On behalf of everyone in government who works to keep your food safe, welcome to the FoodSafety.gov blog! By Diane Van, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service
Diane is the manager of the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline. The Hotline is a toll-free telephone service that is available year round, Monday through Friday, to answer your questions about meat, poultry, and egg products. They receive over 80,000 calls a year from people like you who want to know how to prepare and store these foods safely. They also answer questions online at AskKaren.gov.
Most common questions.
How long can I keep meat in the refrigerator?
What would we do without our refrigerators! When it comes to appliances that keep our foods safe, the refrigerator may be the most important because it slows down the growth of bacteria that cause food poisoning. At temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, bacteria grows most rapidly. That’s why we call this temperature range “the Danger Zone.”
A refrigerator set to 40 °F or below will protect most foods – but not forever. The cool temperatures slow down bacterial growth but they don’t stop the growth completely. So, it’s important to use food in a timely fashion to help maintain freshness and quality. Over time, even chilled foods will spoil.
Here are some basic guidelines ~
- Raw ground meats, all poultry, seafood, and variety meats: Refrigerate 1 to 2 days.
- Raw roasts, steaks, and chops (beef, veal, lamb, and pork): Refrigerate 3 to 5 days.
- Cooked meat, poultry, and seafood: Store in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
Q&A
Q. How does the use of a home vacuum sealer change the time frames in this blog?
A. Our storage guidelines are the same for home vacuum packaged meats and poultry.
Q. The Danger Zone recommended by ServSafe is different from the one you specified here. Why?
A. The ServSafe recommendations are based on the FDA Food Code, which is intended for retail and food service establishments, such as grocery stores, restaurants, and other institutions that serve food. Those guidelines are for trained cooks in these businesses who are using professional cooking equipment. By contrast, our recommendations on FoodSafety.gov are intended for home cooks.
Q. If poultry can be in the refrigerator one day, how do you thaw out a turkey when the label says to leave it in the refrigerator 2-3 days?
A. Once the turkey is fully thawed, it is like a fresh turkey and it can be refrigerated 1-2 additional days. Take a look at our Turkey Thawing Chart to see how long it takes to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator or in cold water.
