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So the USDA lists that a person should consume ground beef if it's been in the fridge for 1-2 days.

If we purchased the beef Tuesday afternoon (and today is Thursday) obviously it should be fine if it's been sitting in the fridge since.

However this made me think...do they not count the time it's been sitting at the grocery store? I mean it's not frozen then and Im guessing they don't "throw out" what is bought so...how is it safe to eat if it's sitting in "refrigerator temps" at the grocery store for probably more tha n 1-2 days?

Mercfh
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    Anything fresh has a 'sell by' date &/or a 'best before' date. They have to sell it before the first, you eat it before the second. That's why on the day their sell by runs out, you can get it cheaper. – Tetsujin Aug 29 '19 at 14:48
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    @Tetsujin "best before" and "sell by" dates actually have no legal force in US states I'm familar with. Stores are required to discard food past its "use by" date if any is listed (since the food is then considered unsafe), but the other two are considered just suggestions (the first for the customer, the second for the store). That's why "use by" dates have become so uncommon these days. – Sneftel Aug 29 '19 at 15:03
  • IIRC, there was a mini scandal a number of years ago when it turned out that some grocery stores were replacing the "sell by" labels on meat after the first "sell by" date approached, which was clearly shady but not actually illegal. – Sneftel Aug 29 '19 at 15:05
  • @Sneftel In the US, a 'use by' date is not considered a safety date for anything except infant formula. For all other products it is a quality date like a 'best by' date. – Cindy Aug 29 '19 at 15:40
  • @Cindy I don't think that's true. Retail food is mostly regulated by states, not federally, but I randomly checked the law for Delaware and Wisconsin and both require retailers to discard food after the manufacturer's "use by" date. – Sneftel Aug 29 '19 at 15:47
  • @Sneftel You are correct. In many states it is illegal to sell foods past the 'use by' date. But that wasn't what I was addressing. I was only referring to quality vs. safety issues. Example - If I forgot to check dates and got home with baby formula one day past the use by date it would definitely be considered unsafe and promptly returned. If instead, I picked up a smoked sausage for dinner tonight and it was one day past, I wouldn't think it to be unsafe. – Cindy Aug 29 '19 at 17:22
  • Thing is, this is a matter of legislation… which changes by country [& in the case of the oddly named "united" states, by state.] If I take home a pack of meat from the supermarket, I consider I'm good until at least the date printed on it & probably several days longer because I have a 0.5°C meat chiller, separate from the main fridge. People seem to have lost the ability to decide when it's still good to cook, which is why we waste so much good food every year in this cotton-wool swaddled society. – Tetsujin Aug 29 '19 at 18:10

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They do count that, yes. Food safety regulations are targeted towards the worst case scenario. If the meat in question is old enough that the store is about to throw it away, and the store's refrigerator wasn't quite as cold as it was supposed to be, and it sat in a hot car on the way home, and your refrigerator is not quite cold enough either, then 1-2 days should still be okay.

Sneftel
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