Hi.
We have some venison, and some sausages, some Lamb Racks that have been in the freezer for quite a while, well over a year. The venison says it should be consumed before May 2017 if kept @ -18c.

Do you think it's safe/good to eat or should my German Shepherd be getting a special treat over the next few days?

The venison and the lamb racks should be fine, no safety worries at all. The only issue might be that the texture will not be perfect and they could be slightly tough and stringy.

As for the sausages, depending on what fillers and additives they include, they are unlikely to present a safety problem but could taste odd and I would dump them.

In terms of safety, frozen food keeps more or less indefinitely. The taste is supposed to deteriorate over time but to be honest I can't say I've ever noticed it.

I had Wagy beef in my freezer for AGES and then noticed a processing stamp on it and called the company worried it was well past the best by date. I cant remember their exact response BUT they did say it was TOTALLY fine.

Clearly we ate it and it was delicious. I had so much of the stuff from a competition I won - beef cheeks, different cuts of beef, ribs - I was the best girlfriend ever!!!

Vanessa

The issue with meat that has been frozen for long periods isn’t safety as much as it is an issue of taste and texture. Both can suffer after long periods of frozen storage.....the operative word there is “can” as it’s not always the case.

Yes, I eat frozen treasures which could have been lurking for a couple of years. The quality suffers but no one will die.