Generally, for ready-to-eat foods, the presence of pathogens will render the food adulterated.

Make sure it can't touch or drip onto other food, especially ready-to-eat foods (such as salad and cooked meat).

As with meat, containers and surfaces that have been used to process raw eggs should not come in contact with ready-to-eat food.

Never store cooked or ready-to-eat food below raw food in the refrigerator.

Never let the meat or its juices come into contact with other foods in the fridge, particularly ready-to-eat foods.

It also protects ready-to-eat foods from contamination by bacteria from raw meat.

Otherwise, you can spread bacteria from the raw juices to your cooked or ready-to-eat food.

Place these foods on the lowest shelf, never above ready-to-eat foods.

Safety: Never keep pre-cooked or ready-to-eat foods past their use-by date.

In popular humour, this name refers to any bad, meagre and expensive ready-to-eat food.