Food Spoilage:

It’s tempting to cram a ton of food into your refrigerator.  But when you do you block the flow of air. Doing so negatively affects the mechanics of the refrigerator and doesn’t allow many of the items in your fridge to inadvertently warm.  Doing so causes a buildup of bacteria which in turn can make you very ill.

Just because you might have spill proof shelving doesn’t mean that your spill didn’t go down the walls of the fridge and into the vents. Make sure you take the time to clean up any spills.

One of the more common ways to get a food borne illness is by improperly storing raw meat.  You want to be sure that this is on the BOTTOM shelves. Mainly in case it drips.  

The juices in raw meant are typically a breeding ground for salmonella, listeria and all sorts of party killer bacteria.  So store all your raw meats on the bottom shelves.

As an extra measure, you might put them on a tray within the fridge to avoid anything from leaking out onto the shelf or into the produce drawers.   A sheet of foil can also help. 

Even though a manufacturer adds an expiration date, sometimes we all know that if there’s no smell, or change in texture (eg, slimy) it’s likely still good to eat.  But the scary part about food spoilage is that a lot of people just ignore the dates altogether.   Keep note of them especially with meat and dairy.  They put those dates on for a reason and if you ignore them outright you’re potentially asking for trouble.  Also, for leftovers, it's a good idea to use a Sharpie Pen and write down the date you put it into the fridge.  It's your OWN expiration date if you will!