Keeping your Convenience Foods Safe
People are turning to convenience foods such as canned foods, frozen foods and prepared salads to fill their plates at dinnertime instead of preparing meals from scratch. Below are tips from the American Dietetic Association to help you purchase and store convenience foods safely.
Deli Meats
Use poultry products purchased from the deli counter within 3 days of purchase, use red meat deli products within 5 to 7 days of purchase
At-risk consumers (pregnant women, older adults, babies and people with weakened immune systems) should consult their medical practitioners for advice on consuming deli meats
For best eating quality, always reheat hot dogs before eating
Pre-Prepared Foods
If eating from a salad bar, go early or ask for fresh batches of the items
Make sure items like egg salad, macaroni salad and potato salad are properly refrigerated below 40°
Check to make sure containers are well-packed in ice
Be sure to reheat pre-cooked foods such as stuffed chicken breasts, pre-roasted chickens, etc., and eat them the same day you purchase them
Canned Foods
Avoid buying canned goods that show signs of bulging, denting or leaking.
Throw away any canned goods in your pantry with similar signs of bulging, denting or leaking
Store canned goods in a cool, dry place--not above the oven or under the sink.
As a general rule, canned goods can be kept up to 12 months unopened
Clean cans before opening them to avoid contamination of contents
Frozen Foods
Choose frozen foods, like dinners or vegetables, from the back of the freezer case; the items in the back usually remain the coldest and most frozen
Keep frozen foods tightly wrapped at 0° F or below and date them
Don't refreeze thawed food items
Dried or Cured Meats
Don't buy hanging dried or cured meat if the package is cut open
An unopened package of dried meat will keep for up to one year without refrigeration.
Refrigerate after opening
adapted from
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