If left unopened, pre-packaged deli meats such as roast turkey or beef, in their original sealed packaging, will last a fair amount of time – generally about 2 to 3 weeks from you time you buy them. This fairly extensive shelf life – for a fresh food, is largely due to new developments in packaging technology. In addition to vacuum sealed pouches where all the oxygen has been removed and therefore preventing bacteria from thriving, some deli meats are pasteurized using post-packaging technology that can that can increase shelf life form 14 days to 45 days. Some packs of deli meats have even had the oxygen and other gases that encourage bacteria flushed out and replaced with anti-oxidative gases such as nitrogen that are beneficial to longer shelf life. Once opened however, deli meats should be consumed within 3 to 5 days as they have been exposed to the air and possible contamination.
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