How Long Raw Meat Keeps in the Fridge
Updated August 15, 2026
Raw poultry and all ground meats keep only 1–2 days in the refrigerator. Whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb — steaks, chops, roasts — keep 3–5 days. If dinner is further away than that, freeze it the day you buy it.
| Meat | Fridge | Freezer (quality window) |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken or turkey, any cut | 1–2 days | 9 months (parts) / 1 year (whole) |
| Ground beef, pork, lamb, poultry | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Steaks, chops, roasts | 3–5 days | 4–12 months |
| Fresh fish and shellfish | 1–2 days | 3–8 months by fattiness |
| Bacon (opened) | 7 days | 1 month |
| Fresh sausage | 1–2 days | 1–2 months |
| Deli meat (opened) | 3–5 days | 1–2 months |
Why ground meat and poultry go first
Bacteria live on surfaces, and grinding turns a cut into nearly all surface — every particle exposed, mixed, and given a head start. Poultry carries a higher baseline of salmonella and campylobacter than red meat. That's the whole logic of the chart: intact muscle with limited surface area lasts days; ground anything and chicken don't get the benefit of the doubt.
Dates on packages are sell-by, not use-by — the clock above starts when you bring it home, and it assumes a fridge honestly at or below 40°F. A $5 fridge thermometer is the cheapest food-safety upgrade there is.
Trust the calendar over your nose
Spoilage bacteria — the slime and smell — aren't the same organisms as the pathogens that cause illness, which are invisible and odorless. Meat can smell fine and be risky; slightly gray beef can be merely oxidized and fine. Use smell and sliminess as veto power (obviously-off meat goes in the trash), but never as clearance. The freezer stops the clock completely: freeze on day one, not day three, and see the defrosting guide for the way back.
Quick answers
- How long is raw chicken good in the fridge?
- 1–2 days. Buy it the day before you cook it, or freeze it the day you buy it.
- Is ground beef okay after 3 days in the fridge?
- It's past the USDA window — 1–2 days. Cooked thoroughly it's probably survivable, but the guidance exists because probably isn't a plan.
- Is brown ground beef spoiled?
- Browning alone is oxidation, normal inside a package. Brown PLUS sour smell or sticky-slimy texture is spoilage — toss it.