Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@dr.karanr
Topics: Food and Drink, TikTok, Health
Callum Jones
A doctor has revealed when to know frozen food has expired and how long it really lasts in the freezer before it's no good to eat.
Of course, you can always check the label when it comes to best before dates and all that jazz, but when you freeze food, it's a different story.
And the last thing you want is a dodgy stomach after eating food that's not safe for consumption.
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So, listening to advice from an expert, aka Dr. Karan Raj, who regularly offers health advice on TikTok under the handle @dr.karanr, is certainly a good idea.
In a recent TikTok video, Dr. Raj revealed: "Frozen food technically never expires. When it comes to frozen food, these best before dates and expiry dates are more about food quality - not food safety.
"So, as long as the food stays frozen, it's safe. But that doesn't mean frozen food stays tasty forever. The longer something stays frozen, it can be affected by something known as freezer burn.
"It gets covered by ice crystals, and it gets the moisture sucked out and oxidation occurs, so food that's frozen for a long time can lack flavour."
The doctor noted the texture of the food can 'degrade' and the nutritional value in many of these foods can decrease.
Many have flocked to the comments section of the TikTok with their own stories of eating frozen food.
"Last year I ate frozen chicken from 2018... Not recommended," one person wrote while a second added: "It’s crazy that people don’t know this."
A third remarked: "That's not true, lol. Everything, even frozen, has a due date. You can't refrigerate meat for longer than three months."
While a fourth quipped: "That would mean that meat won't go bad either, but it tastes and looks not good after a while."
Governmental website Foodsafety.gov backs up these claims, stating: "The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only—frozen foods stored continuously at 0°F (-18°C) or below can be kept indefinitely."
Most foods are usually all good to put in the freezer, though you should always check packaging to ensure your favourite picky bits are freezer-friendly.
As with any food item, it's important to stick with the guidelines on packages to ensure all health and safety requirements are met.
Abiding to such should mean you'll be able to enjoy many foods from frozen.