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Is it OK to eat prawns that have been frozen for three years??? jonBon

Hello jon Bon, do we have a celebrity visitor? I thought you were on tour at the moment?!

In theory it is perfectly safe to eat frozen foods many years after they have been frozen because frozen food lasts a very long time, indeed it can last indefinitely. However, we can not guarantee that you have not had a powercut, that someone has not opened the freezer lid and left it open and we do not know the quality of your food packaging (is it air tight?).

So, in this instance we prefer to err on the side of caution and advise that you throw your food away. Most people will advise that frozen fish lasts a matter of months in your freezer.  We do not like saying this because, when kept correctly, frozen food can last a very long time and greatly reduce your food wastage.

The new ice Age Team hopes this advice is helpful. I would say enjoy your fish but on this occasion I will say please don't! Please see below recommended storage times for frozen foods:

 

ProductPractical Storage Life (in months)
Vegetables
Frozen Broccoli 15
Frozen Green Beans 18
Frozen Brussels sprouts 15
Frozen Carrots 18
Frozen Cauliflower 15
Frozen Corn on the cob 12
Frozen Peas 18
Frozen Potato Chips 24
Frozen Spinach 18
Raw meat and meat Products
Frozen Beef joints, Steaks 12
Frozen Beef mince 10
Frozen Lamb joints, chops 10
Frozen Pork joints, chops 6
Frozen Sausages 6
Frozen Bacon 2-4
Frozen Poultry 12
Fish and Shellfish
Frozen oily fish (herring, salmon, mackerel, etc) 4
Frozen fish, cod, haddock, etc 8
Frozen flat fish, sole, plaice, etc 10
Frozen Prawns, lobster, crab 6
Frozen Clams, oysters 4
Other Foods
Ice Cream 6

These figures refer to commercially frozen products; food frozen at home is unlikely to remain of high quality for the same length of time. 

The new ice age Team

 

 

Page last updated at 5:42 America/New_York, Sunday, 03 October 2010