Tool

Storage life by method

Each row shows who published the number. These are quality guidelines, not safety guarantees.

Short answer

Frozen at 0 F, food stays safe indefinitely and the USDA FSIS times are for quality. Home canned food is best used within 1 year (NCHFP). Most dried fruit keeps about 1 year at 60 F and 6 months at 80 F (NCHFP). Freeze dried shelf life figures are the maker's claim.

Look up a storage time

Preservation method

Food group

Freezer at 0 F: Bacon

USDA FSIS

1 month

USDA FSIS: food kept constantly at 0 F stays safe indefinitely. These times are for best quality; after them, texture and flavor fade.

Quality guidance, not a safety guarantee.

Every row, with its source

Freezer at 0 F (also vacuum sealed and frozen)

Bacon1 monthUSDA FSIS
Raw sausage1 to 2 monthsUSDA FSIS
Raw ground meat3 to 4 monthsUSDA FSIS
Steaks, chops and roasts4 to 12 monthsUSDA FSIS
Whole chicken or turkey12 monthsUSDA FSIS
Poultry pieces9 monthsUSDA FSIS
Lean fish6 to 8 monthsUSDA FSIS
Fatty fish2 to 3 monthsUSDA FSIS
Soups and stews2 to 3 monthsUSDA FSIS
Cooked meat leftovers2 to 3 monthsUSDA FSIS

Home canned

All home canned foodsBest quality within 1 year, stored cool (50 to 70 F), dark and dryNCHFP

Home dried

Most dried fruitsAbout 1 year at 60 F; 6 months at 80 FNCHFP
Dried vegetablesAbout half the time of dried fruitsNCHFP
Home dried jerky1 to 2 months at room temperatureUSDA FSIS

Freeze dried

Freeze dried food in mylar with an oxygen absorberUp to 25 years (Harvest Right's claim)Maker claim

Frozen at 0 FSafe indefinitely; best quality 1 to 12 months by foodUSDA FSIS
Vacuum sealedSame freezer times, less freezer burnUSDA FSIS
Home cannedBest quality within 1 year, cool and darkNCHFP
Home driedFruit about 1 year at 60 F, 6 months at 80 FNCHFP
Freeze driedUp to 25 years in mylar with an oxygen absorberMaker claim

Storage guidance by method and who published it. USDA FSIS and NCHFP figures are quality guidance; the freeze dried figure is a maker's claim, not a USDA number.

Quality times, not expiry dates

USDA FSIS freezer times are for best quality: food kept constantly at 0 F stays safe indefinitely, but texture and flavor fade with time. Vacuum sealing slows freezer burn, so sealed food usually looks and tastes better at the end of that time, but USDA does not publish longer times for it.

The NCHFP advice for home canned food is to use it within a year for best quality and to store it cool, dark and dry. Home dried food keeps longer when it is cooler. The freeze dried figure is the maker's claim, shown as a claim, because no USDA storage time exists for home freeze dried food.