Once that date has passed, does that mean the food has expired and you shouldn’t eat it?
The answer is a bit complicated.
*****
Back before Lisa lost her sight, she was really bad about the so-called expiration dates on perishables. No matter how many times I explained it was a 'best by' or 'sell by' date, if it was the day that was printed on the label, it went in the trash or down the drain.
What changed? Now I have to read the dates to her and damned near everything expires (ahem) tomorrow.
I know, I'm an asshole.
We proud assholes are few, but merry proud assholes we are.
ReplyDeleteA friend remarried and his new wife and daughter (20's) from the previous marriage were cleaning out his pantry. He and I walked through as they were throwing away a few cans from the back. When he objected, his daughter told him the cans were bulging. His answer? "So what?" Both new wife and daughter stopped and stared at him. We had to explain about food poisoning from bulging cans and how lucky he was.
ReplyDeleteMy older daughter's now ex was the same as Miss Lisa. He'd throw away anything that was past the date on the container. We tried to explain, but he couldn't grasp the concept that anything would be acceptable after the printed date. I asked him of the salt container had a date, and he replied that it did. When I asked him why 4 million year old salt would expire next Tuesday, he couldn't answer, but still wouldn't accept that it was viable past the printed date.
Kenny, you are not an asshole, but with the cost of food now, you have to be diligent with the choice. My girlfriend is the same way, and there is no telling her otherwise. Canned food is probably good for 25 or more years.
ReplyDeleteTom762
I work with industrial systems that manage Shelf Life Expiration Dates, Working Life, Life Cycle Limits, Cure Dates, Time allowed out of refrigeration or freezer, and more. You wouldn't believe how complex this topic can be.
ReplyDeleteLemme guess, the amount of complexity is directly proportional to the amount of gov regulation.
DeleteOr,
How did settlers ever survive and thrive making and storing, canning inclusive, their own food?
I consumed the contents of an 35 yr old can of sardines with no ill effect. Ten plus year old spam, good to go, and 15 yr old beans, again no issues. Lucky I guess!
ReplyDeleteChutes Magoo
I get ill effects from sardines even if they're fresh off the boat :)
DeleteIt wasn't until the past few years that Spam even fussed with a best by date. Certainly 15 years ago and maybe even 10, Spam was good forever.
DeleteThe only date I look at most times is on the milk jug, I'll look at it then smell it while swirling it around in the container... If it passes the sniff test then all good until next time...
ReplyDeleteJD
I make bread with sour milk.
DeleteCool, I've never made bread, had an ex that made sour dough bread but not a skill I've ever gained..
DeleteJD
I've been trying to get my wife to understand this for 30 years. If she finds a can of food that's a day over, it goes in the trash.
ReplyDeleteI've learned to bite my tongue. The problem is, I have very little tongue left.
If the can ain't bulging, I figure it's good. Fortunately, my girl is a country gal, & thinks the same.
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd
Sorry, but it doesn't have to be bulging to be bad. If you can press the top of the can and it goes bop-bop, that means the can is no longer truly safe.
DeleteYeah, this is a complicated topic. And IMHO a lot of it comes down to flavor. As long as the can isn't ruptured or rusted, canned goods should be "safe" to eat, essentially indefinitely. But will they taste any good? That's another question. Same thing with a bag of chips. It'll go stale eventually, but that doesn't make it unsafe to eat so much as it makes it unpleasant to eat.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about a half-pallet of canned turkey that my parents bought, probably sometime in the early nineties. Good, according to the dates on the cans, for about six years. It was still fine fifteen years later, but I kinda had to agree with my wife when she suggested we mostly feed it to the cats. Didn't taste off, but didn't taste on either. Nasty stuff, really.
John G
My mother-in-law was like that. Except for her 30+ year old spices.
ReplyDeleteSooo..... those MILF are still fresh to eat also??
ReplyDelete@Luis-AgedTunaFish
If there's no foul smell or bulging, yes.
DeleteOr oozing
DeleteJD
Friend of mine is the CEO of a large, local food pantry. I asked him about this a couple of years ago and he told me that if the can isn't leaking or bulged, it's good.
ReplyDeleteBuild a FIFO (First In First Out) can rack, there are plenty of examples on the internet. I bought a plastic one that snaps together and then Campbells made their cans taller so it doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
What a freaking coincidence. I get home yesterday, there's multiply trash bags on the back patio. What gives, I ask the wife. Well, she went thru the pantry and realized almost everything in there was expired and she was throwing it all out. I was all set to make the argument about expiration dates and such, but when I opened the first bag the top can was Bush Beans that I bought last week (I know this because she won't buy Bush beans, only Ranch Style which I can't stand - long story). I pull it out, check the date, July of 2025. I show it to her and she's like Yeah, it's a half year over, it's expired. What????? She goes Duh, it's March 2026. WTF???? I have to go get the calendar and explain that it's only 2024. She just stares at me for like 5 minutes, then for no reason at all gets mad. At me! Anyway, I lug all the trash bags back inside and she said she'd put them all back on the shelf today.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just don't know. Great wife, but OMG the shit I go thru.
Is she vaxxxt?
DeleteLooking at my counter, cabinet and pantry….
ReplyDeleteCounter use now/soon….
Cabinet and pantry right to left use by date/years….
I’ve had a few go bad…..kinda felt/sounded solid as I shook can.
Ed357
I pose this question to relatives who turn up their noses at expired canned food: if you were starving would you eat it, assuming the can wasn't otherwise compromised. Surprisingly most would still pass it by.
ReplyDeleteNemo
I found some Mexican coffee that was like six years out of date but kept in a cool, dark, place. Worked just fine.
ReplyDelete- Arc
When my grandfather cashed in his chips, we had to clean out a two story, four bedroom, formal dining room, farm type house. There was a chest type freezer in the basement, and I think it may have come with the house. It had been there since before I was born. How do I know?
ReplyDeleteWe cleaned it out. One package was labeled, 'Pheasant, 1947'.
Back when I was in package goods marketing research my boss talked with a research guy for Hostess. He learned from him that the expected shelf life of a Twinkie was something like 35 years. That is not what the printed on the package.
ReplyDeleteWhen you crack the 5-yr. past expiration date tomato paste with the opener & it spits brown crap at you, probably shouldn't use it.
ReplyDeleteJust had that recently.
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