Is Expired Food Safe to Eat? The Truth About Expiration Dates

Probably the most commonly heeded food date is the best by date, because, let's face it, the name is a little misleading. As with other food dates, this label ... HomeKitchenTipsFoodHandlingandSafetyIsExpiredFoodSafetoEat?TheTruthAboutExpirationDatesIsExpiredFoodSafetoEat?TheTruthAboutExpirationDatesFoodlabelingcanbeconfusing.Here'swhatyouneedtoknowtogetthemostoutofyourgroceries.photoofmelaniefincherinfrontofcolorfulbackgroundByMelanieFincherAdvertisementPinFBShareTweetEmailSendTextMessagePrintAsurveyfromtheNationalResourcesDefenseCouncilfoundthat90percentofAmericanstossoutfoodprematurely.Muchofthiswastecanbeattributedtoaconfusingfooddatingsystemthatisnotfederallyregulated.Infact,theUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)statesonitswebsitethat,withtheexceptionofinfantformula,productdatingisnotrequiredbyFederalregulations.Thefooddatesor"expirationdates"we'resofamiliarwithareactuallynotindicatorsoffoodsafetyatall,theyaresimplythemanufacturer'ssuggestionastowhentheirproductisatbestquality.Sowhatdoesthismeanfortheconsumer?YouandImayverywellbetossingoutfoodwhileit'sstillperfectlysafetoeat.Thebestwaytocombatthiswasteistofamiliarizeyourselfwithcommonfoodlabelsandtheirmeanings.Herewe'llbreakdownmeaningsbehindthesefoodlabelsandgivegeneralguidelinesastohowlongyourgrocerieswillactuallylastyou.Related:WhatDotheDifferentMeatLabelsReallyMean?WhatCommonDateLabelsActuallyMeanSowe'veestablishedthatfoodlabelsrefertoquality,notsafety.Thisbegsthequestion,whatareourfoodlabelstellingusaboutthequalityofourfood?Andwhat'sthedifferencebetweensellby,useby,bestby,andalltheotherlabels?Let'sbreakitdownhere:SellByThesell-bydatesimplytellsretailershowlongtodisplaytheproductbeforetakingitofftheshelves.It'sinnowayanindicationofsafety.Grocerystoreswilloftentrytogetridofthisoldinventorythroughsales,sobeonthelookout!BestIfUsedBy/BeforeProbablythemostcommonlyheededfooddateisthebestbydate,because,let'sfaceit,thenameisalittlemisleading.Aswithotherfooddates,thislabeldoesn'tindicatewhenaproductis"best"intermsofsafety,butratherintermsofquality.Sothebest-bydatesimplyreferstowhenaproductwillbeatbestflavororquality.GuaranteedFreshThisdateusuallyreferstobakeryitems.Itsimplyindicateswhentheitemwillbeatpeakfreshness,butit'sstillsafetoeatafterthisdate.UseByThisreferstothelastdaterecommendedbythemanufacturerforuseoftheproducewhileatpeakquality.Theonlytimethisreferstosafetyisinthecaseofinfantformula.PackThepackdateisthecodethatreferstothedatethefoodwaswashed,graded,andpackaged.Thisismostcommonlyfoundoneggcartons.Thetrickythingwiththislabelisit'snottheeasiesttoread.Thelabelwilllooklikeathreenumbercodethatrepresentsthedayoftheyearthatitwaspacked.Forexample,001wouldrefertoJanuary1,and365wouldrefertoDecember31.FreezeByThisdateindicateswhenaproductshouldbefrozentomaintainpeakqualityaslongasit'sfrozen.HowtoKnowIfFoodHasGoneBadWearegoingtosharegeneralguidelinesastohowlongdifferenttypesoffoodsaresafetoeat-keywordherebeinggeneral.What'smostimportanttoknowaboutfoodsafetyarethesignsofspoilage.AccordingtotheUSDA,"Ifthedatepassesduringhomestorage,aproductshouldstillbesafeandwholesomeifhandledproperlyuntilthetimespoilageisevident."Commonsignsofspoilageincludeanoffodor,flavor,ortextureduetonaturallyoccurringspoilagebacteria.Ofcourse,moldisalsoanindicator.Butsometimes,eventhesightorsnifftestisn'tenoughtodeterminewhetherornotfoodhasgonebad.RefertothechartbelowforgeneralguidelinesfromtheUSDAonwhenit'stimetotossandwhenit'snot.Forinformationonwhentotossleftovers,refertoourguidehere.HowLongAreFoodsSafetoEat?GeneralFoodGuidelinesThefoodstorageguidelinescomefromtheUSDAFoodSafetyandInspectionService:RefrigeratedFoodsGroundMeatandStewMeat:1-2daysFreshMeat(Beef,Veal,LambandPork):3-5daysFreshPoultry:1-2daysLunchMeat:2weeksunopened,3-5daysopenedFreshFishandShellfish:1-2daysEggs,freshinshell:3-5weeksMayonnaise:2monthsMilk:1-2weeksNon-refrigeratedFoods:Riceanddriedpasta:2yearsHigh-acidcannedfoods(suchastomatoes,grapefruit,pineapple):12-18monthsunopenedLow-acidcannedfoods(suchasmeat,poultry,fish,vegetables):2-5years,unopenedHowtoStretchFoodPastItsExpirationDateIfyoucan'tfinishyourfoodbeforeitgoesbad,thereareanumberofwaysyoucanstretchitwellpasttheexpirationdate.Refertoourguideonhowtosafelyfreeze,thaw,andreheatfood.Makethemostofseasonalproducecanningfreshfruitsandveggiesforenjoymentwellintothewintermonths.Justrememberthatevenwiththesepreservingmethods,thefoodwillonlybeasfreshasitwasatthetimeyoustoredit.Keepfoodfromspoilingbeforeyouhaveachancetofreezeorcanitbykeepingitoutofthe"temperaturedangerzone,"asmuchaspossible.Thisistherangefrom40degreesFahrenheitto140degreesFahrenheitinwhichbacteriagrowsthemostrapidly.Related:ThisFridgeStorageMistakeCouldRuinYourGroceriesHere'sHowLongPotatoesLastIfYouStoreThemCorrectlyWhat'sNewWithFoodLabelsin2020ClosethisdialogwindowShare&More©Copyright.Allrightsreserved.Printedfromhttps://www.allrecipes.comClosethisdialogwindowViewimageIsExpiredFoodSafetoEat?TheTruthAboutExpirationDatesthislinkistoanexternalsitethatmayormaynotmeetaccessibilityguidelines.