The operating temperature of a commercial freezer is typically about -10 degrees Fahrenheit with a holding temperature that will range between -10 and zero degrees Fahrenheit. Freezers hold foods within this temperature range because bacteria and mold stop growing when frozen to zero degrees however, once thawed, these same bacteria and molds can become reactivated. For this reason, you can see that having your frozen foods maintained at proper or safe temperatures is critically important to the safety of your customers. Holding foods at proper temperature also has a direct effect on the length of time that you can keep foods frozen. While food stored at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit should last indefinitely, the quality of most foods will decline the longer that it is stored in a freezer. In a commercial environment, it is best to limit the length of time that you store frozen food and to maintain accurate records as to the amount of time a product has been kept frozen so that you don’t hold it so long that it wouldn’t be a good decision to serve to customers. We recommend using food labels to track the amount of time food is stored in a reach-in freezer, undercounter freezer or walk-in freezer.
Different types of foods can be stored for different time periods. Meat is frozen to extend the life of the product. But how long is too long to store frozen meat and poultry? The type of meat seldom affects the storage time, but there are some exceptions. Additionally, storage time correlates to the size of the amount of meat being stored. Larger cuts of meats can be stored in commercial freezers for longer periods of time and smaller cuts of frozen meat can be stored for shorter periods of time before there will be a decline in the quality of the product.
Below is a list of how long you can store meat and poultry without significant degradation to frozen products.
Fresh Meat and Poultry:
Steaks, six to twelve months
Chops and Roasts, four to twelve months
Whole Chicken and Turkey, twelve months
Chicken and Turkey Parts, nine months
Ground Beef, three to four months
Ground Chicken, three to four months
Cooked Meat and Poultry:
Cooked Meat, three to four months
Cooked Poultry, four to six months
Fried Chicken, four months
Chicken Nuggets or Chicken Patties, one to three months
Gravy, two to three months
