How long food lasts in the freezer (and what not to freeze)

At 0 °F (-18 °C), frozen food stays safe indefinitely: what runs out is quality. Here are the months for each food, what not to freeze, and what to do about the use-by date and a power cut, with the source for every figure.

Published on 30 September 2026 by SOFTAPP SOLUTIONS LLC · Updated on 30 September 2026

Safe forever, good for months

A freezer at 0 °F (-18 °C) has no expiry date as far as safety goes. The US FDA says so in its storage chart: because freezing at 0 °F (-18 °C) keeps food safe indefinitely, the times it gives are "for quality only". The months in this guide measure when food starts to dry out, lose flavor or change texture. They don't measure when it becomes dangerous.

Two caveats. Freezing doesn't kill bacteria, it pauses them: the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) warns they may be revived as the food defrosts, which is why thawed food is treated like fresh food. And all of this assumes your freezer really reaches 0 °F (-18 °C). The USDA advises using a refrigerator's freezer compartment only for short-term storage if it can't hold that temperature or the door is opened often, and keeping a thermometer inside.

Food by food

Two tables: meat, poultry, fish and deli meats (FDA), then eggs, dairy, bread, fruit and vegetables (eggs from the FDA; the rest from the USDA FoodKeeper data file). The middle column is months of quality at 0 °F (-18 °C). The last is the FreshTrack type that fits best and the time it suggests, exactly as the app shows it: the app doesn't tell foods apart within a type.

Sources: US FDA, Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart (March 2018; Spanish edition: Tabla de almacenamiento en refrigerador y congelador). The USDA's current Cold Food Storage Chart gives 4-12 months for steaks, chops and roasts: if in doubt, take the low end.

The app uses one time per group, so it's sometimes too long and sometimes too short: 6 months for all fresh meat, when ground meat and variety meats are 3-4; 3 months for all fish, when smoked fish is 2 and lean fish goes up to 6-8; 2 months for deli meats, when bacon is 1. What you can do about it is in By hand, or with FreshTrack.

Sources: eggs and frozen meals: US FDA, Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart (March 2018). Dairy, bread, fruit and vegetables: USDA FoodKeeper data (file foodkeeper.json, data version 128, from 2018). The potato figure is for cooked or mashed potatoes; the grape figure, for whole grapes.

What not to freeze

For safety, almost anything can be frozen. The ACSA, Catalonia's food safety agency, puts it that way: you can, but some foods lose texture because of their composition. So "not recommended" means "thaws badly", not "dangerous". The USDA gives mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce as examples: on thawing, large ice crystals damage cells and split emulsions.

The FDA marks these as "Don't freeze":

• Fresh eggs in the shell and hard-cooked eggs. If an egg freezes by accident and the shell cracks, throw it away (USDA).
• Opened liquid pasteurized eggs.
• Egg, chicken, tuna, ham or macaroni salads, store-made or homemade.
• Pre-stuffed pork or lamb chops and stuffed chicken breasts.
• Store-cooked convenience meals, and unopened commercial vacuum-packed dinners.
• Canned ham labeled "Keep Refrigerated", unopened.

FoodKeeper adds, as "not recommended": lettuce, leaf spinach, cucumbers, avocados, cottage cheese, cream cheese, whipping cream, sour cream, processed cheese slices, grated Parmesan, potato salad and lactose-free milk.

In the app: for eggs and fresh cheese, FreshTrack suggests no freezer date: it says "It doesn’t keep well here: set the date yourself." But it doesn't tell vegetables apart (lettuce and cucumber fall under "Vegetables", 8 months), and "Ready meal" suggests 3 months although the FDA doesn't freeze store-cooked meals. Better not to freeze them, whatever the app says.

Can you freeze food on the use-by date?

Yes, with a caveat, and the two agencies that cover it don't say quite the same thing.

• The UK's FSA: "you can freeze food right up until midnight on the ‘use by’ date printed on the label".
• Catalonia's ACSA: you can freeze pre-packed food "at the latest the day before" the expiry date runs out (Spanish original: "a más tardar el día anterior").

If you want a margin, go with the more cautious one: the day before. What both repeat is what comes next: thaw in the fridge and eat within 24 hours.

Mind which date is on the package. A use-by (expiry) date marks until when the food is safe (fresh fish, ground meat, raw chicken), and the ACSA recommends eating, cooking or freezing it as it approaches. A best-before date marks until when it has the quality you'd expect: after it, the food is still safe if stored properly and the package is intact (the difference, per the ACSA, in Spanish).

Also, food that goes in at its best comes out better: the USDA advises freezing what you won't use soon right away, not on the last day.

Thawing and refreezing

Thaw in the fridge: the FSA calls it the safest way, because the food never enters the "danger zone" of 46 to 145 °F (8 to 63 °C), and the USDA recommends it. Not on the counter, in the garage, in the car or in the dishwasher (USDA). In a hurry, use a leak-proof bag in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes, or the microwave; in both cases, cook right away.

Refreezing is where the sources part ways, so here is each one:

• USDA: food thawed in the fridge can be refrozen without cooking, though quality may drop because of the moisture lost in thawing. Anything left out of the fridge for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F, or 32 °C) can't.
• FSA: you can freeze food again once it's cooked, and then you can only reheat it once.
• ACSA: thawed food can't be refrozen, but raw foods can be frozen again once cooked.

The rule all three satisfy: thaw in the fridge, cook, and freeze what's left.

If the power goes out

With the door closed, the USDA and the ACSA give the same figures:

• Full freezer: about 48 hours.
• Half-full freezer: about 24 hours.
• Fridge: about 4 hours.

When the power returns, check each package: if it still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, you can eat it or refreeze it. Throw out perishables (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, leftovers) that spent 2 hours or more above 40 °F (4 °C). And don't go by looks or smell: never taste food to decide if it's safe. If the cut will be long, group the packages together in the freezer and keep the door shut.

Freezer burn

Freezer burn shows up as dry, grayish-brown, leathery patches where air has touched the food. It affects quality, not safety: the USDA says the food isn't unsafe, just dry in spots, and you can cut those parts away before or after cooking. The FSA gives the same explanation.

You avoid it by pushing the air out and wrapping well. The FDA says meat and poultry staying more than 2 months in their original package should be overwrapped with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or put in a plastic bag. And label everything with the freezing date: without it, the chart is no use. If you'd rather have a label you can rewrite, there's the guide to NFC labels for food containers.

What about cooked food?

This guide is about raw and store-bought food. Cooked dishes and leftovers have their own times, in the fridge and in the freezer, in the guide on how long leftovers last in the fridge.

By hand, or with FreshTrack

You can do all of this by hand: a label with the freezing date and the chart above are enough.

FreshTrack suggests the date based on the type of product and where you store it: when you pick Freezer, it adds the days in the last column of the tables, and it reminds you before it expires (by default, two days before, at 9:00; you can change it in Settings). Where there's no freezer time (eggs, fresh cheese, opened cans, drinks), it doesn't invent a number: it says "It doesn’t keep well here: set the date yourself." If what you want is to know what's in the whole freezer without emptying it, there's the freezer inventory guide. It's free, and it's ours.

Where the app's time differs from the sources, we say so plainly:

• Fresh meat (6 months), fish and seafood (3), fruit and vegetables (8) and deli meats (2): one time per group. Check the tables for ground meat, smoked fish, bacon, bananas, tomatoes…
• Store-bought frozen (6 months): frozen dinners are 3-4 per the FDA. The package goes first.
• Ready meal (3 months): the FDA doesn't freeze store-cooked meals.
• How to adjust it: for meat, poultry, fish, fruit, vegetables and bread, the app asks for the purchase date and works out the "Estimated expiration"; today you can't type it in by hand. For the other types, you can. If you keep the meat or stew in a container, you can change its type's freezer days in Settings → Food types → Expiration times (1 to 365).

The dates FreshTrack calculates are approximate estimates based on general food storage guidelines (such as the USDA FoodKeeper guide and food safety recommendations). They don't replace the use-by or best-before date printed on the package, nor your own judgement about the food's look, smell or taste. When in doubt, throw it out.

Leer esta guía en español