As food prices soar and more people in the world go hungry, I am more conscious than ever of the amount of food that gets thrown out each week.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the average American household throws out between $500 and $2,000 worth of food per year.
I suspect the waste in my household is even greater.
I admit to being a freshness fanatic, and rarely a day goes by that I do not hit at least one market to purchase groceries. Even with a “ buy as needed” attitude, there is a ridiculous amount of waste in our kitchen.
I set out to do a little research as to how long food can be kept before it goes bad, and I had a few surprises. Foods last longer in the refrigerator than I assumed, and the freezer does not extend food life indefinitely, as I had been previously told. Here are a few common foods, and their shelf life both refrigerated and frozen:
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Hot dogs; opened | 1 week | 1-2 months |
| Deli lunchmeat; freshly sliced or from an open package | 3-5 days* although the deli manager at Whole Foods recommends 3 days only | 1-2 months |
| Ground meats; raw | 1-2 days | 3-4 months |
| Raw poultry | 1-2 days | 9months for pieces/12 months if whole |
| Red meat; raw | 3-5 days | 4-6 months for chops / 6-12 months for steaks + roasts |
| Soups and Stews | 3-4 days | 2-3 months frozen |
| Hard cheese | 3-4 weeks | Not recommended |
| Soft cheese | 1 week | Not recommended |
| Ice cream | 1-2 months | |
| Mayo | 2 months once opened | Not recommended |
| Cooked leftovers | 3-4 days | Varies |
| Butter | 1 month | Up to 9 months |
| Milk | 1 week | Not recommended |
| Eggs | 3 weeks | Not recommended |
This week, I am committed to reducing our family’s food waste. While I may not be comfortable keeping things around as long as this chart dictates as safe, I will be more cognizant of recycling our leftovers quickly into healthy and tasty dishes that we can consume, instead of toss.
Stay tuned for this week’s adventures as I blog about how I reduce food waste creatively.
Join the conversation, and post some of your ideas in the comment section.
photo: Glasshouse Images
Tags: chart, Food, food safety, food waste, how long food stays fresh in the freezer, how long food stays fresh in the refrigerator, refrigerator freezer, Wall Street Journal
Indigo jones 
March 26, 2012 at 9:41 am |
Nice post! Keep up the informative work!
March 27, 2012 at 8:03 am |
I can’t wait to read about this journey. I am trying to do the same thing in our house.
j