Do You Eat Foods Past Their Expiration Date?

by POPSUGAR Fitness 52

With different foods being recalled almost every other month, food-borne illnesses are on everyone's mind a bit more. We use those expiration dates stamped on boxes, cans, and containers as guidance of what to toss and what is safe to eat. Since money is tight, folks are relying on the sniff test more than the printed "sell-by" date. Regardless, it is estimated that on average, a family of four throws out 120 pounds of food in one month. Both Prevention and Real Simple have tips on how long many foods really last past their use-by date. Yogurt, for example, is generally OK to eat for 10 to 14 days past its expiration date, and eggs last for up to a month past their sell-by date. That is as long as they are kept in a refrigerator set to 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

So what about you . . .

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52 Comments

2 years 34 weeks

I had food poisioning a few months ago from eating dinner at someone wedding..I was the only one who got sick but, Ill tell you this, Is was so bad I was hospitalized for two nights..I wont eat anything past expiration, anything that sits out of the fridge too long or anything that smells or looks funny to me ;o)

aimeeb 4 years 4 weeks

I'm with nancita. If it's a few days I still will.

4 years 4 weeks

Just to ensure they're legally covered, most companies put the expiration dates on their packets wayyy before they are actually due to physically 'expire'. So it's safe, provided it was stored in a sterile place, like somewhere cool and dark, or in a fridge/freezer. In fact yeah, freeze anything and you can eat it up to a year after it 'expires'...

georgie 4 years 4 weeks

Depends on what it is. Milk never. In fact, I throw it out before the date if I think it smells funny. But stuff like, say, a packet of chips, probably yes.

zeppelinrules 4 years 4 weeks

no way

kscincotta 4 years 4 weeks

Yes, today in fact. Our milk was a day past due, but it was just fine on my cereal.

opentypeA 4 years 5 weeks

Guilty! I'm a vegetarian, but meat would be one thing I wouldn't EVER eat past the expiration date. Though I'm embarrassed to admit it, everything else is fair game (so long as it looks/smells/tastes okay!)...

insanitypepper 4 years 5 weeks

My grandmother won't buy milk at the store if the sell by date is less than a week away. This is so aggravating, because I know she's going to buy another gallon of milk in exactly a week when she still has at least half a gallon left in her refrigerator, soon to go down the drain just because the date said that it was no longer good. And don't you dare try to suggest to her that she only buy what she needs...

Smilesp 4 years 5 weeks

If it smells and tastes ok then I'll eat it regardless of the date. Throwing away perfectly good food is idiotic.

kurniakasih 4 years 5 weeks

I do sometimes :p But only if they still taste 'ok' and smell fine as well.

soapbox 4 years 5 weeks

Yep. Fat Free milk lasts for a good 2 days after the expiration date and eggs lasts a long time when kept in the fridge. Also, I tend to ignore it on bread also. If its not moldy/crusty, its good in my book haha. Myy only exception is soy milk. I swear, after about 3 days of it being opened, it starts to taste funny.

rebelkate 4 years 5 weeks

Never ever, ever, ever eat it past the date on the package. I even smell fresh food just to make sure it's good. You can't be too careful considering all the places the food has been before it finally gets into your hands at the store. Who knows if milk,eggs,yogurt,meat sat on a pallet somewhere for an hour before they got it put away into refrigeration. Just something to think about....

Spectra 4 years 5 weeks

I always eat stuff that's past the date...you just have to know what to look for as far as spoilage goes. If you keep your milk in the back of the fridge and don't leave it out on the counter for extended periods of time, it's usually OK up to a month after the day on the jug. I generally use old milk like that as "buttermilk"...I add a little vinegar to it to make it thick and I use it in recipes instead of buttermilk and it tastes completely fine. I also keep yogurt past the date because all that really happens to yogurt is that the cultures just keep growing and the yogurt gets firmer and tarter. I actually LIKE old yogurts because the texture is more creamy. Most things in my fridge are actually very fresh though...I keep a running inventory of when I buy stuff and I know how much of something we use in a certain timeframe, so I tend to not overbuy things. I rarely, if ever, have to throw out spoiled foods. And no, we've never gotten food poisoning either. If my food doesn't smell bad, look different, have mold on it, or taste funny, it's probably fine, especially if it's been stored properly.

nancita 4 years 5 weeks

Great to know. Usually if it looks and smells fine and it's just a little past the date, I'll eat it. People think I'm crazy but I don't believe the numbers are that exact.

AMP 4 years 5 weeks

if it smells ok, looks ok and a little taste deems it to taste ok, ill eat it. i hate wasting food

mondaymoos 4 years 5 weeks

I used milk that was a week past sell-by this morning in my oatmeal. :P It appears I'm still alive. Admittedly, a week is as far as I push it. I had to pour about 1/4 of the 1/2 gallon down the drain. :(

Smacks83 4 years 5 weeks

Its really sad how wasteful some people are and I hate to say it but its also sad to see how some people think its funny to throw things out BEFORE food expires. Like enough people aren't starving and scraping by in the world. Very unsettling.

michlny 4 years 5 weeks

Just read about this site today --> http://www.stilltasty.com/ - Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide. You can look up any food. It's great!

Renee3327 4 years 5 weeks

I agree with previous comments that expiration dates are different from sell-by or best by dates. I have mistakenly had yogurt that was a few days past the expiration date and nothing ever happened - as long as it doesn't taste, look or smell strange I don't see the harm. Expiration dates aren't an exact science anyway.

miss malone 4 years 5 weeks

Never ever.