Start with the question on your kitchen counter.
A source is useful when it matches the food, the storage conditions, and the decision you need to make. These references are primarily U.S. consumer guidance; use your local authority for rules and products in other jurisdictions.
I do not understand a package date
Use USDA FSIS Food Product Dating. Keep the exact phrase, product name, and storage instruction in front of you. A label explanation cannot tell you whether a particular package was handled correctly. The date-label guide shows how to record the different pieces of information.
I need the storage guidance for a particular food
Open the FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart. Match the food form first: raw or cooked, whole or ground, and opened or unopened. Then read the refrigerator or freezer column and its temperature condition. Do not copy a number from a nearby but different row.
If the food is not listed, use FoodKeeper and the manufacturer's directions. Our chart-reading walkthrough explains why freezer quality ranges and refrigerator limits should not be interchanged.
The refrigerator is warm or power has failed
Read the FoodSafety.gov power-outage charts and the FDA storage guidance. Record when the problem started, whether doors stayed closed, any thermometer readings, and the affected food. Apply the guidance for the actual event and food; a normal package date does not answer an outage question.
A product may be recalled
Start at FoodSafety.gov Recalls and Outbreaks and follow the responsible agency's notice. Match the product, package size, lot or batch code, date, and distribution details. Follow the notice's return, disposal, and cleaning directions. Keep a photo of identifying details if doing so is safe; a similar product name by itself is not a complete match.
I want to waste less without buying more organizers
Use EPA Preventing Wasted Food at Home for planning, shopping, storage, and preparation ideas. Choose one change that matches a repeated reason in your own records. Our seven-day waste log helps separate an observed pattern from a one-off event; the calculator only projects the costs you enter.
Check whether a source supports the claim
- Check who published it and whether you are on the agency's own site.
- Read the full section around the fact, including temperature conditions, food form, exceptions, and linked updates.
- Compare its jurisdiction and product category with your situation.
- Keep the title and URL with your note so someone else can verify the context.
- If sources appear to conflict, do not average their numbers. Look for a different food form, storage condition, or event and follow the applicable current instructions.
Primary reference index
How common date-label phrases relate to quality and safety.
Federal cold-storage time and temperature guidance.
Consumer guidance for safe refrigeration and storage.
Planning, shopping, storage, and preparation practices.
A source link will not open
Government sites sometimes block automated fetches or change their navigation. Try opening the linked page directly in a browser, then search the agency's own site for the exact title above. If the URL has changed or a summary misses an important condition, send the page and source through the correction process. A link check alone does not establish that a claim is accurate.