How seriously do you take product expiration dates?

terry123 said:
I always buy the latest expiration or use by dates. One thing I have found is that 1% milk will not stay fresh in the summer as long as it does in the colder months. So I buy 2% in the summer months and 1% in the winter months. Other than that I do about the same as the rest of you. Common sense is the main thing.
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I agree with you on milk also bread during the summer months and bag salad that has been frozen during shipping in the winter months. We tend to focus on the expiration date but often times a food product can go bad prior to the expiration date due to improper handling between the producer and consumer. Common sense is definitely the way to go!
 
Canned or dried foods I'll use if they're within a month of their expiration dates and otherwise look and smell normal. Meats and dairy products have their dates adhered to. Some goods carry a "best by" date, which gives you a bit more leeway.
 

A big reason to change car seats is wear and tear but it still comes down to using good judgment.

284382-article-car-seat-expiration1-5a567fb096f7d000371c7166.png
 
The best thing about these dates is that you can usually pick up a bargain as the sell by / use by date approaches. When I go shopping, I usually head for the "reduced" section first. Can't resist a bargain.

Here in the UK (probably in most places too), it's only packaged goods that have dates. Loose food like fruit & veges, meat etc.. don't so you can't tell how old it is. Like others have said, it's a matter of common sense and judgement. I buy most meat, chicken and fish in advance and freeze it so it stays 'fresh'. Everything else, I use my judgement as to its safety.

Far too much good food is wasted because some people pay too much heed to use by dates.
 
Camper6 said:
Not enough to notice.

It's still potent after 5 years. I'm still using it. Product of Vietnam. Bought it in the dollar store in a container that seals.

What about salt? It's millions of years old to start with.
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I disagree about the pepper. If you compare ground pepper to freshly ground, there is a definite difference in potency. Most spices do have an expiry date but I'm not concerned about any health issue there; more of a taste issue.

I don't think I've ever seen an expiration date on salt but after filling my shakers I toss the box into the trash.
 
I know this thread is over one year old, but I have a question and didn't want to start another thread.

I have a lot of very old spices and want to get rid of the extremely old ones. I've just googled and it said expired spices are not dangerous, they just lose color and potency and it's best not to use after 3-4 years past expiry date. I couldn't find how to read the expiration dates.

So, most of them have the date printed okay, but some are confusing. Examples:

TURMERIC 23:03 SEP 03 22PS3 BEST IF USED BY, bought recently So, WHAT is the expiration date, Sept 3, 2023? OR?
DILL WEED 22:38 Sell by Aug 8 16PS3, have had a long time
 
It depends on what date I noticed the sell by/use by date. If it's within a year or so, I'll use the product. Less than two years, and what the product is, maybe. I had these two eggs that kind of got a stuck in the back of my fridge for months and months, and months. A buddy decided to make himself breakfast, and ate them. When I found out, I thought I'd have to notify his next of kin; but he lived, and had no ill effects.. That's when I learned, depending on the food, some can remain edible for long periods. I use the food inside, rather than strictly by the date. And it also does depend on the type of food.
 
Catlady said:
TURMERIC 23:03 SEP 03 22PS3 BEST IF USED BY, bought recently So, WHAT is the expiration date, Sept 3, 2023? OR?
DILL WEED 22:38 Sell by Aug 8 16PS3, have had a long time
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My guess on the Turmeric would be Sept. 3, 2022, and the Dill Weed .. Aug. 8, 2016.
Can always call the companies and ask for an explanation of their codes.
 
Catlady said:
I have a lot of very old spices and want to get rid of the extremely old ones. I've just googled and it said expired spices are not dangerous, they just lose color and potency and it's best not to use after 3-4 years past expiry date. I couldn't find how to read the expiration dates.

So, most of them have the date printed okay, but some are confusing. Examples:

TURMERIC 23:03 SEP 03 22PS3 BEST IF USED BY, bought recently So, WHAT is the expiration date, Sept 3, 2023? OR?
DILL WEED 22:38 Sell by Aug 8 16PS3, have had a long time
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The Turmeric looks like it would expire on Sept. 3, 2022 and the Dill Weed would be Aug. 8, 2016.
 
Lakeland living said:
Not sure it means very much. Picked up some ground beef, nice red/pink on the outside. Break it up and everything inside is brown and dry.
(I think) Sticker said I had 3 days. hmmmmm. Going to be digging out my grinder again...so much better.
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Not a meat eater here, but yes, I've heard they can do things to meat to make it look fresher. Old spices are not dangerous, but I felt it was time to get rid of the very old ones. I never knew how to read those weird dates, I think they do it on purpose.
 
Combination of common sense, sniff test, and whatever printed expiration date is. I'm careful about proper sealing & storage.

Periodically I clean the frig and check salad dressings and condiments. Toss and replace if necessary.
 
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Well, I threw away 5, they were way past the 4 year past expiration. I left 3 that expired 3 years ago will keep a few months longer, and the others are okay.

I make my own salad dressings, so they're always fresh and used quickly. The stuff I keep in the ref never gets too old, although I did throw away two flours (corn meal and wheat) that expired last year, had no idea they were that old.
 
I don't worry too much about dried or powdered things
and packaged food is full of preservatives, same for tinned
stuff.

I always reckoned that the date was at least half of the actual
age when it did start to go off.

One of our Supermarkets here, Lidl, for a while last year, stopped
dating soft fruit, like strawberries, etc., but they have started again,
they must have got into trouble as the dates are required by the
Government.

I was told several years ago that if you could keep a burger from a
famouse burger chain, (no name), for at least six months uncooked
and keep insects etc., away from it and not in a refridgerator, then
it would still be edible because of the additives!

Mike.
 
Lakeland living said:
Not sure it means very much. Picked up some ground beef, nice red/pink on the outside. Break it up and everything inside is brown and dry.
(I think) Sticker said I had 3 days. hmmmmm. Going to be digging out my grinder again...so much better.
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Yes I hate that, I always throw it away when I find it brown inside. Oddly I find this happens more when I buy it from the farm shop than if I buy it from the supermarket when in reality one would expect it to be the other way around
 

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