what temperature should a fridge be

The ideal temperature for a refrigerator is between 35-38°F (1.6-3.3°C) . This temperature range is as close as you can get to freezing without being so cold that items like milk and meat start showing frost on them. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends keeping the refrigerator temperature below 40°F (4.5°C) to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. However, its best to set the temperature gauge a few degrees below that to ensure food safety by giving a 2-5 degree buffer in case the temperature gauge isnt wholly accurate. Setting the temperature too low can cause food to freeze when you dont want it to. Therefore, 34°F (1.1°C) degrees is probably the lowest setting youll want to set your fridge temperature at.