will we get sick??

[kfeusse]

Without realizing it until it was too late we all ate lunch meat (packaged and sealed...just opened tonight) that had an expiration date of 3 weeks ago. What is the likelyhood that we will get sick?

[Sherry in OH]

Not likely.

[Daisy]

I think it helps that you just opened it tonight.

 

It didn't smell or anything? If it didn't smell and didn't taste bad, I'm guessing you are okay.

 

It was probably a sell by date so you had some grace time after that.

 

How long ago did you eat it?

 

Food poisoning usually kicks in pretty quickly.

 

Oh, here is a link to someone else who did something similar. Hope it makes you feel better.

 

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1615950

 

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Food-Safety-Issues-767/deli-meat-expiration-dates.htm

[Stacia]

If it didn't smell/taste bad enough to keep you from eating it & you're not yet sick, you're probably fine.

 

Not lunch meat, but once (after spending 13 hours in traffic w/ a toddler & a cat when evacuating for a hurricane) I ate a sandwich in complete darkness on the side of the road. It tasted weird, but that was really the least of things in comparison to all else. When I had light around again, I saw that the remaining bread was green. Not sort-of moldy, but entirely bright, emerald green -- no normal bread color or appearance to be seen. :tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: (Wondering if the atmospheric pressure changes could have caused that???) Anyway, it was horrifying (lol), but I lived to tell about it (& w/out getting sick). The biggest thing is to keep your mind from thinking about it.

[Dobela]

Believe me, we have done the same thing. There are so many preservatives in most lunch meats that they last much longer than the package date. However, while it is good today, it may spoil faster opened than it would have if you opened it 3 weeks ago.

 

On a side, we often buy and then freexze lunch meats on sale and eat much further past the date on the pkg. Because of that unless it smells or somthing I don't pay much attention to the dates.

[Daisy]

 

On a side, we often buy and then freexze lunch meats on sale and eat much further past the date on the pkg. Because of that unless it smells or somthing I don't pay much attention to the dates.

 

Ditto. :iagree:

[kfeusse]

thank you very much...we will all sleep better tonight now.