My opinion is the same as yours.

Those dates are meant for "sell-by", for the convenience of stores. They are suggestions, not laws. I've had food poisoning once or twice, so I'm pretty careful to throw out leftovers after a few days. . Every few weeks I throw out everything in my fridge that's open, including ketchup, jellies, etc. I will keep pickles and salad dressings that have vinegar in them. Just use your head, your judgement.

Depends on the food. I won't eat an egg past expiry, I saw what that did to my father. He was violently ill. I toss out all medications past their expiry date. While they don't "expire" on the date of the package, they do start to break down and their effects aren't as good. I did ask a pharmacist about this. It also depends how far past an expiry a food is before I toss it out. I found some sliced almonds that expired in 2009 just last Sunday. They're in the landfill now. How I missed those each year I go through my cupboards, I don't know.

Depends of course on the item. Sniff and visual test a must. I am not a fanatic, but I am cautious.

I am with you oldfixer. I don't toss stuff unless it is discolored, and/or smells bad.

My milk is dated the 13th, and I have started drinking it instead of water... cause I hate to waste food/drink I paid for. I got a quart left right now. Bet by Tuesday I will have drank all of it.

Moni

PS, mayo and ketchup are only in my fridge when my daughter and family visit, and then I toss. Cause otherwise, it's still there next year, for the next visit, and it gets tossed anyway.

PPS, eggs last way longer than the date. Break it in to a small dish, and look and smell first.

I don't pay any attention to the expire date. Go by looks and smell. I think the companies do that to sell more products.

What about boxed mixes? For example, I have a pumpkin bread mix (one of the ones you just add oil and eggs and water to and bake) that's past its expiration date, I think by a full year. I'd think the yeast would be bad now -- does yeast lose its potency after a while?

I have an Angel Food cake mix in my cupboard I didn't toss. It expired quite some time ago. I'll still mix it up. It's only water I'm adding. I will still use a cake mix that requires oil and eggs, it just won't rise as high as the baking soda loses it's potency. It'll still taste good.

Those expire dates don't mean anything to me. I try to buy basics when the price is right, and use them when I get around to it. I've heard people say they won't shop at Sharp Shopper because items are always beyond the expire date. Not so! Some might be, but not all are.

As for milk, I buy a gallon, put half of it (minus a little for freezing room) into a half gallon container and put it in the freezer. Eggs? When I was first married, almost 70 years ago, we had a one room "apartment" for a while. Small stove, no fridge. That is when I learned that eggs have a very long shelf life. I can't remember the last time I saw a bad egg.

I use common sense and logic in making any decision. I believe the expire dates are there to protect the company from being sued. Can't blame them.

Sue

What a timely post! I just threw away some pudding cups that expired in 2004. They probably weren't bad, but I figured I could afford to waste them, just in case.

Except for proteins like meat, poultry and fish, I generally ignore dates and rely on my eyes and nose. Eggs, in particular, seem to be good long past the expiration date. I also find that staples like flour, sugar, boxed mixes and dried pasta last forever if they don't get bugs in them.

Powdered milk does seem to go bad, but maybe because the temperature in my house gets quite hot in the summer. It would probably last longer if I kept it in the refrigerator. I also have to watch my oils which will go rancid in the summer if I don't keep them refrigerated.

I use good sense and my senses, smell it look at it, I am not a fanatic but if the date is passed by years I probably won't use it.
This site has very good information about this topic.

I have heard that certain baking mixes can be dangerous due to a mold that can grow in some thing in them. It can be deadly to some people. According to snopes there's some truth to that. Especially when it is opened.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

Here is a link that might be useful: Expiration dates

If an egg floats in water, toss it out. It is spoiled.

I'd rather toss something outdated than spend time in the bathroom facilities. If I am at all unsure, out it goes. Within reason I may use something past the expiration date but that depends what it is. Our food bank doesn't even want outdated products. Gee....could there be a reason for that?

A few months back I purchased Pyrex glass snap locks..they do a very good job of keeping things fresher than any other "container" out there.

I know some go with 3 days on prepared leftovers..I always go a week..if it gets lost in the fridge past a week its garbage...my mom was the same way..

With the Pyrex I will go a few days later than 7 with most things..

Some companies are starting to label.."freshest by"...or "best by"..

Eggs do not need to be refrigerated if handled properly...my GGM used to keep Mircle Whip in her cupboard..She did not get sick from using it..

Freshness and quality in some things can degrade..but they would not have adverse affects on healthy people.

This post was edited by terri_pacnw on Sun, Jan 12, 14 at 14:26

I'm not sure how anyone would find themselves in a situation where this would matter.

It's an easily avoidable problem. Don't buy more than you plan to use over a reasonable period of time. There's no need for anyone to bury nuts for the winter, don't most people live within a short distance of a store? And if you're goal is to have a stockpile of food to use, you've failed to the extent that part of the stash is marginally too old. There's no need to eat your mistake, just pay more attention.

I'm on Heather's team. I prefer food to be as fresh as possible, and if there's the slightest doubt, out it goes.

I use the "if in doubt, throw it out" method most of the time. But having two adult children in my kitchen pretty often... things do get forgotten and many things tossed. I am reminded tho, when serving overseas years ago, we would get our eggs that were too often 'well aged' (really well aged) and I have seen my share of rotten eggs (uuugggh) and I do know that they are fine past that 'sell by date'. Lately, I have been making a practice of examining cupboards and sending stuff I am not likely to use to the food bank.... not expired tho.

My neighbor gave me some vanilla soy milk and the outdate was 2006.
I opened it and it smelled OK and tasted OK but the color was weird. I tossed it.
My neighbor said she still had six more if I changed my mind.
I don't pay much attention to expiration dates.

Interesting post. I found some boxes of jello and pudding mixes that didn't have dates on them, How old do you think they were? Did I purchase them before the advent of expiration dates? I tossed them. But does jello go bad?

Nail on the head, Nita! I also think it's great marketing. I don't think there were more cases of food poisoning before the dating requirement came about. I've used expired eggs and milk all my life, as long as they smell ok. Maybe some meat too. I don't, however, feed such food to guests.

Hi Old Fixer,

I'm wondering ... would you have a general idea to share of what my expiration date might be?

Some years ago, while travelling to the Maritimes with my children, something less than teenagers at the time, after a day's travel when we stopped for supper and pulled milk from the cooler ... it poured slightly chunkily.

I tasted it and it tasted O.K ... but my offspring weren't going to touch that idea with a ten foot pole!

I said, "What's the matter - the only thing out of the ordinary is texture" ... but my parental suggestion rolled like the proverbial water off of a duck's back, with them.

That story still provokes some merriment when we get together.

I have a suspicion, backed by a small bit of evidence ... that they've not changed that choice, still (and the younger hits the round number of age 50, later this year).

ole joyfuelled ... with some fuelling help regularly from milk - occasionally chunky

I had salad dressing last night that expired in May 2013. I lived to tell about it. Anything that has a price sticker on it rather than a bar code gets tossed, though. :0)

I keep dried spices way beyond their expiration date although I do think they lose flavor. I am another who believes in the sniff test, as well as what my eyes tell me.

I would not drink chunky milk, no way.

I almost always follow expiration dates. It's not so much that i'm worried about getting sick, but more that I don't want lesser quality in what I make.

Right now I'm debating over cocoa powder! I have 6 pounds of $20/pound special cocoa powder that I never used that supposedly expired 3 months ago. I hate to throw it away but I probably will because I don't want sub-standard baked goods.

I might use eggs or dairy products a day or two past the date, but only for personal use. I run a baking business out of my home part time and I would never use expired materials in my goods. Just not worth the risk of getting someone sick, or not tasting up to my standards that people pay a premium for.

I'm not totally anal about it. But, yes, some baking flour products can produce mold. I throw away any jams and jellies that have mold on the top. Cheese also. Mold is a carcinogen.. it's a bad thing. And if it's on the top, or sides, spores are also inside the item. My MIL was always giving us homemade jam, sealed with mold on top. In the garbage. Also, if things are left too long, any nutrients and much taste is gone, so why bother eat it! lol We don't have too may processed foods anyways. :) Fresh fruit and veggies lose up to 40% of their nutrients within hours after picking. I like frozen food better, I believe that they retain more since they are processed faster than canned.