Researchers at the University of Toronto's Quality of Life Research Unit define quality of life as The degree to which a person enjoys the important possibilities of his or her life (UofT).
The shelf life of cold-smoked salmon is very short, one to two weeks in the refrigerator and about one month in the freezer. Storage time is another critical factor in the proliferation of Listeria bacteria since it can grow at low temperatures.
Once the packaging is opened on either type of fish, it will need to be refrigerated and consumed within five days. Neither hot nor cold smoked salmon should be eaten if it has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours.