How long do you have?
Exactly how long do you have before your chicken cutlets or milk starts to go bad? This would very much depend on where you live and the weather that day. Since heat is a good medium for bacteria growth, you want to minimize it as much as you can. The less time it will take for you to travel between shopping and going home, the better. On the way home , be sure to not stop at any other location. So, if you need to make other stops do those before you go to the grocery store.
Pack your groceries carefully
Ensuring that your food remains fresh means being smart about your shopping and packing. At the store, shop for meat and dairy products last, so that these items will spend the least amount of time in your cart. At the checkout counter, pack the cold items in an insulated bag with an ice pack. If your drive home is some distance away, it might be worth storing your stuff in a cooler.
Packing in the car
Once you've reached the car, put your bags in the passenger area not in the trunk. The temperatures here are a lot cooler, even if you don't switch on the AC. Be sure to head straight home and get everything into the refrigerator or freezer.
