07 Jun World Food Safety Day
We all play a critical role in ensuring that food stays safe at every stage of the food chain – from production to harvest, processing, storage, distribution, all the way to preparation and consumption.
Food safety standards are also critical to the successful exchange of surplus food. For World Food Safety Day 2021, we would like to share some resources to help you keep your food safe.
Safe fridge and freezer storage periods
The following recommended refrigeration times are for safety, and the freezing times are for quality.
Source: The Government of Canada
Food |
Fridge |
Freezer |
|---|---|---|
Fresh meat |
||
| Beef | 2-4 days | 10 – 12 months |
| Pork | 2-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Lamb | 2-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Veal | 3-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Ground meat | 1-2 days | 2 – 3 months |
Fresh poultry |
||
| Chicken/Turkey – whole | 2-3 days | 1 year |
| Chicken/Turkey – pieces | 2-3 days | 6 months |
Fresh fish |
||
| Lean fish – cod, flounder etc. | 3-4 days | 6 months |
| Fatty fish – salmon etc. | 3-4 days | 2 months |
| Shellfish – clams, crab, lobster etc. | 12-24 hours | 2-4 months |
| Scallops, shrimp, cooked shellfish | 1-2 days | 2-4 months |
Ham |
||
| Canned ham | 6-9 months | Don’t freeze |
| Cooked ham | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
Bacon and sausages |
||
| Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Raw sausage | 1-2 days | 1-2 months |
| Pre-cooked sausage links or patties | 1 week | 1-2 months |
Hot dogs |
||
| Un-opened hotdogs | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Opened hotdogs | 1 week | 1-2 months |
Lunch meat and deli food |
||
| Un-opened lunch meat | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Opened lunch meat | 3-5 days | 1-2 months |
| Deli packaged lunch meat | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Deli or homemade salads | 3-5 days | Don’t freeze |
Leftovers |
||
| Cooked meat, stews, egg or vegetable dishes | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Cooked poultry and fish | 3-4 days | 4-6 months |
| Meat broth and gravy | 3-4 days | 4-6 months |
| Soups | 2-3 days | 4 months |
Frozen dinners |
||
| Keep frozen until ready to cook | 3-4 months | |
Eggs |
||
| Fresh in shell | 3-4 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Fresh out of shell | 2-4 days | 4 months |
| Hard-cooked | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Egg substitutes un-opened | 10 days | 1 year |
| Egg substitutes opened | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
Dairy products |
||
| Un-opened milk | Best before date | 6 weeks |
| Opened milk | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Un-opened cottage cheese | Best before date | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Opened cottage cheese | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Un-opened yogurt | Best before date | 1-2 months |
| Opened yogurt | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Soft cheese | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Semi-soft cheese | 2-3 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Firm cheese | 5 weeks | 3 months |
| Hard cheese | 10 months | 1 year |
| Processed cheese | 5 months | 3 months |
| Un-opened salted butter | 8 weeks | 1 year |
| Un-opened unsalted butter | 8 weeks | 3 months |
| Opened butter | 3 weeks | Don’t freeze |
Vegetables |
||
| Beans green or waxed | 5 days | 8 months |
| Carrots | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Celery | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Leaf lettuce | 3-7 days | Don’t freeze |
| Iceberg lettuce | 1-2 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Spinach | 2-4 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Summer squash | 1 week | 10-12 months |
| Winter squash | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Tomatoes | Don’t refrigerate | 2 months |
With an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies, disproportionally affecting vulnerable and marginalized people, especially women and children, populations affected by conflict, and migrants.
– United Nations