How long can you REALLY leave roast chicken in the fridge – woman spots little-known detail on the label of a Coles BBQ chook
- A sharp-eyed customer who spotted a tiny detail has cleared a shopping mystery
- Melbourne woman spots use-by date on Coles’ hot chicken is just one day later
- Supermarket giant always has best-before date just one day after roast is bought
A sharp-eyed customer has spotted a little known detail on a Coles’ hot roast chicken label.
Melbourne shopper Lilian noticed the use-by date on her hot chicken roast was the next day.
Lilian thought she could keep the hot chicken leftovers in the fridge for longer than 24 hours so took to Facebook to ask Coles about the label.
Melbourne shopper Lilian posted this use-by label to Facebook, clearing up a popular misconception. Most people think you can keep the leftovers for a few days: you can’t
Coles have also got a quiet free-chicken deal if you know to ask: if there are no hot roast chickens available at certain prescribed times you can get a voucher for a free chicken
‘Is it a normal thing for the best before date to be a day after it’s cooked and bought?’ she asked on Facebook.
Coles soon got back to her.
‘We can confirm our BBQ Chickens are best consumed within 24 hours, and the labels should always have a Best Before of the next day on them,’ the retailer said.
A spokesperson for the supermarket giant told 7News that all labels on the hot roast chickens should always have a best-before date of the following day on them, to ensure the chicken is at its best quality.
Chicken needs to be eaten fairly quickly as it can host bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, which can cause nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and dehydration.
The Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) issues guidelines for chicken meat handling and storage on its website, and says cooked chicken should be put in the fridge as soon as the steam has evaporated.
‘Leftovers should be stored in the fridge immediately or frozen if more than one to two days’ storage is required,’ the ACMF says.
Coles says it puts the best before date just one day after so its hot chickens are at their best
The Federation also warns consumers to re-heat leftovers to at least 70C for a minimum of 2 minutes before eating.
Food that is frozen below -18C should stay in near-peak condition for several months, although higher temperatures reduce this time, according to Taste magazine.
Coles also has a little-known free-chicken policy where if there are no hot roast chickens available at certain times you can get a voucher for a freebie to use within seven days.
Times can vary between stores so be sure to check with the store. It’s not available with Coles Online shopping.
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