When grocery shopping, select meat, perishables and frozen foods last. Ask if the meat can be packed with the frozen items to keep it cold longer.

TIP - Some smart shoppers bring a cooler with ice packs in it to carry meats and frozen foods in, if they're going to take longer than 30 minutes to get home.

DO NOT leave meat and perishables sitting in a warm car. Especially during the summer months, get these foods home and into the refrigerator or freezer immediately.

Upon arriving home, place ground beef that you plan to use within 24 hours, IMMEDIATELY into the meat compartment or coldest part of the refrigerator. Otherwise, freeze it.

Place all beef cuts (other than ground beef) that you plan to use within a few days into the meat compartment of the refrigerator.

Beef wrapped in transparent film requires no additional wrapping. However, you may want to place it in a plastic bag to prevent leakage.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly after serving (within 2 hours after cooking). Divide large quantities of food into smaller portions or spread out in a shallow container to chill more quickly.

Follow the chart below for recommended storage times.

NOTE: Some newer types of fresh meat packaging allow for longer storage times and contain a "best before" date similar to other packaged products (i.e. fresh pasta).

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Immediately freeze any beef you don't plan to use within a few days and store it at 0 �F (-18 �C) or colder.

If in any doubt as to when you'll use it, freeze it - it can always be defrosted (or even cooked from frozen). This is especially important for ground beef.

Beef can be frozen in its original transparent packaging for up to 2 weeks.

For longer storage, prevent freezer burn by over wrapping the beef in moisture - vapour - proof material such as freezer paper, plastic freezer bags or heavy duty aluminum foil. Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing. (Freezer burn may affect the quality of the meat by making it dryer, but it DOES NOT affect the safety of the meat).

Label each package with the date, name of beef cut and weight or number of servings.

NEVER defrost meats at room temperature (especially ground beef).

The safest way to thaw beef is in its wrapping on a tray in the refrigerator, allowing 6 - 9 hours/lb. (14-20 hours/kg).

If beef is defrosted in the microwave, it should then be cooked immediately.

Do not refreeze beef unless it is still solidly frozen and full of ice crystals. If thawed, cook it and then freeze.

Ground beef should NEVER be partially/completely defrosted and then refrozen.

Cook defrosted beef just as you would fresh beef.

No time to defrost? Beef steaks and roasts may be cooked from frozen. Simply add 50% longer to the cooking time.

Always cook ground beef to well-done, that is until no pink colour remains and juices run clear.

Roasts and steaks can be enjoyed rare or medium, as any bacteria present are on the surface of the raw meat and are destroyed by cooking.

More details on Safe Food Handling.