The rule

  • Ready-to-eat TCS food made on site and kept in the fridge more than 24 hours gets a date label.
  • It's good for 7 days at 41°F or below. The day you made it is day 1.
  • Example: potato salad made Saturday is labeled "Discard Friday."
  • Never go past the maker's use-by date on any ingredient.

Sources: Food Code 3-501.17

Mixed and opened foods

  • Mixed foods take the earliest date of any ready-to-eat TCS ingredient. Chicken cooked Monday and mixed into a salad Wednesday keeps Monday's date.
  • Opened store-bought foods (deli meat, opened cartons, hot dogs) kept more than 24 hours get 7 days from the day opened.
  • Exempt once opened: store-made deli salads, hard and semi-soft cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, and shelf-stable cured meats like pepperoni and salami.

Sources: Food Code 3-501.17

Freezing stops the clock

  • Time in the freezer doesn't count.
  • Before freezing, label how many of the 7 days were already used.
  • Example: chili made Monday and frozen Tuesday used 2 days. It has 5 days left after it thaws.
  • Store-bought frozen food: the day it comes out of the freezer is day 1.
  • No record of days used before freezing? Use it the day it thaws or throw it out.

Sources: Food Code 3-501.17 · Source protocols: foods taken out of the freezer; label ready-to-eat food before freezing it

When to throw it out

Throw out refrigerated ready-to-eat TCS food held more than 24 hours if:

  1. It's been more than 7 days (day made or opened = day 1).
  2. It has no date label.
  3. Its use-by date has passed.
  4. It was mixed with an ingredient whose date has passed.

Log every discard: item, amount, reason. Unlabeled food is thrown out, not guessed at.

Sources: Food Code 3-501.18 · Source protocols: disposal of ready-to-eat TCS food (log discards; unlabeled food is discarded)

Home kitchens are stricter

  • A microenterprise home kitchen sells TCS food the same day, or within 72 hours only with temperature logs (items every 2 hours; fridge and freezer at start, end and every 4 hours). Keep the logs 90 days.

Sources: Utah Code 26B-7-416(8)(a)

The rules behind it

  • Home kitchen 72-hour logs. TCS food is sold the same day, or within 72 hours only with item logs every 2 hours and fridge/freezer logs at start, end and every 4 hours. Keep 90 days. Utah Code 26B-7-416(8)(a) · source
  • Date marking and disposal. Ready-to-eat TCS food held over 24 hours is labeled and used within 7 days at 41°F (day of prep = day 1); home kitchens: same day or 72 hours. Food Code 3-501.17, 3-501.18; R392-102-12(7)–(9)