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Foods Purchased Refrigerated*
| Product | Refrigerated | Frozen |
| Beverages, Fruit | ||
| Juices in cartons, fruit drinks, punch | 3 weeks unopened ; 7 to 10 days opened |
8 to 12 months |
| Dairy | ||
| Butter | 1 to 3 months | 6 to 9 months |
| Buttermilk | 7 to 14 days | 3 months |
| Cheese, (such as Cheddar, Swiss) | Hard 6 months, unopened ; 3 to 4 weeks, opened |
6 months |
| Cheese Soft (such as Brie, Bel Paese) | 1 week | 6 months |
| Cottage Cheese, Ricotta | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Cream Cheese | 2 weeks | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Cream— Whipped, ultrapasteurized | 1 month | Doesn’t freeze |
| Cream— Whipped, Sweetened | 1 day | 1 to 2 months |
| Cream— Aerosol can, real whipped cream | 3 to 4 weeks | Doesn’t freeze |
| Cream— Aerosol can, non dairy topping | 3 months | Doesn’t freeze |
| Cream, Half and Half | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Eggnog, commercial | 3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Margarine | 4 to 5 months | 12 months |
| Milk | 7 days | 3 months |
| Pudding | package date;2 days after opening | Doesn’t freeze |
| Sour cream | 7 to 21 days | Doesn’t freeze |
| Yogurt | 7 to 14 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Dough | ||
| Tube cans of rolls, biscuits, pizza dough, etc. | Use- by date | Don’t freeze |
| Ready- to- bake pie crust | Use- by date | 2 months |
| Cookie dough | Use- by date unopened or opened | 2 months |
| Fish | ||
| Lean fish (cod, flounder, haddock, sole etc.) | 1 to 2 days | 6 months |
| Fatty fish (bluefish, mackerel, salmon, etc.) | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked fish | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Smoked fish | 14 days or date on vacuum package | 2 months in vacuum package |
| Shellfish | ||
| Shrimp, scallops, crayfish, squid, shucked clams, mussels and oysters | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 6 months |
| Live clams, mussels, crab, lobster and oysters | 2 to 3 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked shellfish | 3 to 4 days | 3 months |
Note: Storage times are from date of purchase unless specified on chart. It is not important if a date expires after food is frozen.
| Shelf- Stable Foods | Unopened in Pantry | In Refrigerator after Opening |
| Canned Goods, Low Acid | ||
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such as meat, poultry, fish, gravy, stew, soups, beans, carrots, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes, spinach |
2 to 5 years | 3 to 4 days |
| Canned Goods, High Acid | ||
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such as juices, fruit, pickles, sauerkraut, tomato soup, and foods in vinegar- based sauce |
12 to 18 months | 5 to 7 days |
*Source: A Consumers Guide to Food Quality and Safe Handling, The Food Keeper. The Food Marketing Institute.
Introduction --
Foodborne Illness: What You Need To Know -- What Is Foodborne Illness?
How Bacteria
Get in Food -- In Case of Suspected Foodborne Illness
-- Fight BAC! ™ -- When You Plan
When You Shop -- When You Store
Food -- When You Prepare Food
When
You Cook -- Internal Cooking Temperatures --
Danger Zone -- When You Chill
Food
When You Transport Food -- When You Reheat Food -- When You Keep Food
Hot
When You Keep Food Cold -- When You Serve Food -- Keep It Cold --
Keep It Hot -- When You Finish
Up
Cold Storage Chart --
Foods Purchased Refrigerated --
Shelf- Stable Storage Chart --
Additional Resources
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