COVID-19 exacerbated food insecurity among the most vulnerable families, who are forced to conserve certain products to supply the supply over the weeks.
But some families are likely discarding food that is still fit for consumption after weeks of freezing.
It is common to preserve meats and seafood in the freezer for short-term consumption, as a way to organize food more effectively, but surely you wonder how long that piece of salmon can stay in the bottom of the freezer or if that chicken frozen for weeks is still consumable.
You will be surprised to know that meat and seafood, as well as other products such as eggs and sausages, can be eaten after months of freezing. Some meats can even be eaten within a year of preservation.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that the main thing is to wrap the meat with plastic wrap to avoid contact with other products and surfaces and write the freezing date there.
BEEF, LAMB, PORK, BEEF AND SAUSAGES
Bacon: 1-2 months
Fresh sausages: 2-3 months
Veal (fillets): 6-12 months
Pig: 8-12 months
Cooked ham: 1-2 months
Minced, cubed or laminated meat: 3-4 months
Lamb: 6-9 months
Smoked meat, sausage: 1-2 months
Hot dog sausages: 1-2 months
Giblets (liver, heart): 3-4 months
Cooked meat in sauce: 4 months
Cooked meat without sauce: 2-3 months
Cooked meat, chopped and vacuum packed: 1 month
CHICKEN OR TURKEY
Raw whole poultry: 10-12 months
Raw chunky poultry: 6-9 months
Poultry meat cooked in sauce: 6 months
Cooked poultry without sauce: 1-3 months
EGGS:
In shell: do not freeze
Yolks and whites: 12 months
Liquid Pasteurized Eggs, Egg Substitutes: 12 months if container not opened.
FISH AND SEAFOOD
Shelled oysters: 2-4 months
Clams without shell: 3 months
Cooked crab: 1 month
Prawns: 2-4 months
Mussels without shell: 3 months
Fatty fish (salmon, trout): 2 months
Lean fish (sole): 6 months
Zamburiñas: 3 months
Cold smoked fish: 2 months
Fresh fish: 3-8 months
For more information about freezing and refrigeration of food, click here.
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