Ground fish should be stored in a cooler using the following guidelines to ensure food safety and prevent cross-contamination:

1. Below Ready-to-Eat Foods:
   • Store ground fish below any ready-to-eat foods like prepped salads, cooked meats, and dairy products. This prevents any juices from the fish from contaminating foods that will not be cooked before consumption.
2. Above Raw Meats:
   • Store ground fish above raw meats such as ground beef, pork, and poultry. This hierarchy helps ensure that if any juices do leak, they will not contaminate items that pose a higher risk of containing harmful bacteria.
3. Proper Containment:
   • Keep ground fish in sealed, leak-proof containers or tightly wrapped to prevent any potential leaking. This also helps to maintain the quality and freshness of the fish.
4. Organized and Clean Storage:
   • Regularly clean and sanitize the storage area and containers. Organize the cooler so that items are easily accessible and properly labeled to avoid confusion and mishandling.

Storage Hierarchy in a Cooler

From top to bottom, the general hierarchy for storing items in a cooler should be:

1. Ready-to-Eat Foods: Prepped salads, cooked foods, dairy products, etc.
2. Raw Seafood: Fish fillets, ground fish.
3. Raw Whole Cuts of Meat: Steaks, chops, roasts.
4. Raw Ground Meats: Ground beef, pork, and similar products.
5. Raw Poultry: Chicken, turkey, and other poultry items.