Kendra found some leftover chicken in her fridge.
She didn’t remember when she made it.
Should she keep it or throw it away?
She didn’t want to waste food—but she also didn’t want to make her family sick.
Food: Keep or Toss?
Food Safety Rules
To stay safe, remember these four food safety rules:
Cook
Clean
Chill
Separate
What Makes Food Unsafe? Food can have harmful germs like bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
These germs can make you sick. Most food has some bacteria, but how you store, clean, cook, and handle food can stop it from becoming dangerous.
Did you know?
About 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from food every year.
How Do Germs Get into Food?
Germs can be almost anywhere—dirt, water, animals, and even people. Here are some common ways germs get into food:
- Eating raw or undercooked meat, eggs, or seafood
- Drinking raw milk or juice
-
Leaving food out too long
(between 40°–140°F is the “danger zone”) - Touching food with dirty hands
- Using dirty dishes or kitchen tools
- Eating food made by someone who is sick
When Should You Keep or Toss Food?
Don’t trust your nose.
If something smells bad, it probably is bad.
But food can look or smell fine and still be unsafe. It’s better to follow a schedule.
Here’s a chart to help:
| FOOD | FRIDGE | FREEZER |
|---|---|---|
| Ground beef, pork, lamb | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Organ meats | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Steaks, chops, roasts | 3–5 days | 4–12 months |
| Leftovers, casseroles | 3–4 days | 2–3 months |
| Ground poultry | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Chicken pieces | 1–2 days | 9 months |
| Whole chicken | 1–2 days | 1 year |
| Cooked ham slices | 3–4 days | 1–2 months |
| Whole ham | 1 week | 1–2 months |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Eggs in shell | 3–5 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Deli salads (chicken, egg, tuna, etc.) | 3–5 days | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Fresh fish or shellfish | 1–2 days | 3–12 months |
| Cooked seafood | 3–4 days | 3 months |
| Processed meats (see below) | See below | 1–2 months |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 7 days |
It’s best to limit how much processed meat you eat like hot dogs, bacon, or deli meats. Eating too much has been linked to cancer. |
| Deli meat (opened) | 3–5 days | |
| Deli meat or hot dogs (unopened) | 2 weeks | |
| Hot dogs (opened) | 1 week | |
| Jerky, pepperoni | 2–3 weeks | |
| Raw sausage | 1–2 days | |
| Fully cooked sausage | 1 week |
Easy Ways to Stay Organized
Want to keep track of when food was opened or cooked? Try these tips:
- Use labels or a marker to write dates on food containers.
- Keep a list on the fridge or use a whiteboard with the dates you cooked a dish or opened a package.
- Store older food in the front and newer food in the back of the fridge.
What About Mold?
Some mold is safe (like in blue cheese), but some can make you sick.
Don’t sniff moldy food—you could breathe in harmful spores.
Foods with Mold You Can Keep:
Food
What to Do
Hard cheese (cheddar, Parmesan)
Cut off at least 1 inch around the mold.
Don’t let the knife touch the mold.
Firm fruits/veggies (carrots, cabbage, peppers)
Cut off at least 1 inch around the mold.
Hard salami, dry-cured ham
Scrub off the mold and eat.
Foods with Mold You Should Toss:
- Soft cheese (shredded, sliced, crumbled)
- Yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese
- Jams and jellies
- Soft fruits and vegetables (like tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers)
- Moldy nuts or nut butters
What About Moldy Bread?
If you see mold on one slice, throw the whole loaf away. Mold spreads fast, even if you can’t see it.
When in doubt, throw it out.
REFERENCES:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (2024). Foodborne illness and disease.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/foodborne-illness-and-disease
FoodSafety.gov. (2023, October 19). Cold food storage chart.
https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts
World Health Organization. (2015, October 26). Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.
https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (2013, August 22). Molds on food: Are they dangerous?
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/molds-food-are-they-dangerous
Lui, N. (2024, October 24). Is it safe to eat moldy bread? EatingWell.
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8038039/is-it-safe-to-eat-moldy-bread/
