From The Store to Your Refrigerator: A Food Spoilage Chart

Sometimes determining the freshness of food in the fridge can be tricky. While some foods may look fine or pass the "smell test", there are varying spoilage times that you have to keep in mind. Eating food that is past its prime can not only not taste right but also get people very ill. This is a great guide to the shelf life when refrigerated of many popular foods. Remember: when in doubt, throw it out!

Dairy

• Milk, 7 days
• Butter, 1-3 months
• Cream, 4 days
• Cheese (hard), 6 months unopened or 3 weeks opened
• Cheese (soft), 1 week
• Cream cheese, 2 weeks
• Cottage cheese, 1 week
• Sour cream, 14-21 days
• Yogurt, 7-14 days

Eggs

• Fresh, 5 weeks
• Hardboiled, 1 week
• Liquid egg substitute, 10 days unopened or 3 days opened

Meat

• Hamburger (ground), 2 days
• Turkey (ground), 2 days
• Ham (slices), 4 days
• Hot dogs, 2 weeks unopened or 1 week opened
• Lunch meat, 2 weeks unopened or 3-5 days opened
• Bacon, 1 week
• Sausage (fresh), 2 days
• Sausage (breakfast links or patties), 1 week
• Roasts, 3-5 days
• Steak, 3-5 days
• Chops, 3-5 days
• Chicken (whole or parts), 2 days
• Fried chicken, 3-4 days
• Chicken nuggets, 2 days
• Fish (fresh), 1-2 days
• Fish (cooked), 4 days
• Fish (smoked), 2 weeks
• Fresh shrimp and shellfish, 1-2 days
• Cooked shelfish, 3-4 days

Drinks

• Juice (carton), 3 weeks unopened or 7-10 days opened
• Coffee (canned ground), 1 month
• Soft drinks, 3 months from "best by" date
• Wine, 1 week corked
• Beer, 6 weeks

Condiments

• Mayonnaise, 3 months
• Mustard, 6-8 months
• Ketchup, 5 months
• Honey mustard, 2 months
• Tartar sauce, 3 months
• Olive oil, 6 months
• Tahini, 1 month
• Hummus, 1 week
• Pickles, 6 months
• Horseradish, 6-8 months
• Chocolate syrup, 6-8 months
• Peanut butter, 4 months
• Jelly, 4-5 months
• Salad dressing, 2 months
• Honey, 8 months
• Relish, 6 months

Resources

For more information on food spoilage and food poisoning, visit these helpful links:

• Table of Condiments That Periodically Go Bad
• The Basics About Food Poisoning
• Causes and Prevention of Food Spoilage
• FoodSafety.gov