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This card is a beef storage guideline for QUALITY not safety. The two are different.

You can definitely safely store steaks, properly refrigerated, for longer than 3-4 days in the refrigerator. While the meat may not spoil, the quality will suffer.

I have to challenge this one. This article http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Thaw-counter.html summarizes work by a food safety expert here in the Twin Cities. The last two lines say it all: "The USDA is correct to allow raw meat, fish, and poultry to thaw at room temperature. There is no risk in thawing these products at room temperature."

Biology is such a tricky subject and it's all about competition. Keep the food cold and the bad bugs, which like it cold, have a field day since their competition - good/harmless bugs - are not able to keep them in check.

This is largely a political fight between the USDA and the FDA, with the USDA taking a scientific approach and the FDA taking a "common sense" approach and a big PR campaign. Maybe with the current administration being such a big advocate for the "return of science", we can finally get the truth out.