USDA or Food Labeling?
I have some bacon I took out of the freezer and put directly into the fridge to use this past weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend came and went without me cooking said bacon. It has been sitting in my fridge about 6 days in its unopened vacuum pack. The package says it is best by July 30 of this year (so another ~8 days).
Normally this would be the end of the story, but I once read that freezing cured meats actually lowers their shelf life and can lead to them becoming rancid quicker. Further, this pamphlet from the USDA states that bacon is only good up to 7 days in the fridge anyway. My question: should I go with the package date and use it within the next week or should I toss it and buy more?
Best Answer
To quote from your own source:
It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. After defrosting bacon by this method, it will be safe in the refrigerator for 7 days before cooking. If you decide not to use the bacon during this time, you can safely refreeze it without cooking it first.
And, further up:
It’s not important if a date expires after freezing bacon because all foods stay safe while frozen.
Let's look at what happens when you freeze food:
Due to the low temperatures, the growth of all1 molds, bacteria and other "nasties" is stopped or at least slowed down to an extremely slow rate. So from the perspective of your food, time is suspended while frozen. (Quality issues left aside, we are talking food safety here.)
So the clock starts ticking again once you defrost your food and can be stopped when re-freezing. Taking into account that your bacon was supposed to be good until the end of the month and freezing doesn't shorten that time, you should be fine at least until the original best-by-date.
In theory you could calculate
new date = thawing date + days left when freezing
But that's based on estimated bacterial growth, not taking possible quality issues into account - and we shouldn't always go to the limit, should we?.
1 "all" as in "all typical pathogens". Of course there are bacteria that thrive on ice, but those are not relevant here.
Pictures about "USDA or Food Labeling?"
Quick Answer about "USDA or Food Labeling?"
Several federal agencies are involved in the regulation of food labels in the United States. Food labeling is generally regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).What food labels are regulated by the USDA?
- Fish and Seafood Allergies.
- Egg Allergies.
- Milk Allergies and Lactose Intolerance.
- Peanut and Tree Nut Allergies.
- Soy Allergies.
- Wheat and Gluten Allergies.
What are the FDA requirements for food labeling?
Basics of FDA Food Labeling Requirements- Common name of the food (Principal Display Panel)
- Net quantity of contents (PDP)
- Ingredient list (PDP or information panel)
- Name & location of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor (PDP or information panel)
- Nutrition Information.
What are the 4 types of food labels?
Light, low-calorie, organic labeling \u2014 what do these mean?- Light. Light products are processed to reduce either calories or fat. ...
- Low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb. These foods have a legal limit to how many calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates (carbs) they can contain per serving. ...
- Multigrain. ...
- Organic.
Which food labels are most trustworthy?
So which information can you trust? The Nutrition Facts Panel. That panel, which includes serving size, calories and amounts of certain nutrients, is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It may not be exciting, and it could use a makeover, but it's legit.U.S. FDA Food Labeling Rules - The New Normal
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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