– Why is raw chicken safe to store in the fridge for only 1 – 2 days according to USDA if the expiration date on the packaging says 1 – 2 weeks (for example)

Question

USDA source: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/chicken-farm-table

In: Biology

Answer 1

Looking at that article, it looks like the 1-2 day mark is only for chicken that you buy frozen, thaw, and then keep in the fridge for a few days. The difference there is that the chicken likely isn’t plastic-sealed. Meat that is packaged and sold fresh (not frozen) is as sanitary as they can make it – it’s meant to last several days in the fridge without going bad, but once you break that plastic seal, you’ll want to use it within a few days.

Frozen meats are not usually sealed the same way, because freezing kills bacteria anyways. Once you thaw it out, the meat starts to become a little more vulnerable to the bacteria that are in your kitchen or fridge, and it’ll start going bad within a few days. The USDA is always going to err on the side of safety, so a little more than 1-2 days may be fine depending on your fridge temp and how you thawed the chicken, but it’s not something you want to take chances on.