Storing food safely to prevent food poisoning

Storing food promptly and correctly can help prevent food poisoning.

• Set your refrigerator at or below 40F and your freezer at or below 0F.
• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, fish, shellfish, ready-to-eat foods, and leftovers within 2 hours or sooner. If the temperature is above 90F, refrigerate within 1 hour. (This is often the case during summer picnics.)
• Do not keep fresh poultry, fish, or ground meats in the refrigerator for more than 2 days. Cook or freeze them.
• Do not keep fresh beef, veal, lamb, or pork in the refrigerator more than 3 to 5 days. Cook or freeze them.
• Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
• Don't pack your refrigerator with food. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.
• Never store cooked or ready-to-eat food below raw food in the refrigerator.
• Always store food in leak-proof, clean containers with tight-fitting lids.
• In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored in a cupboard for 12 to 18 months.
• In general, low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables can be stored for 2 to 5 years. However, the can must be in good condition and stored in a cool, clean, dry place.
• Do not keep canned food if the cans are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusting.

If the food has a "use by" date, consume the food by that date or throw it out. If it has no date or only a "sell by" date, use the following table. It tells you how long you should keep some popular foods in the refrigerator or freezer. If you follow the recommended refrigeration time, you will ensure that food is safe and doesn't spoil. Freezing food keeps it safe for as long as it is frozen, so the recommended freezer-storage times are only to ensure highest quality.

Recommended refrigeration times

Product	Can refrigerate for:	Can freeze for:
Bacon	7 days	1 month
Beef, ground	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Beef, steaks and roasts	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
Cheese, processed or brick	3 to 4 weeks	Can be frozen, but affects taste and texture
Chicken, breasts or legs	1 to 2 days	9 months
Chicken, giblets	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Chicken, whole	1 to 2 days	12 months
Eggs, hard boiled	1 week	Do not freeze well
Eggs, fresh	3 weeks	Do not freeze
Fish, fatty (salmon, perch, other)	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Fish, lean (cod, flounder, other)	1 to 2 days	Up to 6 months
Gravy	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Ice cream, ice milk	Do not refrigerate	2 to 4 months
Lunch meat, opened package	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Lunch meat, unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Mayonnaise	2 months	Do not freeze
Milk	5 days	1 month
Pizza, cooked	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Pork, chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
Pork, ground	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Pork, roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
Soups, stews (with vegetables or meat)	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Sausage	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months