Storage guides · Product label guide
How long does ground beef last in the fridge? USDA times for ground meat, cooked leftovers and turkey.
Updated
USDA sources list raw ground beef at 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator. Freezer quality times, cooked leftovers, ground and cooked turkey, safe thawing and what the catalog shows for ground meat.
Quick answer
Raw ground beef keeps 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator at 40 F or below, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart, which gives the same time for ground poultry such as ground turkey. Cooked meat and poultry leftovers keep 3 to 4 days. In the freezer the chart lists 3 to 4 months for ground meat, for best quality: food held at 0 F stays safe indefinitely. A date on the package is not a safety date.
- Raw ground beef, fridge
- 1 to 2 days
- Raw ground beef, freezer
- 3 to 4 months, for quality
- Cooked leftovers, fridge
- 3 to 4 days
- Fresh meat shelf in our catalog
- 42 current labels
01 · A closer look
The USDA numbers.
The FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart lists hamburger, ground beef, ground turkey and other ground meats and poultry at 1 to 2 days in a refrigerator and 3 to 4 months in a freezer. Cooked meat and poultry keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, according to USDA FSIS.
| Food and condition | Storage |
|---|---|
| Raw ground beef, refrigerator at 40 F or below | 1 to 2 days |
| Raw ground beef, freezer at 0 F | 3 to 4 months for best quality |
| Raw ground turkey or other ground poultry, refrigerator | 1 to 2 days |
| Cooked ground beef or other cooked meat and poultry, refrigerator | 3 to 4 days |
| Whole cuts, bacon and other meats | See the USDA FoodKeeper for the exact item |
02 · A closer look
Ground turkey and cooked turkey.
Ground turkey follows the ground meat row of the FoodSafety.gov chart: 1 to 2 days raw in the refrigerator. Cooked turkey, like any cooked poultry, keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, so Thanksgiving leftovers carved on Thursday are best eaten or frozen by the weekend. Put leftovers in the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, or 1 hour if the air is above 90 F, and reheat to 165 F. We do not repeat figures for whole raw turkey here; the USDA FoodKeeper lists them by cut.
USDA FSIS: leftovers and food safety03 · A closer look
Freezing and thawing.
Food held at 0 F stays safe indefinitely, according to FoodSafety.gov, so the freezer times are about quality, not safety. FSIS lists three safe ways to thaw: in the refrigerator, in cold water in a leak-proof bag with the water changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave, cooking right away. It does not recommend thawing on the counter. For a large turkey, FSIS says to allow at least a day in the refrigerator for every 5 pounds.
USDA FSIS: the big thaw, safe defrosting methods04 · A closer look
What a date label means.
Date labels on most food are voluntary. USDA FSIS says that, except for infant formula, a date on a package is not required by federal law and is not a safety date. For meat, poultry and egg products FSIS describes “Best if Used By” as the date for best flavor or quality, not a purchase or safety date. Infant formula is the exception: the FDA requires a “Use by” date on its label.
USDA FSIS: food product dating05 · A closer look
What the catalog can tell you.
A label cannot say how fresh the meat is, but it can show what was added to it. Plain ground beef lists one ingredient. A seasoned patty or a ground product with added lactate or vinegar lists more, and those additions are what the table counts. Use the pack date and the refrigerator clock above, not the ingredients, to decide how long it keeps.
USDA and FoodSafety.gov: FoodKeeper (storage times for pantry, refrigerator and freezer)From the catalog · 8 labels
Ground meat and ground poultry in our catalog
Raw ground meat is usually sold with one ingredient. We counted the labels on the fresh meat and poultry shelves that say ground in the name, and what else those labels list, because added ingredients are what a label can tell you about storage.
| Labels | |
|---|---|
| Current labels on the fresh meat shelf | 42 |
| Current labels on the poultry shelf | 69 |
| Say ground in the name (meat shelf) | 3 |
| Say ground in the name (poultry shelf) | 8 |
| Of those, list a seasoning, spice or flavor | 3 |
| Of those, list a lactate, vinegar or similar shelf-life ingredient | 3 |
| Of those, with any additive group flagged by the checker | 1 |
From the catalog · 4 labels
Poultry in our catalog
Ground turkey and ground chicken sit on the poultry shelf. Of the 4,729 products whose full ingredient list we have read in the last 90 days, 69 sit on the poultry shelf and 53 of those have no additive group flagged by the checker. Open a product to see its full label and the date we read it.
| Labels | |
|---|---|
| Current labels on the poultry shelf | 69 |
| List a lactate, cultured dextrose or vinegar (shelf-life ingredients) | 14 (20.3%) |
| List phosphates | 9 (13.0%) |
| List celery powder or juice (a natural nitrite source) | 2 (2.9%) |
| With any additive group flagged by the checker | 16 (23.2%) |
The short answer
Our picks for how long does ground beef last?
Top of the shelfBell & Evans Ground Chicken, Butterball Ground Turkey, and Signature Select Ground Beef Ribeye each score 60/100 (no verified organic claim). 7 products tie at 60; these 3 have the shortest labels. Use Compare by in the table to separate the rest.
No 100 yetNothing on this shelf reaches 100 yet. A 100 needs a label with none of the nine groups we check plus a verified organic claim (and, for animal foods, a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim), and none of the 8 labels we have verified here meets all of that. These are the best available picks, not a perfect score.
Also strongGreenWise Ground Chicken (60), Diestel Family Ranch Primal Blend Heirloom Ground Chicken (60), and Jennie-O Ground Chicken (60).
Clear no365 by Whole Foods Market Ground Chicken (lists seed oils).
Ranked from 8 of 8 products with current labels. Every product is in the table below; a score reflects labels and claims, not nutrition, allergies or safety.
Compare the recorded labels
Find the ingredients that matter to you.
“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Diet fit: Fits · Doesn’t fit · Unknown (rules; not medical advice). Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.
| Buy | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Find where to buy ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients TURKEY, ROSEMARY EXTRACT Label checked 2026-10-16 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2561692 · data date 2023-06-29 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Find where to buy ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients Organic chicken meat, chicken liver, chicken hearts, chicken gizzard. Label checked 2026-10-16 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients CHICKEN, VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE. Label checked 2026-10-18 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2393231 · data date 2022-12-22 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients CHICKEN, CULTURED SUGAR, VINEGAR, ROSEMARY EXTRACT. Label checked 2026-10-16 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2393483 · data date 2022-12-22 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Find where to buy ↗Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients Grass Fed Beef, Water, Salt, Minced Onion, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Fennel, Paprika, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Crushed Red Pepper. Label checked 2026-10-11 · US Ingredient evidence source ↗Producer claims Sourcing claim not reviewed The catalog establishes this product’s name and photograph. Sourcing claims and a complete ingredient label may still need review. Producer claim source ↗Reviewed | ||||||||||
| 60 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 4 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients GROUND BEEF RIBEYE, NATURAL FLAVORS. Label checked 2026-10-18 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2551901 · data date 2023-05-25 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||||
| 53 / 1008 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 3 | ||||||||
Recorded ingredients ORGANIC GROUND CHICKEN, VINEGAR, ORGANIC SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC ROSEMARY EXTRACT. Label checked 2026-10-18 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2338870 · data date 2022-09-15 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||||
How the clean score works
No setup needed, and strict: a full 100 needs every additive group clear and a verified organic claim (animal foods also need a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim; wild seafood and salt, which have no USDA organic standard, are scored without the organic points, and plant-based milks, cheeses and proteins without the feeding claim). Points: the nine additive groups (seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, banned-abroad additives) share 60 points equally — not found earns a group’s full share, “may contain” earns half, listed earns 0; a verified organic claim is worth 25; a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim is worth 15 and counts only for animal foods. No claim, or an expired or unverified claim, earns nothing, so products without those claims cannot reach 100. Unverified or expired ingredient labels receive no score. Equal scores are equal. Ties are ordered by brand. Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” Producer claims and prices do not affect this score. This is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying links do not influence ingredient results. “Buy on Amazon” opens a reviewed product listing; “Find where to buy” opens the maker’s page. Confirm the package, seller, stock, and current price before checkout. Price observations expire after 30 days.
Primary sources
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov: cold food storage chart (refrigerator at 40 F, freezer at 0 F) foodsafety.gov
- USDA FSIS: leftovers and food safety fsis.usda.gov
- USDA FSIS: the big thaw, safe defrosting methods fsis.usda.gov
- USDA FSIS: your safe Thanksgiving guide fsis.usda.gov
- USDA FSIS: food product dating fsis.usda.gov
- USDA and FoodSafety.gov: FoodKeeper (storage times for pantry, refrigerator and freezer) foodsafety.gov
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