U.S. Department of Agriculture provides guidelines for the storage life of frozen meat
Are meats (beef, pork, chicken, etc.), frozen for several months or even a year, spoiled and must be discarded? Read the guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the freshness of food depends on how long it has been frozen. Some meats can be kept in the freezer for a year and still be used, but some can only be kept for a few weeks or months.
The optimal storage temperature for meat in the freezer is 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C). The information on food cold storage limits on the label is useful for ensuring the freshness of food in general and meat in particular.
USDA explains that freezing meat or food is a safe form of preservation because the negative temperature will slow down the movement and metabolism of bacteria, stop or slow down, prevent the growth of microorganisms, yeast and mold. As a result, meat or food will be preserved longer and safer.
One note is that when defrosted, these microorganisms can become active again. Therefore, you should only defrost the parts you use, avoid defrosting the whole thing and then put the leftovers in the freezer.
Here's the USDA-provided freezer shelf life chart:
|
KIND OF FOOD |
COLD STORAGE PERIOD (MONTH) |
|
Bacon and Sausage |
1-2 |
|
Stewed meat |
2-3 |
|
Egg whites or foods containing eggs |
12 |
|
Frozen dinners and snacks |
3-4 |
|
Broth, red meat or poultry |
2-3 |
|
Ham, sausage and lunch meat |
1-2 |
|
Red meat, uncooked roast meat |
4-12 |
|
Uncooked red meat, steak or ribs |
4-12 |
|
Uncooked red meat |
3-4 |
|
Cooked red meat |
2-3 |
|
Undercooked poultry meat |
2-3 |
|
Rarely cooked poultry meat |
9 |
|
Undercooked poultry leg |
3-4 |
|
Cooked Poultry |
4 |
|
Soups and stews |
2-3 |
If the foods in the table above do not match your food category, the USDA outlines two ways to help you control product quality:
- First: check the smell of food. Some foods, especially meat, give off a rancid smell when frozen for too long. When that happens, you should remove it immediately.
- Second: some foods, after being frozen, are no longer as delicious to the eyes as they were at first or not as fresh as they were when they were purchased, even though they were still edible. In this case, you should also consider buying new, fresher and more nutritious foods.
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