How Long Does Food Last?
A plain reference for fridge, freezer, and pantry shelf life across 30+ common foods — plus the storage habits that extend that window and the date labels you should actually pay attention to.
The leading cause of household food waste is not forgetting to shop — it’s not knowing how long you have. Chicken bought Monday goes to waste Thursday because nobody was sure whether it was still safe. The herbs wilt into slime because nobody knew they’d only last two days loose in a bag. This guide gives you the numbers so you can make the call.
Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, FoodSafety.gov cold storage charts, and the EUFIC date-label guidance. All times assume food was fresh when stored and refrigerator is at or below 4°C / 40°F.
The quick rule before the table
Raw meat and fish: 1–2 days in the fridge, always. If you won’t cook it within 48 hours, freeze it the day you buy it — not the day before it expires. Cooked food is more forgiving: most leftovers are safe for 3–4 days. Pantry staples (dried goods, tinned food, oils) last months to years — the challenge there is rotation, not safety.
The date labels that actually matter
“Use by” — safety date. Meat, fish, dairy, ready-made meals. Do not eat past this date. “Best before” — quality date. Dry goods, tins, bakery items. Food past this date is usually safe but may be less fresh; use your senses. “Sell by” / “Display until” — for the shop. Ignore completely.
Produce
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry / Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh herbs (loose in bag) | 2–3 days | 3–6 months (chopped) | — |
| Fresh herbs (stems in water) | 10–14 days | 3–6 months | — |
| Leafy greens (spinach, lettuce) | 3–7 days | 10–12 months (blanched) | — |
| Berries | 3–7 days | 6–12 months | 1–2 days (counter) |
| Bananas | 2 weeks (skin darkens) | 2–3 months (peeled) | 2–5 days ripe (counter) |
| Avocado (whole, ripe) | 3–5 days | 3–4 months (mashed) | 2–3 days (counter) |
| Onions (whole) | — | 3–6 months (chopped) | 1–2 months |
| Garlic (whole bulb) | — | 10–12 months | 3–5 months |
| Broccoli / cauliflower | 3–5 days | 10–12 months (blanched) | — |
Protein
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry / Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw chicken | 1–2 days | 9–12 months | — |
| Raw beef / pork | 3–5 days | 4–6 months | — |
| Raw fish / seafood | 1–2 days | 3–6 months | — |
| Cooked meat (any) | 3–4 days | 2–3 months | — |
| Eggs (in shell) | 3–5 weeks | 1 year (cracked out) | 1–3 weeks (counter) |
| Tinned fish (opened) | 3–4 days | — | 2–5 years (sealed) |
Dairy
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry / Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | 5–7 days (opened) | 3 months | — |
| Butter | 1–3 months | 6–9 months | 1–2 days (softened) |
| Hard cheese (opened) | 3–4 weeks | 6 months | — |
| Soft cheese (cream cheese, ricotta) | 1–2 weeks | 2 months | — |
| Yoghurt | 1–3 weeks | 1–2 months | — |
Cooked & Prepared
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry / Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice | 1–2 days | 1–2 months | — |
| Cooked pasta (plain) | 3–5 days | 1–2 months | — |
| Soup / stew | 4–5 days | 2–3 months | — |
| Leftovers (general) | 3–4 days | 2–3 months | — |
Pantry Staples
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Pantry / Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dried pasta | — | Indefinitely | 2 years |
| White / brown rice (dry) | — | Indefinitely | White: 2–5 yrs · Brown: 6 months |
| Tinned beans / veg (sealed) | — | — | 2–5 years |
| Tinned tomatoes (opened) | 5–7 days | 3 months | 1–5 years (sealed) |
| Olive oil | — | — | Sealed: 1–2 yrs · Opened: 6 months |
| Bread | 1–2 weeks | 3 months | 3–5 days |
| Dried beans / lentils (sealed) | — | Indefinitely | 2–3 years (quality degrades after) |
Three storage habits that make a measurable difference
Knowing the numbers is half the job. Storing food correctly is the other half. These three habits are the highest-leverage interventions:
- Keep herbs stems-in-water in the fridge. This alone takes fresh herbs from 2–3 days to 10–14 days — a five-fold extension. Treat them like a small bouquet.
- Freeze the day you buy, not the day before it expires. Freezing food at peak freshness produces dramatically better results than freezing something already deteriorating. Raw chicken, mince, and fish should go straight in the freezer if you won’t cook them within 24 hours.
- Label everything you freeze with today’s date. Unlabelled freezer bags become six-month mysteries. A freezer full of labelled containers, rotated so the oldest is at the front, is a genuine food-cost asset.
The deeper problem: you can’t manage what you can’t see
Shelf-life charts help, but they only work if you know what’s in your fridge and freezer in the first place. The chicken that expires tomorrow is safe if you cook it tonight — but only if you knew it was there. This is the problem Pantree is built to solve: tracking what you have, flagging what’s expiring soon, and suggesting what to cook with it before it becomes a loss.
For the broader picture on reducing what you throw away, see our guide to reducing food waste at home. For what to actually cook with the ingredients you need to use up, the what to cook with what you have framework is the fastest route from “things expiring” to “dinner tonight”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does cooked food last in the fridge?
Most cooked food lasts 3–4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. Cooked rice is an exception — eat it within 1–2 days. Soups and stews last up to 5 days. Cooked fish is safest within 2 days.
How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
Raw chicken lasts 1–2 days in the fridge. If you won't cook it within that window, freeze it immediately — raw chicken keeps well frozen for 9–12 months. Always store raw chicken on the bottom shelf of the fridge to prevent cross-contamination.
How long do leftovers last?
Most leftovers last 3–4 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Label them with the date — it's the single habit that prevents the 'mystery container' problem. Leftovers with dairy (cream sauces, cheesy dishes) are best eaten within 2–3 days.
Does freezing food kill bacteria?
Freezing stops bacterial growth but does not kill existing bacteria. Food that was unsafe before freezing is still unsafe after thawing. Always freeze food that's still fresh, not food that's already past its use-by date.
How do I know if food has gone off?
Trust your senses: off smell, visible mould, unusual texture, or strange colour are all reliable signals. For meat and fish, any sour or ammonia-like smell means discard. Best-before dates are quality guides, not safety deadlines — use-by dates on meat, fish, and ready-made foods are genuine safety cut-offs.
What's the difference between best before and use by?
'Use by' is a safety date on meat, fish, dairy, and ready-made foods — do not eat past this date. 'Best before' is a quality date on pantry goods, baked items, and dry foods — food past this date is usually safe but may have reduced quality. 'Sell by' and 'display until' are for retailers only; ignore them.
Stop guessing what’s still good.
Pantree tracks expiry dates for everything in your kitchen and tells you what to cook before anything goes off. Free on the App Store.
