If you vacuum pack food at home, you should use it within ten days. And to make sure the food stays safe, leave the packet sealed and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
After you've opened the packet, treat it like other chilled foods, so make sure you continue to store it in the fridge and use it within two days.
Your vacuum packing machine is designed to make your chilled foods last longer by taking the air out of the packaging and then making an airtight seal around the food.
Because there is no air in the packet, most bacteria stop growing, which helps keep your food fresher for longer. However, some types of bacteria can still grow without any air – Clostridium botulinum is one of these.
Clostridium botulinum produces a very harmful toxin that causes severe food poisoning. So, to stay well, make sure you keep your vacuum packed food in the fridge and use it within ten days.
And remember, if you open any vacuum packed food (perhaps to use some of it) and then vacuum pack it again, you still need to use the food within ten days of when you first sealed it.