Have you ever wondered how long your frozen foods will last? Or, can you eat a canned good after expiration? Maybe even which storage method is the best? Well, if you’ve ever wondered about any of these things, keep reading for more food storage information.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), proper storage of food in the home helps maintain the safety and quality of food by preserving the flavor, color, texture, and nutrients of food.

Pantry items: Many staple foods and canned foods have a relatively long shelf life. However, foods stored longer than the recommended time or beyond the date indicated on the package may change in quality, color and flavor.

Refrigerated foods: Refrigerators should be kept at a temperature of 40 ° F (4 ° C) or less. At this temperature, bacterial growth is slowed down and quality is maintained. Time limits will prevent refrigerated foods from spoiling or making someone sick. Because product dates are not a guide to the safe use of a product, here are some tips to follow:

• Buy the product before the expiration or expiration date.

• Follow the handling recommendations on the product.

• Store meat and poultry in their packaging until ready to use.

• If you freeze meat and poultry in their original packaging for more than two months, cover these packages with heavy-duty aluminum foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper. Or, place the package in a freezer bag.

“Best before” on the package label if the date is simply related to optimum quality and not safety. If the products have changed significantly in color, consistency or texture, consumers may want to avoid eating them.

The best before date labels you see on packaged foods relate to the quality of the product, but predicting when foods will no longer be of adequate quality for consumption is not an exact science.

Freezers should be kept at 0 ° F (-18 ° C) or below. Since freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, the recommended storage times below are only for quality (flavor, color, texture, etc.). It is also very important to purchase thermometers for your fridge / freezer. You can find them in the housewares section of department stores, appliances, cookware, and grocery stores. Buy two! Place one in your fridge and one in your freezer.

Place the thermometer on the front of the fridge / freezer in an easy-to-read location.

Check the temperature regularly, at least once a week.

If the freezer compartment is not a separate freezer compartment but is inside the refrigerator, it may not be possible to achieve a temperature of 0ºF. A sign of this will be soft ice cream. Plan to use food in a few weeks.

For more information on storage times, visit –

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#meatpoultryfisheggs

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#milkdairyproducts

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#fruit

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#vegetables

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#condiments

• https://food.unl.edu/free-resource/food-storage#bakedgoods

• https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts

Toi N. Degree is an Associate Family and Consumer Education Officer with North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Call her at 704-216-8970 or email her at [email protected]