How long is ground turkey good after the sell-by date?

Days after the sell-by date? Count from purchase instead

People often ask how many days past the sell-by date ground turkey is still good. That isn't how USDA frames it. FSIS's storage table for turkey gives ground turkey 1–2 days in the refrigerator, and FSIS defines a sell-by date as one that “tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.” So the date on the pack tells you whether to buy it, and the day you bring it home starts your 1–2 days.

Say you buy a pack on a Monday and its sell-by date is that Friday. Cook or freeze it by Wednesday. Waiting until Friday, or a day or two after, puts it well past USDA's window, even though no date on the label has passed.

A whole turkey gets the same 1–2 days in the fridge, but it keeps 12 months in the freezer, against 3–4 months for ground turkey. FoodKeeper gives every raw ground meat it lists, including ground beef, the same 1–2 days in the fridge.

Sell by, use by, or use or freeze by

A pack of ground turkey may carry one of these, or two. FSIS says product dating isn't required by federal regulation, except on infant formula, though USDA does require a pack date on poultry products so lots can be traced. FSIS's definitions: a use-by date is “the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality,” and a freeze-by date “indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality.” Neither is called a safety date, but for raw ground poultry they work as deadlines.

“Use or freeze by” is one date doing two jobs: cook it by then, or get it into the freezer by then. Freezing on or before that day keeps it at its best. More detail: what freeze-by means, sell-by dates, use-by dates and packed-on dates. If your pack shows two dates, see which date to follow.

Bought it for later in the week? Scan the date on the pack when you unpack groceries. FreshScan reads a use-or-freeze-by date and saves it as a date on the package, then reminds you two days before and on the day. If the pack only shows a packed-on date, enter the date by hand.

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Cook it to 165°F; color won't tell you

The federal safe minimum internal temperature for all poultry, ground poultry included, is 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer. That's higher than the 160°F (71°C) the same chart gives for ground beef, so turkey burgers need a few more degrees than beef burgers.

Don't judge it by color. FSIS says safely cooked poultry “can vary in color from white to pink to tan,” and that turkey can stay pink even after it reaches 165°F. Its fact sheet on pink turkey puts it simply: only a food thermometer can show that poultry has reached a safe temperature. Because color isn't a reliable sign, meat that has lost its pink isn't proof it's done either.

Signs ground turkey has gone bad

Raw ground turkey varies in color in the store. FSIS explains that a darker pink means more dark meat went into the grind and a lighter pink means more white meat or skin. A change in color alone doesn't mean it's spoiled. What does, according to FSIS:

• fading or darkening color together with the signs below,
• an off odor,
• a sticky or tacky feel,
• a slimy surface.

If you notice any of those, don't use it. The reverse doesn't work, though. FSIS separates spoilage bacteria, which cause those changes, from pathogenic bacteria, which cause foodborne illness, so passing a look-and-smell check doesn't make ground turkey that's past its 1–2 days safe to use. Never taste raw or undercooked ground turkey to check it. When in doubt, throw it out.

Freezing, thawing and cooked ground turkey

• Freeze it in the store package if you'll use it within 2 months. For longer, FDA suggests overwrapping the package with heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or putting it in a plastic bag. Write the date on it.
• Thaw it in the refrigerator. FSIS notes that even a pound of ground meat needs a full day. Once thawed, it keeps another 1–2 days, and you can refreeze it uncooked in that time, with some loss of quality.
• Ground turkey thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked right away, and cooked before refreezing.
• Never thaw it on the counter, and don't leave raw or cooked ground turkey at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Cooked ground turkey keeps 3–4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. For a whole bird, see how long a turkey lasts. Other foods are in the shelf life chart, and the food expiration calculator counts the days from when you bought it.

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