Meat Expiration Date Question . .

NDG

I got into a discussion with a family member about this topic and NO IDEA what the right answer is . . 

To summarize . . . if you have a Chicken and the expiration date is 11/13/2014, what happens if you FREEZE the meat on this day?  More importantly, when you pull the meat out a month of so later to thaw . . . must you cook it immediately to be completely safe?  Or does the FREEZE somehow extend the meat life after thaw?

DMW

Those dates are "sell by" or "best by" dates, not "expiration dates"

No answer for you on chicken specifically, but just throwing that out there.

SkinnyV

Look and smell test for me. If I freeze it it needs to look ok, so nice and red for meat.
Chicken is tough but in the end I go by look and smell once thawed too.

Now I know some will come say you can't see the bacteria etc...cook it well if you know a particular meat might be dated a bit.

Oh and I love that manager special section, not because we need to save $ more because I'm cheap like that if I can be. B-)

DieselkW

I treat expiration dates with a big ol' grain of salt, and I'm not too proud to shop the manager's special meat at Kroger - 

It's not like the damn thing has a calendar - my wife will toss the milk if she notices it's past the expiration date. I can't convince her IT'S STILL GOOD!! As if the milk knows it's late and spontaneously goes bad.

Old joke, man @ fridge: "Honey, is this still good?"

Wife: "What does it smell like?"

Man: "It doesn't have a smell"

Wife: "It's good"

Food will let you know when it's gone bad, from fish to chicken to veggies, when the bacteria load living on it has reproduced enough to smell, it's time to cut your losses and chuck it.

Some things have an expiration date even though they'll last forever, like Twinkies. They just want you to throw them away and buy more, so they slap a date on it hoping you'll actually pay attention to it.

Trust your nose, and if it tastes bad, it is bad. 

NDG

yea I am big fan of smell test.  The family member I was speaking with does not have a science background, but he was wondering if the FREEZE kills some bacteria/pathogens (or something like that) and will help extend the "fresh" period longer once thawed.   I know this is petty, but I am curious . . does my Q make sense?

fishlessman

the only food required to have an expiration date is babyfood. everything else is really best by or sell by and the manufacturer wants you to replace it for their sales. if it smells ok its usually good, with chicken your nose really tells you quickly if its bad. check your bandaids, they are probably expired
)

gdenby

As mentioned, the dates on meat packages are just "best if sold by..." From what I've read, they were first introduced to help store managers maintain a regular stocking schedule. The only foods in the US that a required to have expiration dates are baby foods. Everything else is a recommendation.

As far as safety goes, read up some on how bacteria grows at different temperatures, just for your own peace of mind.

I'll offer a quick summary. Unless the animal in question has a muscle related disease, the meat at the time of slaughter is bacteria free. And in the US and other places, not infested w. parasites. But for the sake of safety, it is assumed that as the carcass is cut, it is exposed to various pathogens. For example, human's frequently carry a strain of staphylcoccus. Not hard to imagine a stray finger touch on the meat before its packaged.

Generally speaking, if the meat is cut and quickly frozen, all pathogens become dormant before their numbers can increase to dangerous levels, and/or produce various toxins. I did come across a micro photo once that showed filements of staph in meat that had been lost during an arctic expedition. They had continued to grow, albeit very slowly for decades.  As far as I know, such growth is an exception.

Upon thawing, the charts I've seen indicate that pathogens have a brief period, an hour or so, before they begin multiplying. The rate of multiplication is dependent on temperature. Roughly, the growth rate doubles every 10F, to about 100F. At that point, it begins to slow, and in the mid 120s, pathogen numbers stop increasing. By 130, the heat is destroying them. By 165F, the die off is very rapid, and at 185, pretty much instantaneous.

Home refrigerators should be set to 40F or lower. That is the average in mine, but there is variance all over, with some spots being just above 32F, and a few at 44F.  The rule of thumbs is that uncooked meats can be held for up to 7 days at that temp. Cooked foods are not as resistant to bacterial growth (the bugs like their food cooked, too), and only have about half the 'fridge life.

The older food safety guide line was that from slaughter to cooking, unfrozen meat could only be considered safe for 4 hours between 40F and 140F.  Not a very good guide. I've come across a more recent one that said 2 hours tops for poultry at 90F.

The "smell" test is a good indicator, but it is not fail safe. The bacteria that produce the smell are not the same ones that produce the worst toxins. The odor just indicates that if there has been a good environment for toxin production.

Despite paying closer attention now to time and temperature, I still abide by the maxim, "When in doubt, throw it out."  This goes for everything. Vegetables, which are often neither frozen, or cooked to high temperatures are just as likely to be dangerous as meat. Likewise grain products. Bacillus cereus can be fatal. Reheated rice, insufficiently cooled pasta salads, etc can easily cause really bad poisoning.

Zmokin

NDG said:

yea I am big fan of smell test.  The family member I was speaking with does not have a science background, but he was wondering if the FREEZE kills some bacteria/pathogens (or something like that) and will help extend the "fresh" period longer once thawed.   I know this is petty, but I am curious . . does my Q make sense?

Your question makes sense and the answer is, No, freezing is not a bacteria killing process, it is a bacteria hibernation process.  It stops the decay, it does not reverse it.

Zmokin

If meat smells bad, throw it out.
If meat is showing color changes, throw it out.
If anything is growing on it, throw it out.

This applies to raw and cooked meat.

piney

Where is Stike when you need him?? I took a lot from his views on this subject... If it smells ok its ok. What about "aged beef" in a sense it is just old out of date beef...with a huge price tag

NDG

Thanks for all the response . . . and sgdenby = =D>

gdenby

NDG said:

Thanks for all the response . . . and sgdenby = =D>

You are most welcome. Stay safe.