It's Usually Safe to Eat Food Past the Expiration Date—Here's How to Know When It's Ok (2024)

FAQs

It's Usually Safe to Eat Food Past the Expiration Date—Here's How to Know When It's Ok? ›

Sell-By Date: Refers to the last day a retailer can display a product for sale; typically a food is safe to eat for 10 days after the Sell-by Date if refrigerated properly. Use-By Date: Refers to the last day a product will maintain its optimum freshness, flavor, and texture.

According to Jennifer Kaplan, former food systems instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California, expiration dates are "a manufacturer's vague estimate of when the product is at its 'freshest. ' Many foods will still be good to eat days, weeks, or months after those dates," she says.

Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the 'best by' date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.

But things like milk, cheese, fresh vegetables, and fruit should not be eaten past their prime because they can harbor bacteria that can be dangerous to your body. This is caused by the natural breakdown of organic matter. You'll also be able to tell that these foods have gone bad based on their appearance and smell.

food with a use-by date needs to be chilled. food cannot be supplied or served after its use-by date. high-risk ready-to-eat food should be kept for a maximum of 3 days in total (the day it is cooked or opened plus 2 days) unless there is evidence that it is safe to keep it for longer.

Most cases of consuming expired food won't lead to serious health issues. Your body is often equipped to handle small amounts of bacteria or toxins in expired food without significant harm. Assess Symptoms: If you start feeling unwell after consuming expired food, pay attention to any symptoms you experience.

"Those expiration dates are on some egg cartons to make sure that retailers don't keep eggs on shelves past a certain date," Maloberti says. "However, eggs can be safely eaten two to three weeks past that date. Depending on where [you live], the expiration date may be labeled as Sell By, Use By, Exp. By or Best By."

Are Foods Safe to Eat After the Date Passes? With an exception of infant formula (described below), if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident (Chill: Refrigerate Promptly).

According to the National Peanut Board, unopened, commercially processed peanut butter lasts for up to 9 months in the pantry, while opened conventional peanut butter lasts up to 3 months in the pantry and up to 9 months in the refrigerator.

Yes, ketchup can go bad. If unopened, commercial ketchup “can last for up to a year in your pantry,” says Okegbe, but once opened and refrigerated, it should ideally be consumed within six months. If left in the pantry once opened, use up the ketchup within a month to be safe.

What two foods never expire? ›

Because dates are applied to ensure quality, milk is more than likely safe to drink beyond the date printed on the package. Regardless of the printed date, the best way to determine whether milk is spoiled is with a simple sniff test.

Water is a natural substance and does not go bad, however the plastic water bottle will degrade over time and begin to leach chemicals into the water, which is why it is always important to choose BPA free bottled water. ✅ How long can you keep bottled water?

Sell-By Date: Refers to the last day a retailer can display a product for sale; typically a food is safe to eat for 10 days after the Sell-by Date if refrigerated properly. Use-By Date: Refers to the last day a product will maintain its optimum freshness, flavor, and texture.

According to the USDA, as long as the salad has been stored properly, it can be consumed up to a week after the use-by or expiration date on the package. But this doesn't mean that the salad will be in its best condition after this time frame.

The time it takes food poisoning symptoms to start can vary. Illness often starts in about 1 to 3 days. But symptoms can start any time from 30 minutes to 3 weeks after eating contaminated food. The length of time depends on the type of bacteria or virus causing the illness.

Most candies do have expiration dates, but like most foods, these dates serve more as guidelines for when to consume them. It's generally fine to eat candy past its expiration date, though the quality and texture does decline after a certain point.

Dry Pasta. Pasta won't spoil easily because it's a dry product. You can use it well past the expiration date, so long as it doesn't smell funny (egg pasta can produce a rancid odour). Generally, dry pasta has a shelf life of two years, but you can typically push it to three.