it into the top ten list of unusual items people put in the fridge,’ Heaps said.
‘Even on a hot day, do not be tempted to put technology in the fridge to cool it down, as the cold environment can damage these items or cause unnecessary condensation.’
It is important to know how to properly store food in your fridge to ensure food safety and quality and to prevent yourself from getting food poisoning caused by contaminants in other items.
Heaps advised that ‘while the brainteaser is good fun, it’s also really important readers understand that not everything benefits from being stored in the fridge.’