Best by dates don't mean much

Hi all.

I'm sure many here know this already , but perhaps some younger people don't.
This is important now especially with food price inflation .
So anyway, I've noticed that these best by dates don't mean much at all.

Just some recent examples:
I have cheese slices in my fridge now , best by date in October 2021, and still perfectly fine. Taste fine, smell/look fine.
Actually, I had the same with deli ham slices(!!). Same as above.
Yoghurt, often it is in my fridge at least a week or two past the best by date. Same as above.
Canned tuna, also expired by a few months , same as above.
Off course things like pasta/rice , best by dates mean nothing.
Cookies , also expired by months, same as above.

I'm sure I've eaten frozen foods expired by months in the past which was fine as well.
I'm sure others have experienced the same


I'm perfectly fine btw, never sick etc.

a reply to: ancientlight
Yes, firms want to cover themselves legally by giving very cautious estimates.

Look at honey .
The "best by date" is set for 2 years .
Stored properly you could open a jar 100 years from now and eat it .

When I visit friends and relatives in Nebrasky and Colorado, I go to a store called Natural Grocers. They sell supplements for a couple cents on the dollar if the product is at near the "best by" date. Many supplements retain potency for up to two years after the date. I've found $60 - $70 per bottle supps for $5 - $6! Stuff I would never buy at retail prices.

Here's some info.

Expiration dates are there because manufactures assure the nutritional content is still there until that date; after that date the nutritional value will begin to decline slowly.

That said, knowing food safety is vital! For example, low acid foods such as vegetables can harbor botulism- which has no taste and prospers in a low-acid, air tight environment- is likely to be fatal. Boiling contents in an OPEN kettle for 10 minutes at sea level will kill botulism; add one minute for every foot above the 1,000 foot level. This was very important for home-canned foods back in the day.

You can pickle just about anything, and if your ratio of vinegar is correct it will last for decades. Pickled foods were found in jars from a 100 year old shipwreck that were still perfectly safe to consume.

Botulism doesn't grow in foods high in acid, which covers most fruits. Some of the new hybrid apples and pears are low-acid, so home canners compensate by adding lemon juice to each jar.

I grew up knowing safe canning rules, so am not afraid of canned goods that have passed the expiration date. A cool, dry environment is optimal. I examine the can to make sure it isn't bulging (a sign the contents have spoiled) and check the seal; there shouldn't be any signs of product leakage. When applying the can opener, if liquid spews out that's another indication of spoilage. All good? Give it then smell test, and if it passes, I'm satisfied.

Rice, noodles made with eggs and many other products will turn rancid in a year or two, unless sealed in containers with the oxygen removed.

Beans need no special storage, except bug-proof containers, and will last forever.

Dehydrated foods are popular, but still need an oxygen-free environment for long-term storage.

If one is willing to learn the rules- not the 'revised' FDA ones that have us throwing away perfectly good, edible food, but the science behind safe food storage from the myriad of other sites- expiration dates mean nothing. Common sense and facts will trump the FDA, hands down.

You must have seen the memes about the 280 million years old salt that has a best buy date.

I, too, look for signs that something has spoiled even if the date has passed.

Heck, once in a while a freshly bought product is already spoiled despite the date. I hate throwing away good food.

I want to learn to use mason jars for storing.

originally posted by: coamanach
You must have seen the memes about the 280 million years old salt that has a best buy date.

I, too, look for signs that something has spoiled even if the date has passed.

Heck, once in a while a freshly bought product is already spoiled despite the date. I hate throwing away good food.

I want to learn to use mason jars for storing.

That's called canning .
Lots of work but great rewards .

a reply to: coamanach

I want to learn to use mason jars for storing.

There is a ton of information on the internet. Go for it!
The most important thing is cleanliness; sterilize your jars and lids before using! I sterilize everything, whether I'm canning or dry storing; I use my mason jars for both.

a reply to: ancientlight

Fresh farm eggs are good for a month plus sitting on the counter and butcher the rooster in 3 months or before it crows.

duckduckgo.com...[quote ]originally posted by: Lemon1234
a reply to: ancientlight

Fresh farm eggs are good for a month plus sitting on the counter and butcher the rooster in 3 months or before it crows.

In decades past they stored eggs in a non-FDA approved manor for up to 1 year.
To tell if an egg is bad, put it in a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's spoiled.

Place the eggs in the box in a single layer. Cover the box with either a lid or another towel. Place the box of eggs in a cool, dry environment. Eggs prepared this way will last up to 6 months, although I have heard people say that they have kept eggs this way for 1 year if they are kept very cool.

duckduckgo.com...

a reply to: ancientlight

My cat does a pretty good job of letting me know whether or not something is safe to eat. His nose works much better than mine. Sometimes, I just take his word for it.


There are websites specifically for this. I have used this one a couple times in the past.
www.eatbydate.com...

a reply to: nugget1
I never heard that until now.

One thing that often bugs me is Sour Cream. I like it, but after being opened for a couple days, it smells like it has gone bad, or spoiled, or shall I say 'soured'.

I still eat it. I just don't always know if I should. I sometimes wonder if I'm taking some sort of risk, but as far as I know it's never made me sick, so I suppose it must still be good.

But I must admit that I never keep it beyond the date.

a reply to: Gothmog

a reply to: nugget1

I think the only thing really stopping me is the "fear" of messing the sterilization process.

I'ts been bugging me for a while, but I feel it's now or never. I should stop procrastinating on that, meh!

originally posted by: Gothmog
Look at honey .
The "best by date" is set for 2 years .
Stored properly you could open a jar 100 years from now and eat it .

Not everything.

I grabbed a can from the pantry that I guess was there in the back for years. Cream of Chicken soup that had expired in 2017. Of course I had no idea that it had expired that long ago until after I heaved it up and looked at the can.

Smelled and tasted fine, I think the soybean oil goes bad but it was not a pleasant experience.

a reply to: infolurker

Smelled and tasted fine, I think the soybean oil goes bad but it was not a pleasant experience.

That's not fair. You can't just end it on that note. You've made me far too curious. I'm assuming it didn't become unpleasant until it's eventual exit, but I'm still unsure which route it took. How long before it turned unpleasant? and was that particular can your first suspect, or did it take a bit of investigation before you reached that conclusion?

We stock and rotate food supplies, been doing it for years. Canned acid foods should be used within six months of expiration date, canned base foods should be used within a year after expiration date. But if there is no problem with the seal on the can and it is still vaccum with the lid depressed, it can last longer. Remember though, we keep our cangoods in a dry basement which is between forty five and fifty five degrees year round, that extends the life of the goods. Can goods that are made the old fashioned way are good for about four years after manufacture or more. They are heat packed, and the cans are sealed better and a different liner is on the can. It is some of the plastics in the cans that give an off flavor over the years.

And remember, Spam will be edible after the apocalypse, Nothing can live off of that. Mayo and Miracle whip if properly kept in the cool taste just as good a year after expiration, but that is conditional too, we do not know how hot it was in the warehouses it was stored in, it also can acquire a plastic taste if it is in a hot climate stored in a cabinet.

Beef that is processed properly and froze quickly after slaughter tastes great a year and a half later if kept froze in a freezer at five below zero F. Pork can be froze and it tastes good for about six months after getting it at the store if quickly vacuum packed and froze...Bacon can last for six months in the freezer without a taste change too, fish can be frozen at below zero for a year too.

The important thing about stocking food is to rotate it, and not let the flours and grains and noodles and stuff get damp at all, and the cangoods need to be kept in a cooler place to extend the best by date. Ketchup and mustard if sealed in a cool place can last a long time if unopened. Butter can be froze and keeps for a year in the freezer.

Remember though, if a can good seal goes bad, it doesn't matter how old the can is, I have got a can of something from the store a few times and it was spoiled, and not even close to the expiration date. We got pepperoni last year, it was two months before the expiration date and it had mold or something greenish growing on it.

Always check out the lid on cangoods and remember when opened, sniff it, then dab your finger in it if it smells good, and if it tastes all right then dump it in a bowl and inspect it before adding it to the dish...got some kind of fuzzy green thing in a can of tomatoes one time that we just picked up from the store...after ruining that dish, we learned....never assume something is safe. It saves a lot of oozie stomachs and some puke events occasionally. We have thrown out stuff that was supposed to be good date wise, but the smell and taste were way wrong for the product.

No matter what, always go to the side of caution no matter what the date. I am not afraid of food that is past the date because I know how to test if it is good. I had a can of beans squirt up to the ceiling at my mothers house years ago when I opened the can, and I had a can of cat food plow up and it flew out of my hand when I pulled the tab to open it...what a mess, and all three cats were there checking out what happened when I was cleaning it up...it was hard to keep them away...it smelled like rotted meat. That can was not even close to the expiration date and had a lot of pressure in it when I popped it open. It was on the cabinets, the floor, wall, and the ceiling fan. It did not hit the ceiling though.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

We go through a lot of sour cream, there are usually at least three pints minimum of it in the fridge at all times...Daisy is the best one we like. You are right, after a week being open it does change in taste even though the date is usually a month or more away. We go through about one and a half sour creams a week, we use it in a lot of things, we have a couple pounds of fronteir organic onion soup mix in the pantry and we make chip dip out of that quite often...our usual choice of junk food in our diet is potato chips, seven chips is equal to one potassium tablet, the wife gets low on potassium so chips are better tasting than the pill. Potassium supplements are limited to just a small percentage of the RDA because they can cause heart attacks if you take too much at a time.

If you don't won't wevils in the flower, cornmeal, grits, and similar dry goods, put them in the freezer for at least 24 hours. That kills the eggs that are in all dry stored grain goods.

You can freeze cheese, meat, and other items that need refrigeration to make them last longer. Put the cheese in the refrigerator at least two days to fully thaw. It sticks to the wrapping until thawed.

You can freeze regular loaf bread for months without a problem.

Those dates are really a suggestion. I saw a friend eat pickled pigs feet that were several years out of date without a problem. He noticed it after finishing the jar.

a reply to: ancientlight

Yes, I have experienced the same.

Mayo is one.
Yogurt for sure. Maybe even two weeks.
Eggs.
Most canned goods.

FWIW, my doctor told me prescription eye drops were good up to a year past the date. But don't take my word for that, please.

However, that opened bottle of veggie juice or salsa. Nope. Caution is needed here. Once opened, you need to take care as to food quality.
I had some salsa I kind of forgot about. Date was still good. Salsa was obviously BAD!!!!!!

And in my experience, even unopened cracker will get terribly stale.