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Cold Storage Chart

Follow these food safety guidelines from the USDA, the FDA, and the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association to keep most known pathogens away (though not, for example, the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease).

Purchase foods before "sell-by" or expiration dates.
Follow the handling recommendations on product.
Keep meat and poultry in its package until just before using.
If freezing meat and poultry in its original package longer than 2 months, over-wrap these packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper, or place the package inside a plastic bag.

Because freezing (0° F) keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only.

Product	Refrigerator	Freezer

Eggs
Fresh, in shell	3 weeks	Don't freeze
Raw yolks, whites	2 to 4 days	1 year
Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes:
opened	3 days	Don't freeze
unopened	10 days	1 year
Mayonnaise, commercial	Refrigerate 2 months after opening	Don't freeze
TV dinners, frozen casseroles
Keep frozen until ready to heat		3 to 4 months
Deli and Vacuum-Packed Products
Store prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Don't freeze well
Pre-stuffed pork or lamb chops, chicken breasts stuffed w/dressing	1 day	Don't freeze well
Store-cooked convenience meals	3 to 4 days	Don't freeze well
Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners w/seal, unopened	2 weeks	Don't freeze well
Raw Hamburger, Ground and Stew Meats
Hamburger and stew meats	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb and mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Ham, Corned Beef
Corned beef in pouch with pickling juices	5 to 7 days	drained, 1 month
Ham, canned, labeled "Keep Refrigerated,"
unopened	6 to 9 months	Don't freeze
opened	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Ham, fully cooked, whole	7 days	1 to 2 months
Ham, fully cooked, half	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Ham, fully cooked, slices	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Hot Dogs and Lunch Meats
Hot Dogs
opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Lunch meats
opened package	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Soups and Stews
Vegetable or meat	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Bacon & Sausage
Bacon	7 days	1 month
Sausage, raw from port, beef, chicken or turkey	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Smoked breakfast links, patties	7 days	1 to 2 months
Summer sausage labeled "Keep Refrigerated,"
unopened package	3 months	1 to 2 months
opened package	3 weeks	1 to 2 months
Fresh meat (beef, veal, lamb, and pork)
Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Variety meats (tongue, kidneys, liver heart, chitterlings)	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Meat leftovers
Cooked meat and meat dishes	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Gravy and meat broth	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Fresh poultry: chicken or turkey
whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
parts	1 to 2 days	9 months
giblets	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Cooked poultry, leftover
Fried chicken	3 to 4 days	4 months
Cooked poultry dishes	3 to 4 days	4 to 6 months
Pieces, plain	3 to 4 days	4 months
Pieces covered with broth, gravy	1 to 2 days	6 months
Chicken nuggets, patties	1 to 2 days	1 to 3 months