Food Expiry Estimator

Is this a guarantee that food is safe to eat?

No. It is a rough lookup of typical storage times, and the output is labelled "Typical Storage Duration" for that reason. It cannot know how the food was handled before you stored it, how warm your fridge runs, or what is printed on the package. A use-by date, an official food-safety agency’s advice and any sign of spoilage all take priority over this tool.

Where do the numbers come from?

They are fixed text written into the tool for 20 foods across three storage methods, and the tool’s description credits FDA and USDA guidance. It does not look up a live database or show a revision date. Different agencies and countries publish different times for the same food, so figures here may not match the ones you have seen elsewhere.

Which foods and storage methods are included?

Twenty foods: cooked chicken, raw beef, cooked pasta, fresh milk, hard and soft cheese, eggs, cooked rice, sliced bread, leafy greens, berries, bananas, opened canned goods, yogurt, butter, cooked fish, opened deli meat, opened tofu, hummus and leftover soup. Storage can be refrigerator, freezer or pantry. Raw poultry, raw fish and most fruit and vegetables are not covered.

What do "Not safe" and "Not recommended" mean?

They are the entries the code stores for storage methods it advises against, such as cooked chicken in the pantry or soft cheese in the freezer. When the result begins with either phrase the tool adds a Warning line saying not to store the food that way.

Why do some results show two ranges?

Some foods have a sub-type in the same entry. Raw beef lists ground beef and steaks separately for both fridge and freezer, and eggs list in-shell and hard-boiled times for the fridge. The tool has no input to choose between them, so read the part that matches what you have.

Does the estimator know when I bought or cooked the food?

No. There is no date field, so it cannot tell you how many days are left. It only shows the typical period, and you need to remember how long the food has been stored. Labelling containers with the date makes that possible.

What is the tip line for?

Each food has one short handling tip typed into the code, such as cooling rice quickly or keeping raw meat on the bottom shelf. Tips are general and are not a full food-safety procedure. They are displayed for any storage method you choose, including those marked not safe.