How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat - Consumer Reports (2024)

FAQs

How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat - Consumer Reports? ›

D., manager of food-safety research at Consumer Reports, the best way to know whether a perishable food has spoiled is simply to “trust your taste buds and sense of smell.” Foods past their prime often develop mold, bacteria, and yeast, causing them to give warning signs to your senses.

Most of the time, eating expired foods won't hurt you at all. It may simply not taste or look how it should. Many foods have expiration dates on them that refer to their freshness, so if it's past its peak it's not exactly hazardous to your health, simply hazardous to your taste buds.

The 'use by' is the date up until which a food may be used safely i.e. consumed, cooked or processed, once it has been stored correctly. After the 'use by' date a food is deemed unsafe in accordance with article 14(2) of Regulation EC No. 178/2002 and cannot be sold.

How are expiration dates established? FDA regulations require drug applicants to provide stability testing data with a proposed expiration date and storage conditions when they submit an application for FDA approval of their drug.

A product will remain fresh and of good quality right up to the best-before date (and sometimes beyond), if it is properly stored, both at the store and at your home. It may still be safe to eat those foods after the 'best before' date, but they may have lost quality and some nutritional value.

It's Usually Safe to Eat Food Past the Expiration Date—Here's How to Know When It's Ok. Food expiration dates refer to quality, not safety, which means eggs, milk, and more are generally good to eat after the date on their packaging.

Eating expired foods or foods that are past their best-by date can expose your body to harmful bacteria that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever.

Are Dates for Food Safety or Food Quality? Manufacturers provide dating to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of best quality. Except for infant formula, dates are not an indicator of the product's safety and are not required by Federal law.

FDA supports efforts by the food industry to make “Best if Used By” the standard phrase to indicate the date when a product will be at its best flavor and quality. Consumers should examine foods for signs of spoilage that are past their “Best if used by” date.

An expiry date tells you the last day the product is safe to eat. A best-before date tells you the last day recommended for the best flavor and quality. Food safety is a top priority for us. We work hard to ensure the safety of the food we distribute, and we support our member agencies in doing the same.

What is the rule of expiration date? ›

An expiration date is the last day that a consumable product such as food or medicine will be at its best quality, according to the manufacturer.

So in a sense, expiration dates aren't real. The USDA doesn't create expiration dates for safety, it just determines when the product won't be "top quality" by manufacturing standards — though oftentimes, the dates are way off.

The dates solely indicate freshness, and are used by manufacturers to convey when the product is at its peak. That means the food does not expire in the sense of becoming inedible. For un-refrigerated foods, there may be no difference in taste or quality, and expired foods won't necessarily make people sick.

The term "shelf life" of a drug slightly differs from a drug's "expiration date." The shelf life generally relates to a drug's quality over a specified period of time, whereas the expiration date relates to both quality and safety of a medication at a specific point in time.

"For poultry or ground meat, eating the food one to two days past the date should be ok, and for beef, three to five days after the date has passed," says Schapiro.

While water doesn't expire, some concerns are associated with its plastic bottles. These vessels can produce health concerns and odd tastes as they degrade over time and microplastics enter the water. Properly storing water in your warehouse, office or facility may help mitigate these risks.

Eating rancid peanut butter can lead to tummy troubles like cramps, diarrhea, or vomiting. In severe situations, it can also give you Salmonella. This can be life-threatening in extreme cases. If stored and sealed properly, unopened natural peanut butter can last up to 12 months in the refrigerator or in the pantry.

The short answer is yes, bar soaps can expire. Like most cosmetic products, soap bars have a recommended shelf life even if they don't have an expiration date emblazoned on their packaging. Most bar soaps have a shelf life of two to three years, but this can vary based on the ingredients used to make the soap.

As long are they are kept refrigerated at 45 °F or lower, fresh shell eggs are safe to be consumed four to five weeks beyond the carton's Julian date (the date eggs were packed).

Can you eat expired soup? ›

Whether it's a can of soup or a forgotten can of cranberry sauce, you might be tempted to throw them away. Not so fast! According to the USDA, shelf-stable foods are safe to eat indefinitely and you can eat them well past their expiration date.

Better to go hungry than eat spoiled food. People regularly fast for up to three or four days for various medical tests and procedures with few ill effects. On the other hand, spoiled food can kill you. Especially if you're in an already weakened state due to starvation.

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.

In the 1970s, grocery shoppers clamored for more information about the quality of food on supermarket shelves. Under pressure from activists, including the distribution of pamphlets deciphering sell-by codes, food makers began to put dates on their labels.

The perishable nature of mayonnaise is also why you should throw out mayo that's been left out unrefrigerated overnight. It could be totally fine—until you get food poisoning. And, in general, the FDA recommends tossing perishable foods, including mayo, that have been left out at room temperature for two or more hours.

Use-by date. Date of minimum durability. Foods with a shelf life of three months or less. Foods with a shelf life of between three and 18 months.

Terms like "best before" and "better if used by/before" are freshness dates. It tells you how long the product will be at its best flavor and quality. Baked goods, cereals, snacks, frozen entrees and some canned food will have freshness dating. The food is safe to eat after this date.

Dark chocolate, with its higher cacao content, can be good to eat for as long as three years past the best before. Due to their high milk contents, milk and white chocolates might not last as long as dark, but their longevity is still nothing to sniff at — you can expect to get another 8 months or so out of it.

Normal Changes. Even though honey doesn't have an expiration date, it can still undergo natural changes. The National Honey Board says that over time honey may “darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize,” depending on changes in temperature.

Does unopened ketchup go bad? ›

Unopened ketchup can last 1-2 years beyond a date stamp if taken care of properly, but there are always certain things to look out for in deciding if your ketchup has gone bad. The shelf life of ketchup, regardless of such things as the best by date or use by date, is very long due to the acidic conditions of ketchup.

Regardless of what that date actually is, the optimal storage time for raw eggs in their shells, according to the USDA, is three to five weeks. So, if you've noticed your eggs are three weeks past their expiration date, you're technically good to go.

Currently, only the antibiotic tetracycline is known to be harmful when expired. In several reported cases, expired tetracycline has caused Fanconi syndrome. This is a rare form of kidney damage that prevents electrolytes from being absorbed by the body.

Mayonnaise

As long as it's been stored according to the temperature instructions, it should be good 3 to 4 months after the expiry date.

Cookies, crackers, and chips typically have a best-by date of 6-9 months after the packaging date. The date on these can still be eaten, but they may have lost their texture or flavor. If you repackage crackers in airtight containers to prevent moisture, they can last for years past their best-by date.

Signs of Bad Bacon

Don't eat any bacon that's past its “use by” date. The “sell by” date is a little different: properly stored bacon can be eaten up to 7 days past its “sell by” date. Note that properly frozen bacon can last far beyond its "sell by" or "use by" dates.

That's right. Perfectly edible food down the tube. Sadly, you're not the only one. According to a study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), ninety percent of Americans misinterpret the dates on labels, whether it's a “sell by,” “best if used by,” or “use by” label.

Use-by dates are about safety

A use-by date on food is about safety. This is the most important date to remember. Never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok, as it could make you very ill.

After all, if food isn't properly stored or packaged, it can go bad even before the expiration date. But as long as you aren't seeing any signs of spoilage, most foods should still be good to eat well past their expiration dates (good news for that bottle of ketchup in your fridge).

How can you tell if dry pasta is bad? ›

Your eyes are the best barometer to detect when dried pasta is no longer at its best.” Dried pasta is unlikely to grow harmful bacteria, but it does lose its flavor as it ages.

FACT: Shelf Life does NOT mean expiration date. FACT: A standard's expiration date should never exceed 1 year. FACT: A standard's expiration date and shelf life are two entirely different entities. Chemical stability is only one of many factors involved in defining expiration date and shelf life.

But generally, fresh dates can last up to six months in the refrigerator in a sealed container and remain frozen for a whole year. You can keep dried dates in your pantry for six months, in your fridge for twice that length, and can freeze your dried fruit "for up to three years," writes the Foods Guy.

Yes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all medications to have an expiration date.

Expiration date

As long as a person correctly and safely stores their meat, they do not necessarily need to discard any products past their “best before” date. It is safe for people to consume refrigerated ground beef up to 2 days past this date. If freezing, it is advisable to eat ground beef within 4 months .

Unpleasant taste

Oven Via clarifies that although cooking spoiled meat can kill germs, mold, and other kinds of bacteria, it's still not safe to eat as it will not get rid of harmful toxins.

If you bought raw chicken and you know it's spent 2 days in the refrigerator after the sell-by date, smell it. If it's bad, you'll know right away. It's the same for milk. It may be good for several days after the sell-by date, but if there's a sour smell, you know it's bad.

You may recover in a few days … or not

Most of the time, food poisoning will pass within 12 hours to 48 hours in healthy people. That's how long it takes for a healthy body to purge most foodborne infections. But your length of illness can vary based on several factors.

Food that has passed its best before date is safe to eat. Best before should be considered a rough guide rather than a strict rule. There is no reason to throw away food that goes past its best before date, it is perfectly safe to eat and will often taste just as good.

Do expiration dates matter? ›

The dates solely indicate freshness, and are used by manufacturers to convey when the product is at its peak. That means the food does not expire in the sense of becoming inedible. For un-refrigerated foods, there may be no difference in taste or quality, and expired foods won't necessarily make people sick.

Foods that are ready to eat, foods that don't need any further cooking, and foods that provide a place for bacteria to live, grow and thrive are described as high-risk foods. Examples of high-risk foods include: cooked meat and fish. gravy, stock, sauces and soup.

You should drink plenty of liquids. If vomiting is a problem, try sipping small amounts of clear liquids. Replacing lost fluids and electrolytes is the most important treatment for food poisoning. Eating saltine crackers can also help replace electrolytes.

Common Food Poisoning Symptoms

Cramps in your stomach and gut, diarrhea, and vomiting may start as early as 1 hour after eating tainted food and as late as 10 days or longer. It depends on what is causing the infection. Some other possible, common symptoms of a variety of food poisonings might include: Bloating and gas.

Raw foods of animal origin are the most likely to be contaminated, specifically raw or undercooked meat and poultry, raw or lightly cooked eggs, unpasteurized (raw) milk, and raw shellfish.

Can you still eat after the best before date? It's generally fine to eat sweets once they've past their best before dates. There is nothing in sweets that can 'go off' and make you sick.