How to tell if the food in the fridge is still good

The new FoodKeeper app tells you when food is past its prime, and other storage and preparation tips

Published: April 21, 2015 06:00 AM

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The FoodKeeper app

Is the finger food left over from your party a few weeks ago still good? Will you make your family sick if you broil the fish you defrosted three days ago? And that broccoli in the fridge—does it just look down on its luck, or do you need to chuck it?

There's an app for that now.

It's called FoodKeeper, and it gives you a quick and reliable way to check on the shelf life of hundreds of foods and beverages—from dairy and meat to produce and pantry staples. Downloading FoodKeeper on your device can save you money on your grocery bill: Americans toss about 36 pounds of food per person every month, much of it because people are confused about how long different foods last.

Check our Food Safety & Sustainability Guide for more on food handling and reports on food safety.

FoodKeeper, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture together with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute, lets you search by food or food category or enter the date of your purchase in your calendar and get notifications alerting you when food is past its prime.

By the way, if there's brie left over from the party, it should be eaten within a week or two (it lasts six months in the freezer); broccoli should be eaten within three to five days. And that fish? Sorry, you should have eaten it within a day of defrosting, max.

—Roni Caryn Rabin