Buying and storing frozen fish

Helping you to choose good fresh frozen fish from the shops

To ensure the frozen fish you buy is safe and fresh frozen, follow these guides:

Don't buy frozen seafood if its package is open, torn or crushed
Don't buy frozen seafood sitting above the ‘frost line’ or top of the freezer in the shop

If the package cover is transparent, do look for signs of frost or ice crystals on the food. These could mean the frozen fish has been stored a long time or has thawed and refrozen - if you see this, choose another.

Frozen Fish Storage – at Your Wholesaler

Frozen foods are protected during transit

Delivery of frozen fish products and frozen meals to shops takes place in insulated vehicles, so that the rise in temperature between wholesale storage and shop outlet is kept as low as possible; the frozen fish are often further protected during transit by the use of cooled vehicle (as opposed to just insulated).

Temperatures at the wholesalers are -30°C for frozen fish, and temperature on delivery should be as little above this as possible, certainly not above - 18°C, the recommended maximum storage temperature at the shop freezer.

Frozen Fish Storage – at Your Shop

Look out for foods above the 'load line'

The shop freezer should hold its frozen foods so that no single package is at a temperature higher than - 15°C in rooms where the air is not warmer than 25°C (according to the British Standard). So, never take a pack of frozen fish or the frozen meal from a stack that is too high as it may not have been stored cool enough! The contents of the cabinet should never be stacked above the load line marked on the cabinet, since the refrigeration system is not designed to protect products stacked higher than this.

Frozen fish products or frozen meals should never be kept in a retail cabinet for longer than a month; safe long term storage of frozen fish requires a temperature of - 30°C, and products will deteriorate if kept at - 18°C for several months.

Stocks of frozen fish should never be left standing about outside the cabinet after delivery from the wholesaler, or while the cabinet is being cleaned out; any fluctuation in temperature has a harmful effect on frozen fish. If the package cover is transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. These could mean the frozen fish has been stored a long time or thawed and refrozen - in which case, choose another package and report the item to the manager!

Sell By, Best Before or Best Left?

Lets look at frozen food packaging as it can be confusing!

Different countries have different standards as to how you, the consumer, is best kept informed about the freshness and age of your frozen foods and frozen meals. On packaged foods and frozen meals these days there are dates to tell you how fresh the food is:

Packed / Manufactured on
Sell by
Best before
Use by date

Each one is different and we would love to see all of them on every food type but that’s not going to happen so here we’ll explain what they mean for you.

• Packed / Manufactured on
This is generally found on food products that have been wrapped or processed within the supermarket; such as cooked and raw meats. This lets you know when they took the product, broke it down and re-packed it. It does not provide an indication as to when the food should be safely consumed by.

• Sell by
This is used by some shops to help with stock control and are instructions for shop staff, not shoppers. This explains the bargain bins that many shops and especially supermarkets use to sell foods that have gone past their sell by dates. Again, this is not a date that refers to the safe consumption of the product.

• Best before
This is used to state that there is unlikely to be a safety risk of eating the food beyond this date, but its quality might be affected. ‘Best before’ dates appear on a wide range of frozen, dried, tinned and other foods. The ‘best before’ dates are more about quality than safety, so when the date runs out it doesn’t mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. However, you shouldn’t eat eggs after the ‘best before’ date. This is because eggs can contain Salmonella bacteria, which could start to multiply after this date. Remember, the ‘best before’ date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as ‘store in a cool dry place’ or ‘keep refrigerated once opened’. Frozen ready meals generally have excellent packaging and informative best before dates.

• Use by date
This is found on foods that go off quickly, such as smoked fish, meat products and ready-prepared salads. You should not use any food or drink after the end of the ‘use by’ date on the label, even if it looks and smells fine. This is because using it after this date could put your health at risk. For the ‘use by’ date to be a valid guide, you must follow carefully storage instructions such as ‘keep in a refrigerator’. If you don’t follow these instructions, the food will spoil more quickly and you may risk food poisoning.