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Recommended Food Storage Chart
The following charts provide general recommended storage times from date of purchase for various food products stored
under optimum conditions. Storage generally is not recommended under conditions where no time is listed in the chart. For
maximum shelf-life, consumers should always purchase fresh food and never temperature abuse food.
Food
Pantry (Room Temperature)
Refrigerator (33°F to 40°F)
Freezer (0°F)
Bread and Cereal Products
Baked quick breads
4-5 days
1-2 weeks
2-3 months
Bread
5-7 days
1-2 weeks
3 months
Bread crumbs and croutons
6 months
Bread rolls, unbaked
2-3 weeks
1 month
Cereals, ready-to-eat
1 year
2-3 months*
Cereals, ready-to-cook
6 months
Corn meal
1 year
18 months
2 years
Doughnuts
4-5 days
3 months
Flour, cake, all-purpose
1 year
1-2 years
Flour, whole wheat
6-8 months
1-2 years
Pasta
2 years
Pies and pastries
3 days
4-6 months
Pies and pastries, baked
1-2 months
Pies and pastries, cream filled
2-3 days
3 months
Pizza
3-4 days
1-2 months
Rice, brown
6 months
Rice, white
1 year
6-7 days+
6 months+
Tacos, enchiladas, and burritos (frozen)
2 weeks
1 year
Waffles
4-5 days
1 month
Packaged Foods and Mixes
Biscuit, brownie, and muffin mixes
9 months
Cakes, prepared
2-4 days
2-3 months
Cake mixes
6-9 months
Casserole mix
9-12 months
Chili powder
6 months
Cookies, packaged
2 months
8-12 months
Crackers, pretzels
3 months
Frosting, canned
3 months
Frosting, mix
8 months
Fruit cake
2-3 months
1 year
Hot roll mix
18 months
Instant breakfast products
6 months
Pancake and piecrust mix
6 months
Pancake waffle batter
1-2 days
3 months
Toaster pastries
3 months
Sauce and gravy mixes
6 months
Soup mixes
1 year
Spices, Herbs, Condiments, Extracts
Catsup, chili, and cocktail sauce
1 year
1 month*
6 months
Herbs
6 months
1-2 years
Herb/spice blends
2 years
1 year *
1-2 years
Mustard
2 years
6-8 months*
8-12 months
Spices, ground
6 months
1-2 years
Spices, whole
1-2 years
2-3 years
Vanilla extract
2 years
1 year*
Other extracts
1 year
Other Food Staples
Bacon bits
4 months
Baking powder
18 months
Baking soda
2 years
Bouillon products
1 year
Carbonated soft drinks (12 oz. cans)
6-9 months
Carbonated soft drinks, diet (12 oz. cans)
3-4 months
Chocolate, premelted
1 year
Chocolate syrup
2 years
6 months*
Chocolate, semisweet
2 years
Chocolate, unsweetened
18 months
Cocoa mixes
8 months
Coconut, shredded
1 year
6 months*
8 months
1 year
Coffee cans
2 years
2 weeks*
2 months
6 months
Coffee, instant
6 months
2 weeks*
Coffee, vacuum-packed
1 year ^
Coffee lighteners (dry)
9 months
6 months*
1 year
Cornstarch
18 months
2 years
Gelatin
18 months
Honey, jams, jellies, and syrup
1 year
6-8 months*
Marshmallows
2-3 months
Marshmallow cream
3-4 months
Mayonnaise
2-3 months
12 months
2 months*
Molasses
2 years
Nuts, shelled
4 months
6 months
Nuts, unshelled
6 months
Nuts, salted
6-8 months
Nuts, unsalted
9-12 months
Oil, salad
3 months^
2 months*
Parmesan grated cheese
10 months
2 months*
Pasteurized process cheese spread
3 months
3-4 weeks*
4 months
Peanut butter
6 months
2-3 months*
Popcorn
1-2 years
2 years
2-3 years
Pectin
1 year
Salad dressings, bottled
1 year^
3 months*
Soft drinks
3 months
Artificial sweetener
2 years
Sugar, brown
4 months
Sugar, confectioners
18 months
Sugar, granulated
2 years
Tea bags
18 months
Tea, instant
2 years
Vegetable oils
6 months
1-3 months*
Vegetable shortening
3 months
6-9 months
Vinegar
2 years
1 year*
Water, bottled
1-2 years
Whipped topping (dry)
1 year
Yeast, dry
Pkg. exp. date
Vegetables
Asparagus
2-3 days
8 months
Beets
2 weeks
Broccoli
3-5 days
Brussels sprouts
3-5 days
Cabbage
1 week
Carrots
2 weeks
Cauliflower
1 week
Celery
1 week
Corn (husks)
1-2 days
8 months
Cucumbers
1 week
Eggplant
1 week
Green beans
1-2 days
8 months
Green peas
3-5 days
8 months
Lettuce
1 week
Lima beans
3-5 days
8 months
Mushrooms
2 days
Onions
1 week
3-5 days
Onion rings (precooked, frozen)
1 year#
Peppers
1 week
Pickles, canned
1 year
1 month*
Frozen potatoes
8 month
Sweet potatoes
2-3 weeks
White potatoes
2-3 months
Potato chips
1 month
Radishes
2 weeks
Rhubarb
3-5 days
Rutabagas
1 week
Snap beans
1 week
Spinach
5-7 days
8 months
Squash, Summer
3-5 days
Squash, Winter
1 week
Tomatoes
1 week
Turnips
2 weeks
Commercial baby food, jars
1-2 years^
2-3 days
Canned vegetables
1 year^
1-4 days*
Canned vegetables, pickled
1 year^
1-2 months*
Dried vegetables
6 months
Frozen vegetables
8 months
Vegetable soup
3-4 days
3 months
Fruits
Apples
Until ripe
1 month
Apricots
Until ripe
5 days
Avocados
Until ripe
5 days
Bananas
Until ripe
5 days (fully ripe)
Berries
Until ripe
3 days
1 year
Canned fruit
1 year
2-4 days*
Canned fruit juices
1 year
3-4 days*
Cherries
Until ripe
3 days
Citrus fruit
Until ripe
2 weeks
Dried fruit
6 months
2-4 days+
Frozen fruit
1 year
Fruit juice concentrate
6 days
1 year
Fruit pies, baked
2-3 days
8 months
Grapes
Until ripe
5 days
Melons
Until ripe
5 days
Nectarines
Until ripe
5 days
Peaches
Until ripe
5 days
1 year
Pears
Until ripe
5 days
1 year
Pineapple
Until ripe
5-7 days
1 year
Plums
Until ripe
5 days
Dairy Products
Butter
1-2 months
9 months
Buttermilk
2 weeks
Cottage cheese
1 week
3 months
Cream cheese
2 weeks
Cream-light, heavy, half- and-half
3-4 days
1-4 months
Eggnog commercial
3-5 days
6 months
Margarine
4-5 months
12 months
Condensed, evaporated and dry milk
12-23 months^
8-20 days*
Milk
8-20 days
Ice cream and sherbet
2 months
Hard natural cheese (e.g. cheddar, swiss)
3-6 months
4 weeks*
6 months
Hard natural cheese, sliced
2 weeks
Processed cheese
1 month
6 months
Soft cheese (e.g. brie)
1 week
6 months
Pudding
1-2 days*
Snack dips
1 week*
Sour cream
2 weeks
Non-dairy whipped cream, canned
3 months
Real whipped cream, canned
3-4 weeks
Yogurt
2 weeks
1-2 months
Meats, Poultry, Eggs and Fish
Meats
Fresh beef and bison steaks
3-5 days
6-9 months
Fresh beef and bison roasts
3-5 days
9-12 months
Fresh pork chops
2-3 days
4-6 months
Fresh lamb chops
3-5 days
6-8 months
Fresh veal
1-2 days
4-6 months
Fresh ground meat (e.g. beef, bison, veal, lamb)
1 day
3-4 months
Cooked meat
2-3 days
2-3 months
Canned meat
1 year
3-4 days*
3-4 months
Ham, whole
1 week
1-2 months
Ham, canned
1 year
1 week*
3-4 months
Ham, canned "keep refrigerated"
6-9 months
1 week*
3-4 months
Shelf-stable unopened canned meat (e.g. chili, deviled ham, corn beef)
1 year
1week*
Ham, cook before eating
1 week
Ham, fully cooked
2 weeks
1 week*
Ham, dry-cured
1 year
1 month
Ham salad, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days
Bacon
2 weeks
1 week*
1 month
Corned beef, uncooked
5-7 days
1-2 months
Restructured (flaked) meat products
9-12 months
Sausage, fresh
1-2 days
1-2 months
Smoked breakfast sausage links, patties
1 week
2 months
Sausage, smoked (e.g. Mettwurst)
1 week
1-2 months
Sausage, semi-dry (e.g. Summer sausage)
2-3 weeks*
6 months
Sausage, dry smoked (e.g. Pepperoni, jerky, dry Salami)
1 year
1 month*
6 months
Frankfurters, bologna
2 weeks
3-5 days*
1-2 months
Luncheon meat
2 weeks
3-5 days*
1 month
Meat gravies
1-2 days
2-3 months
TV beef and pork dinners
18 months#
Meat based casseroles
3-4 days
4 months
Variety meats (giblets, tongue, liver, heart, etc.)
1-2 days
3-4 months
Vinegar pickled meats (e.g. pickled pigs feet)
1 year^
2 weeks*
Fish
Breaded fish
4-6 months
Canned fish
1 year
1-2 days*
Cooked fish or seafood
3-4 days
3 months
Lean fish (e.g. cod, flounder, haddock)
1-2 days
6 months
Fatty fish (e.g. bluefish, salmon, mackeral)
1-2 days
2-3 months
Dry pickled fish
3-4 weeks
Smoked fish
2 weeks
4-5 weeks
Seafood-clams, crab, lobster in shell
2 days
3 months
Seafood-oysters and scallops
1-2 days
3-4 months
Seafood-shrimp
1-2 days
1 year
Seafood-shucked clams
1-2 days
3-6 months
Tuna salad, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days
Poultry and Eggs
Chicken nuggets or patties
1-2 days
Chicken livers
1-2 days
3 months
Chicken and poultry TV dinners
6 months
Canned poultry^
1 year
1 day*
Cooked poultry
2-3 days
4-6 months
Fresh poultry
1 day
1 year
Frozen poultry parts
6-9 months
Canned poultry
1 day
3 months
Poultry pies, stews, and gravies
1-2 days
6 months
Poultry salads, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days
Poultry stuffing, cooked
3-4 days
1 month
Eggs, in shell
3-5 weeks
Eggs, hard-boiled
1 week
Eggs, pasteurized
10 days
3 days*
1 year
Egg substitute
10 days
3 days*
1 year
Egg yolks (covered in water)
2-4 days
1 year
Egg whites (For each cup of egg yolk add 1 Tbs. of sugar or salt)
2-4 days
1 year
Wild Game
Frog legs
1 day
6-9 months
Game birds
2 days
9 months
Small game (rabbit, squirrel, etc.)
2 days
9-12 months
Venison ground meat
1-2 days
2-3 months
Venison steaks and roasts
3-5 days
9-12 months
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