Data Sources & Methodology
FoodLasts combines editorial storage estimates with guidance from federal food-safety sources. The evidence review is incomplete. Each storage card distinguishes an interval with an exact source from an editorial interval still under review. A source link alone does not confirm every claim on a page.
Evidence coverage for storage intervals
156 / 644 — exactly mapped intervals / total intervals.
This count covers storage intervals only. It does not certify all handling advice, FAQs, guides, tools or translations. The linked row must match the food, preparation state, location and conditions. A changed value or state invalidates its exact mapping.
What the guidance means
Refrigerated safety guidance and freezer quality guidance serve different purposes. Continuous freezing at −18°C / 0°F does not reverse unsafe handling before freezing. Missing dates, unknown temperature history and unsupported states cannot yield a safety countdown. Normal smell and appearance do not prove safety. Product-specific instructions and recalls still apply.
Who checked the content
The current source comparison was performed by a coding agent. It is not a credentialed food-scientist or dietitian review. The FoodLasts Editorial Team is an organization, not an invented individual expert. Historical editorial dates are records of earlier work; they do not establish that every claim or recent change received human approval.
Translation and regional scope
Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and French food fields are machine translations with automated checks. Numeric checks are supplemented by checks for time limits and prohibitions, but these checks cannot establish full semantic accuracy. Human language review remains pending. Translation does not turn US guidance into locally approved guidance.
Source checks and updates
The dates below come from recorded source checks, not from an ETL run. Access checks and exact claim verification are separate. FoodKeeper is a reference family; only rows actually imported with matching product identifiers may claim FoodKeeper provenance. Where sources conflict or the product scope is unclear, the interval remains under review or is withdrawn.
| Source | Recorded check |
|---|---|
| USDA FoodKeeper | 2026-07-22 |
| FDA Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart | 2026-07-22 |
| USDA FSIS — Safe Food Handling | 2026-07-22 |
| FoodSafety.gov — Cold Food Storage Chart | 2026-09-04 |
| FDA — Are You Storing Food Safely? | 2026-09-04 |
| FDA — Selecting and Serving Produce Safely | 2026-09-04 |
| USDA FSIS — Shelf-Stable Food Safety | 2026-09-04 |
| USDA FSIS — Leftovers and Food Safety | 2026-09-04 |
Data licensing and reuse
FoodLasts duration exports use CC BY 4.0 with attribution. USDA FoodKeeper data retain their public-domain provenance where actually used. Photos and other media have separate terms. See the data licensing policy. CC BY 4.0
Corrections
Send the food name, state, disputed statement and exact source using the contact form. A correction should update the source record, data, reader-facing text, translations and affected tools together. FoodLasts