Most meat and poultry products requiring refrigerated or frozen storage conditions are necessary to prolong the shelf life of the item for food safety or quality reasons. While freezing puts bacteria into a dormant mode, refrigeration only slows the growth of bacteria.
“Pathogenic bacteria that can cause illness grows more rapidly in the 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit range,” says Ed Savard, vice president of food safety, compliance and engineering at Golden State Foods (GSF), Irvine, Calif. “Hence most raw proteins require 34 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees Fahrenheit storage temperatures.”