Storing poultry

Fresh or prepared poultry meat and meals can be kept in a refrigerator or a freezer while following a few important guidelines.

Storing fresh meat

The producers are obliged to label meat with storage and preparation instructions which you should follow in order to make a tasty and healthy meal.
• Separate the raw poultry from other foods. Do not store fresh, raw poultry together with other foods.
• Remove the poultry meat from the packaging and keep it in a covered plastic container.
• Place the poultry in the coldest part of the refrigerator, on the bottom shelf. 

Storing prepared meat

• Store the poultry meal leftovers in a refrigerator within two hours and consume them within three days or else discard them.
• Keep the poultry meat in your home refrigerator at 4 °C.
• You can keep the prepared poultry meat in the freezer for 4 months.
• When freezing a prepared poultry meal, label the container with the date.
• Make sure the container is tightly closed.
• Cool down the food before freezing it.
• Keep the meat in your freezer at -18 °C.

Thawing

• Put the deep frozen poultry in a covered container and place it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly.
• Do not thaw frozen meat at room temperature. Thaw it in the refrigerator, under cold running water in the original packaging or in the microwave oven.
• Thawing time depends on the amount of meat. 
• Always remember: you cannot refreeze raw meat after you have thawed it.