‘Shelf life’ is a funny term – but a very important one. If you’ve ever pulled some mouldy cheese out of your refrigerator, or drank some milk that tasted like a dead foot, then you know what we’re talking about. Not only is consuming out of date food unpleasant, it can also be unhealthy. That’s why Canstar Blue has produced a guide to the shelf life of different foods commonly found in your fridge.
Shelf life is an important property of food and should be of interest to everyone, from the producer of the food to the consumer (you). This article will provide an in-depth explanation of the shelf-lives of various common food products, as well as explaining exactly what shelf life means.
What’s the difference between shelf life and expiry dates?
First off, it’s important to make a distinction between shelf life and expiry dates, since confusing the two can have some bad ramifications. The expiry date is the date that the manufacturer lists on the labelling that states how long a product will ‘stay good’ for as long as it remains unopened. For highly perishable foods such as meat and dairy products, this is called a ‘use by date’, while foods that stay better in storage have a ‘best before’ date.
Shelf life, on the other hand, is a little different. The broad definition of shelf life is the length of time that products may be stored without becoming unfit for use or consumption. For food, it is the manufacturer’s label of how long the product will stay good for once it is opened.
Shelf life and expiration dates can be vastly different. For example, bread can last for months in the freezer, but as soon as you break that seal and defrost it, you have about a week to eat it all before it starts to go mouldy.
What determines shelf life?
No single factor influences the shelf life of food, but according to CSIRO, the most important factors that determine a food’s shelf life are:
- Microbiological changes
- Moisture and water vapour transfer
- Chemical or biochemical changes
- Food-packaging interaction
- Domestic storage
You can read their article on shelf life for a more in-depth understanding of how these factors affect the shelf life of your food.
The legal requirement for manufacturers of packaged foods to date foods was introduced in 1978. The packaging needs to include both a timeframe of use and an expiry or used by date. The responsibility of determining the shelf life of a food lies with the manufacturers, but the consumer also has to take responsibility to ensure that they check these dates and don’t consume off foods.
To help you with this, we have compiled a handy guide to the shelf life of your favourite refrigerator foods, so you can enjoy them in safety. In this guide, shelf life in the freezer refers to storage at 0°C or below. A temperature of 0-3 indicates using the coldest part of the fridge, while 21-24 means it should be fine at room temperature, preferably stored in the cupboard. If a column in any of the tables below has been left blank, then do not store the product at that temperature.
The shelf life of meat products
Meat products are highly perishable, and are highly sensitive to microbiological growth and deteriorative changes. Unless you’re planning on eating them straight away after buying them, you should always look to store meat products in the freezer to prevent them from going off. Depending on the type of meat you’re freezing, it can last anywhere from one month to one year, but the shelf life is usually much less than that.
Due to the extensive range of meat products, we’ve divided this section into three different tables – general meat products, fish products and poultry.
General meat products
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw beef, lamb and steak | 3 days if wrapped, 5 days if unwrapped | 6 months | |
| Raw pork roast and lamb chops | 3 days if wrapped | 4 months | |
| Pork sausages and raw pork | 1-2 days | 1-2 months | |
| Roast beef and roast lamb | 2-3 days | 6 months | |
| Cooked steak | 2-3 days | 6 months | |
| Stewed meat and casseroles | 2-3 days | 2-3 months | |
| Beef mince | 2-3 days | 2-3 months | |
| Pre-packaged ham slices | 1-2 weeks if unopened, 4 days once opened | 1-2 months | |
| Sausages and salami | 1-2 weeks if unopened, 4 days once opened | 1-2 months |
Fish products
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw fish and prawns | 1-2 days | 3-4 months | |
| Cooked fish and prawns | 3-4 days | 4-6 months | |
| Cooked salmon | 1-2 weeks | 2 months | |
| Tinned tuna | 12 months unopened | 2 days in fridge once opened | |
| Crabs and oysters | 2 days | 6 months |
Poultry and other products
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken mince and raw poultry | 2-3 days | 3 months | |
| Raw poultry – chicken, duck, turkey and goose | 1-2 days | 3-6 months
|
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| Cooked poultry | 3-4 days – refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking | 3-6 months | |
| Cooked chicken nuggets | 1-2 days | 1-3 months | |
| Cooked poultry with stuffing | 1-2 days | 1 month | |
| Meat juice and gravy | 1-2 days | 2-3 months | |
| Tofu and meat substitutes | 4-5 days | 6-8 weeks | |
| Frozen dinners | 3-4 months; keep frozen |
The shelf life of dairy products
Almost all dairy products, especially milk and cheese, need to be stored in the refrigerator. The exceptions to the rule are powdered milk and ice-cream. The period of time each dairy product needs to be stored for varies, but generally, they have very short shelf-lives, so be careful not to buy too much or you’ll end up having to throw it out. However, in a lot of cases, dairy products that are past their used-by dates are not necessarily dangerous to consume. They just might not taste very good!
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Cream | 5 days once opened | ||
| Ice-cream | 1-2 months | ||
| Yoghurt | 1 week | ||
| Hard cheeses | 1-3 months – varies by type | ||
| Cottage and cream cheeses | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Butter | 2 months | ||
| Margarine | About 6 months | ||
| Condensed milk | Varies, need to check the labelling when sealed |
The shelf life of fat products
Fatty and oily products tend to have longer shelf lives, since the absence of water in fats lessens the number of microorganisms in the food. They are not highly perishable, and generally are stored at room temperature. Oily and fatty products should not be frozen.
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable oil | 1-3 months opened, 6 months unopened | ||
| Salad oil | 2months opened, 3 months unopened | ||
| Peanut butter | 2-3 months opened; 6-9 months unopened | 6 months opened | |
| Olive oil | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Raw eggs | 5-6 weeks | Do not freeze | |
| Hard-boiled eggs/ cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze | |
| Milk chocolate | 7-8 months from opening, 10 months if unopened | Only refrigerate if necessary | |
| Dark chocolate | 1 year from opening, 2 years if unopened | Only refrigerate if necessary |
The shelf life of grain, flour and wheat products
The shelf life of food in this category varies a lot in terms of shelf life. Grain products such as rice last much longer unattended, whereas flour and wheat products such as bread don’t last nearly as long, mainly due to a lack of preservatives.
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice | 5-7 days | ||
| Raw white rice | 12 months | ||
| Raw brown rice | 6 months, since they contain more natural oils | ||
| Pasta | 6-12 months sealed, 2 months opened | ||
| Cereal | 6-12 months sealed, 2 months opened | ||
| Bread | 5-7 days | 1-2 weeks (try to avoid storing in the fridge) | Approximately 3 months |
| Cakes, cookies and muffins | 1 week | 1 week | 3 months |
The shelf life of canned and bottled goods
As a general rule, unopened home canned goods have a shelf life of approximately one year, and they should retain their best quality until that point. Foods that have higher acid levels and aren’t stored in liquid have a shorter shelf life. Canned goods are the best survival goods, since some of them can last up to 10 years unopened!
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dried fruits and gravy powder | Approx. 6 months sealed | ||
| Canned fruits and vegetables | 12 months + sealed | ||
| Pate | 3 weeks sealed, 5-7 days once opened | ||
| Mayonnaise/salad dressing | 2-3 months | Do not freeze | |
| Tomato/barbeque sauce | 4-6 months | 4-5 months | Do not freeze |
| Bottled fruit juice | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Canned fruit juice | 6 months max | ||
| Soft drink | 6 months | 6 months | |
| Baby food | Approx. 6 months unopened | 1-2 days once opened | Do not freeze |
The shelf life of fruits and vegetables
Eating fresh produce is a requirement of a healthy diet, yet a lot of people end up throwing away rotten fruits and veggies due to the rate at which they expire. To avoid this, consult the following two tables below, separated for fruit and vegetables.
Fruit
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples | 4 days | 1 month | |
| Avocadoes | 3 days | 3 days | |
| Bananas | 7 days if green, 2-4 days if ripe | Do not refrigerate as they will turn black in the cold | |
| Berries | 2-3 days | ||
| Citrus | 1-2 weeks | 2 weeks + | |
| Grapes | 3-5 days | ||
| Kiwi fruit | 2-3 days to ripen | 1 week once ripe | |
| Melons | 1 week | ||
| Peaches | 1 day to ripen | 3 days once ripe | |
| Pears | 2 days to ripen | 2 weeks once ripe | |
| Pineapple | 2 days (whole pineapple) | 1 week once cut | |
| Strawberries | 3 days if covered and isolated from other foods | ||
| Watermelon | 2-3 days | 6-8 days |
Vegetables
| Food | Shelf life in cupboard | Shelf life in fridge | Shelf life in freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-packaged frozen vegetables | 12 months in original packaging | ||
| Canned vegetables | 3 days once opened | ||
| Asparagus | 3-5 days | ||
| Beans | 3-6 days | ||
| Broccoli | 5-7 days | ||
| Cabbage | 1-2 months | ||
| Carrots | 1-3 months | ||
| Capsicum | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Cauliflower | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Celery | 3-4 weeks | ||
| Corn | 3 days | ||
| Cucumber | 10-12 days | ||
| Eggplants | 10-12 days | ||
| Lettuce and mushrooms | 10-12 days | ||
| Onions | 1-3 months | 1-3 months | |
| Peas | 5-6 days | ||
| Sweet and white potatoes | 2-4 months | Do not refrigerate | |
| Tomatoes | 2-5 weeks to ripen | 5-7 days |
In addition to this information above, there are a number of things you should know that are often necessary to maintain the lifespan and quality of your fruit and veggies:
- Store apples in plastic and separate them from other fruits and veges in the fridge, since apple gas turns things brown.
- Keep all citrus fruits in plastic bags or containers, separate from other fruits and veges.
- Keep grapes in a covered bowl to retain their moisture.
- Wrap melons tightly in cling wrap so their odour won’t contaminate other foods.
- Wrap all tomatoes in paper if you want them to stay fresh in the fridge.
- When storing veggies in plastic bags, poke a few holes in the bags to provide air circulation.
- Always keep fruits and vegetables in separate produce sections of your fridge.
- Never store potatoes and onions together, as they give off gases that can cause rapid decay of the other.
- Don’t wash the veggies prior to putting them in the fridge. Only do this once you’re ready to eat them.
Eating foods that have passed their shelf lives can lead to food poisoning, salmonella poisoning and other illnesses, so it is best that you avoid doing so. Knowing the shelf lives and expiry dates of the foods in your fridge is an easy way to avoid this, although you can always learn to recognise the signs that your food is off as well.
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