How long is ground meat OK in the fridge? FoodSafety.gov’s cold storage chart lists ground meat and poultry 1–2 days, steaks and chops 3–5 days, leftovers and soups 3–4 days and raw eggs 3–5 weeks. Fridge times are about safety; freezer times are about quality — food kept at 0°F (−18°C) stays safe. Our lookup gives both and adds a last-fridge-day sum from the date you put it in.
1. Fridge (4°C) is safety; freezer (−18°C) is quality.
2. Ground meat, raw poultry, raw sausage 1–2 days; steaks and chops 3–5 days.
3. Leftovers, soups, pizza 3–4 days; raw eggs 3–5 weeks.
Updates as you choose. The last day is the date put in plus the longer end of the fridge range (weeks × 7) — our sum, not a date on the chart. Fridge times assume 4°C or below.
Fridge and freezer times — FoodSafety.gov
| Food | Fridge (4°C or below) | Freezer (−18°C, quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Ground meat and poultry | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Steaks, chops, roasts | 3–5 days | 4–12 months |
| Whole chicken or turkey | 1–2 days | 1 year |
| Chicken or turkey pieces | 1–2 days | 9 months |
| Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Raw sausage | 1–2 days | 1–2 months |
| Cooked sausage | 1 week | 1–2 months |
| Hot dogs, opened | 1 week | 1–2 months |
| Hot dogs, unopened | 2 weeks | 1–2 months |
| Luncheon meat, opened | 3–5 days | 1–2 months |
| Luncheon meat, unopened | 2 weeks | 1–2 months |
| Fatty fish | 1–3 days | 2–3 months |
| Lean fish | 1–3 days | 6–8 months |
| Shrimp | 3–5 days | 6–18 months |
| Squid | 1–3 days | 6–18 months |
| Live clams, mussels, oysters | 5–10 days | Not recommended |
| Raw eggs in shell | 3–5 weeks | Don’t freeze in shell |
| Raw egg whites and yolks | 2–4 days | 12 months |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Don’t freeze |
| Soups and stews | 3–4 days | 2–3 months |
| Cooked meat or poultry leftovers | 3–4 days | 2–6 months |
| Pizza | 3–4 days | 1–2 months |
| Egg, chicken or tuna salad | 3–4 days | Doesn’t freeze well |
For anything not listed, the chart points to the USDA FoodKeeper app, covering more than 650 foods. Fatty fish means mackerel or salmon; lean fish means cod or flounder (the chart’s examples).
What the two numbers mean — FoodSafety.gov
The chart says fridge times keep food from spoiling or becoming dangerous, while freezer times are for quality only: food frozen at −18°C stays safe past them but may lose flavour and texture. The 4 Steps page adds that freezing doesn’t kill germs; they become active again when thawed, so thaw in the fridge.
Before you use it (ours)
The last fridge day is the date put in plus the longer end of the range. Ground meat (1–2 days) put in on 20 October gives 22 October; raw eggs (3–5 weeks) give 35 days later. Using the shorter end is more cautious. The chart assumes food went straight into the fridge; don’t apply the sum to food left out for long. Korean use-by dates on packaging are a separate labelling system.
For leftovers in the freezer, the USDA leftovers page says 3–4 months while this chart says 2–6 months for cooked meat or poultry. Both are quality guides, so safety doesn’t differ, only the width of the range (our reading).
Korean date labels are in food dates and storage; fridge food after a power cut in power outage food safety; leftovers in leftovers.
Checklist
- ☐ Fridge 4°C or below, freezer −18°C or below
- ☐ Cook or freeze ground meat and raw poultry within 1–2 days
- ☐ Leftovers 3–4 days
- ☐ Eggs in their carton in the main compartment
- ☐ Frozen food stays safe but loses quality
Questions that remain
What about kimchi and side dishes?
Not on this chart; see FoodKeeper or Korean labels.
If it smells fine, can I go past the time?
The chart treats fridge times as safety limits and doesn’t mention smell tests.
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov (US HHS) — Cold Food Storage Chart — source (reviewed 19 September 2023; checked 20 October 2026). Fridge for safety and freezer for quality; times for meat, poultry, sausage, ham, seafood, eggs, soups, leftovers, pizza and salads; FoodKeeper’s 650 items.
- FoodSafety.gov — 4 Steps to Food Safety — source (reviewed 18 September 2023; checked 20 October 2026). Freezing doesn’t kill germs; thaw in the fridge.
- Not read. The FoodKeeper app itself; Korean MFDS storage rules.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Written on 20 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
