what is your comfort level with expiration dates on food items?

[ProudGrandma]

So how much past the best buy, use by etc dates do you use/keep shelf stable, pantry food items?  I am not taking about meat or cheese, but rather boxed, canned, bottled items....for example, BBQ sauce, ketchup, boxed mac n cheese, mayo, canned soup...

I know that a lot of this kind of food is not the best choice of food....but it's not for me...it's for a neighbor who is going through older pantry items and trying to decide if stuff should just be pitched....or if it is still safe to eat.  

We are not talking 10 year old or anything...more like 1-2 years (tops)....

So what is your comfort level when it comes to stuff like this? 

[cjzimmer1]

As long as it was sealed and still looked and smelled fine (no rust on cans etc), I could easily go 5 plus years past the date.  The only thing I've ever had issue with is things with grains (oats, flour, cake mix etc) as they developed a rancid smell.  

[sweet2ndchance]

For me it really depends on the item in question. Canned items, as long as the can is still pristine, no dents or possible holes or leaks, I would eat past the best by date by almost any amount of time. We have cans of veggies we are going through now that are 1 - 2 years past the best by date. They have all been fine.

Clear plastic packaging that light can penetrate, I look at the contents. Is it severely separated or just nasty looking? If so, I'd toss it. Does it look fine and still sealed? I'd probably keep it and test the smell and taste when I do open it. If it smells or tastes even a little bit off, I'd toss it.

Boxed items I would check for any signs that bugs or rodents have gotten to it. If it is still sealed, I'd keep it and double check it for signs of infestation when I do go to use it.

Above all though, I would ask myself, if I haven't eaten it in the past 2 years or however long past the date I've had it, am I likely to eat it now? I threw away some boxes of mac n cheese the last time I cleaned out the pantry simply because I knew we wouldn't eat them now even if they were still within the best by date. Yes, it was a waste of money but I can't get that money back by letting it take up space in my pantry.

[Emba]

Canned goods like veggies, I’d be comfortable with a year.  Canned tuna or other meats, not so much. Maybe a few months. They might be safe, I just don’t want to chance it.
 

i have found that canned milk products actually degrade in quality quite noticeably, so no more than a month or so on those.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Emba

[purpleowl]

I check stilltasty.com.

[marbel]

I'd go a year or so beyond the date for nonperishable sealed cans or jars, unless there's damage to the container, of course. Boxed items, probably the same although some things can be wrecked by heat and humidity, so I check those. Like a pp said, if it's really old I'll pitch it because why bother if we haven't eaten it yet?  I have some cans of crushed tomatoes that I bought by accident, and meant to donate, but missed the date (Nov 2022), so I'm slowly using them. 

BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, things like that... I don't buy in big enough quantities that we are going to have excess around. 

 

[Kassia]

51 minutes ago, purpleowl said:

I check stilltasty.com.

I do too.  Also eatbydate.com  

I also use this:  https://www.odessa.edu/current-students/WranglerFoodPantry/Shelf-Life-of-Food-Bank-Products---Greater-Pittsburgh.pdf

[Brittany1116]

I have opened name brand canned tomatoes that were intact and stored appropriately and only 5 weeks after their date and had them spurt foam all over the kitchen, so I am wary of out of date tomato products. Otherwise, I can go pretty far out for most foods. 

[Carrie12345]

It all depends on the food and the packaging.

A perfect can of jarred acidic food? I wouldn’t even check the date.

Egg-bases or dairy-based, I’m most likely to stick to the Best By date.

Boxed Mac and cheese, I’d use old noodles after inspection, but I’d toss year+ cheese packets.

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Edited September 1 by kathyl

[Grace Hopper]

@kfeusse might want to also help your friend go through the spice cabinet. I just went through mine for the first time in a while and was shocked at how many were loooooong expired! Many of them didn’t even smell like anything anymore. 

[Brittany1116]

38 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

@kfeusse might want to also help your friend go through the spice cabinet. I just went through mine for the first time in a while and was shocked at how many were loooooong expired! Many of them didn’t even smell like anything anymore. 

I cleaned out my grandmother's pantry recently. She had a tsp of McCormick cinnamon with a BB date of 1996. 

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Edited September 1 by kathyl

[Catwoman]

I know it's not a popular opinion here, but once food expires, I throw it away. 🙂 

[Grace Hopper]

3 hours ago, Catwoman said:

I know it's not a popular opinion here, but once food expires, I throw it away. 🙂 

I’m in your club, with the exception of vinegars, and I say that because someone here asked about ACV the other day. For the most part I am very compliant with exp dates. Having food poisoning a couple of times made me that way (though I didn’t get sick from my own kitchen, I’m just now pretty uptight about food safety).

[Catwoman]

11 hours ago, Grace Hopper said:

I’m in your club, with the exception of vinegars, and I say that because someone here asked about ACV the other day. For the most part I am very compliant with exp dates. Having food poisoning a couple of times made me that way (though I didn’t get sick from my own kitchen, I’m just now pretty uptight about food safety).

Same here — a few bouts with food poisoning have made me very careful about food safety!

I know that I am extra paranoid about it, and I realize that many of the things I throw away would probably be fine to eat, but it isn’t worth the risk of potentially making my family sick (or even just worrying that we might get sick,) to save a few dollars.

[Kassia]

18 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

it isn’t worth the risk of potentially making my family sick (or even just worrying that we might get sick,) to save a few dollars.

I agree.  I'm big on "when in doubt, throw it out" but my family isn't.  

[rebcoola]

Canned food I dont even look for a date just the appearance of the can