Overview
- New Boxing Day coverage highlights NHS and FSA advice to eat or discard cooked turkey within two days of refrigeration, with articles translating that to a December 27 cutoff for Christmas Day leftovers.
- Several food guides still state a longer window of three to four days for refrigerated turkey, creating conflicting timelines that consumers are being urged to navigate cautiously.
- Core safety steps are unchanged: cool leftovers quickly, portion into shallow containers, refrigerate within one to two hours, and keep raw and cooked foods separate.
- Reheat leftovers once only until piping hot in the center at about 75C, do not refreeze defrosted food, and keep reheated food at 60C or hotter if it is being held for serving.
- Authorities promote freezing to prevent waste, saying cooked turkey can be frozen up to the use‑by date and keeps best for roughly three to six months, with fully defrosted portions eaten within 24 hours.