There you are, digging in the freezer for a bag of frozen veggies, when instead you find half a pound of frozen ground beef. How long has it been in there? The color looks a little off, but the packaging is OK. Is the meat still good? To toss, or not to toss—that is the question.

Bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses do not grow in the freezer; so long as the food was frozen safely, it’s still safe to eat. When bacteria are frozen they go into hibernation mode, which keeps them from multiplying to dangerous levels. Freezing food, however, does not remove any toxins released before the food was frozen. So the faster you put perishable food into the freezer, the less time bacteria have to multiply and potentially contaminate the food.

Although freezing food keeps it safe, the quality of frozen food can deteriorate over time. If you suspect that your food has been frozen for a while, check it for freezer burn. Freezer burn occurs when air comes in direct contact with a food surface and dries it out, leaving grayish-brown spots on the food. If freezer burn is mild, cut out the freezer burn spots and use the rest of the item. If the food has heavy freezer burn, the overall quality of the item could be bad enough that you want to toss it out. Remember that ground beef? If it was frozen in a safe condition, it’s still safe to eat when you find it months later, even though it might not be as tasty. As such, consider using it in a spicy dish that will compensate for the beef’s loss of flavor, like tacos or chili.

Next time you find that forgotten freezer item, take a look before you toss it out. Chances are that it’s still good.

To learn more about frozen food and how long food quality lasts in the freezer, visit the Freezing and Food Safety page provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
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