FoodTalk Newsletter

April 1998
Slightly revised, August 2000

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

Forgotten in the Fridge!

Suppose you're 40 years old and a friend sends you a birthday card suggesting you needn't feel old; after all, that friend has things in the back of the refrigerator older than you!

Worth a smile?

Very likely.

But when you're confronting that suspect food container that got forgotten in the fridge, lost behind the olives and mayonnaise, a feeling of foreboding may arise. Then you ask:

When it is time to say farewell to refrigerated foods?
How long before you leave your leftovers?

An elderly gentleman living by himself once said he used this guideline: "I toss a food when I don't know what it is anymore!"

"Is this how they discovered penicillin?" mused a parent after seeing (and smelling!) her offspring's sadly neglected refrigerator.

We all know slimy, smelly food may signal bacterial spoilage, but refrigerated food can be unsafe before it reaches that stage. One particular area of concern is the tendency many of us have to hang onto meat and poultry products that we purchased but didn't get around to preparing. Or perhaps we prepared more of the food than we used. There it sits -- for how long? How can you tell when it's time to toss?

Complicating the situation is the fact that if food is mishandled, bacteria can grow and cause a food-borne illness even if the food is used within what we normally consider a safe time period. Mishandling can occur in many ways, including:

	COOKING TEMPERATURE.  Raw meat and poultry should always be cooked 
	to a safe internal temperature. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 
	(USDA) recommends the following internal temperatures (Kitchen 
	Thermometers, Revised version, April 2000).  Cook ground meats 
	to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (F); ground poultry to 165 F.  Beef, veal
	and lamb steaks and roasts may be cooked to 145 F if they have
	never been pierced in any way during slaughter, processing or
	preparation; otherwise, cook to 160 F.  Cook all cuts of fresh pork
	to 160 F. Whole poultry should reach 180 F in the thigh; 170 F in
	the breast. 

	HOLDING TEMPERATURE.  Bacteria that can cause food-borne illness 
	grow rapidly at room temperature. Never keep a food at room 
	temperature over two hours (one hour in temperatures above 90 F).  
	The two hour limit includes preparation time as well as serving time.

	COOLING PROCEDURE.  Improper cooling is one of the major causes 
	of food-borne illness.  For rapid cooling, place foods into shallow 
	containers and refrigerate promptly.  Slice large pieces of meat 
	and poultry before refrigerating.  For thicker foods —- such as 
	stews, hot puddings and layers of meat slices -- limit food depth 
	to 2 inches. 

	CROSS-CONTAMINATION.  Avoid cross-contamination where bacteria 
	is transferred from one food to another through a shared surface.  
	Store packages of raw meat and poultry on plates on the lower shelf 
	of your refrigerator to prevent their juices from dripping onto 
	other foods.   

	REFRIGERATOR TEMPATURE.  A temperature of 40 F or lower should 
	be maintained in the refrigerator to help slow food spoilage and 
	bacterial growth. Use an appliance thermometer to assure that the 
	refrigerator temperature is between 34 to 40 F.

NOTE: When reheating leftovers, reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165 F or until hot and steaming. Soups and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil. Following are some general guidelines USDA provides on how long you can safely keep common meat and poultry products in your refrigerator. For longer storage, many of these foods can be frozen. For further information about safe food storage, including freezer storage, visit the USDA Food Safety & Inspection Web site at: http://www.usda.gov/fsis

MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS REFRIGERATOR STORAGE CHART

Purchase the product before "sell-by" or expiration dates. Follow handling recommendations on the product. Keep meat and poultry in its package in the refrigerator until just before using. The following are general refrigerator storage guidelines based on USDA recommendations (Refrigeration and Food Safety, January 1999) for selected meat and poultry products. Many companies list a toll-free number on the package of meat or poultry you can call if you have specific questions about that product.

Food Storage Time in Refrigerator
(at 40 degrees Fahrenheit)

Eggs

Eggs, fresh in shell . . . 3 weeks

Eggs, in shell, hard-cooked . . . 1 week

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise, commercial, opened . . . 2 months

Raw Hamburger, Ground and Stew Meat

Stew meats . . . 1 to 2 days

Ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb . . . 1 to 2 days

Ham

Ham, canned, labeled
"Keep Refrigerated", opened . . . 3 to 5 days

Ham, fully cooked, whole . . . 7 days

Ham, fully cooked, half . . . 3 to 5 days

Ham, fully cooked, slices . . . 3 to 4 days

Hot Dogs and Lunch Meats

Hot dogs, opened package . . . 1 week

Lunch meats, opened package . . . 3 to 5 days

Bacon and Sausage

Bacon . . . 7 days

Sausage, raw from meat or poultry . . . 1 to 2 days

Smoked breakfast links, patties . . . 7 days

Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamb and Pork)

Steaks . . . 3 to 5 days

Chops . . . 3 to 5 days

Roasts . . . 3 to 5 days

Variety meats (tongue,
kidneys, liver, heart, chitterlings) . . . 1 to 2 days

Fresh Poultry

Chicken or turkey, whole . . . 1 to 2 days

Chicken or turkey, parts . . . 1 to 2 days

Giblets . . . 1 to 2 days

Fresh Fish and Shellfish . . . 1 to 2 days

Cooked Meat, Poultry and Fish Leftovers

Pieces and cooked casseroles . . . 3 to 4 days

Gravy and broth, patties and nuggets . . . 1 to 2 days

Have Fun Teaching Consumer Food Safety!

The consumer is the final link in the food safety chain of producer to processor to retailer to consumer. If you'd like to offer a FUN and EFFECTIVE consumer food safety program, you might be interested the food safety game, "Don't Get Bugged by a Foodborne Illness."

Our office developed "Don't Get Bugged" for use with adults and youth age 12 and over. While content is geared toward consumer food safety, trainers working in food service operations can modify the materials to meet their specific needs.

"Don't Get Bugged" has received a national award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Over 1,300 educators nationwide have used "Don't Get Bugged" since it was introduced September 1996.

Each game packet contains a "quiz bowl" version to use with single players at health fairs, school fairs or clinics, PLUS a "bingo" version to use with groups in any setting. All materials may be reproduced on a standard copier for unlimited use. You're welcome to adapt materials as desired. (Cost: $13.95 + $2 for shipping and handling, TOTAL: $15.95.)

If you'd like more information, e-mail me at AHENNEMAN1@UNL.EDU my Web site:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/buggame.htm

Your comments and suggestions about FoodTalk are welcome. Send to: AHENNEMAN1@UNL.EDU

FoodTalk is a FREE monthly e-mail newsletter and is also archived on the Internet
(http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/archives.htm). FoodTalk provides a "how-to" message on food, nutrition, or food safety for health professionals, educators, and consumers.

You may reproduce this newsletter - please credit as follows:
FoodTalk E-mail Newsletter, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/FoodTalk.htm

FoodTalk is written by Alice Henneman, MS, RD, LMNT, Extension Educator. Technical assistance is provided by Brenda Corder, Resource and Publications Assistant. FoodTalk is archived on the Internet by Kendra DeLand, Extension Assistant.

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