You’re overdue for a grocery store visit, and eyeing the carton of milk whose expiration date was two days ago. The dry cereal in front of you looks tempting. It could be fine. It could be gastrointestinal disaster.
What is the window of safety?
The answer can be murky.
Date labels can range from “use by” and “sell by” to “packaged on.” It’s important to remember that food companies determine the date on their products, and each uses its own method for naming a date.
Ultimately, different foods have different requirements.
When it comes to milk, for example, each state has its own set of policies regarding the sell-by date in consideration of pasteurization.
Some experts view sell-by dates as a product of a “chaotic” system, maintaining that most of the time, eating a food shortly after the expiration date poses little health risk. Frozen foods, for instance, can stay safe to eat for up to a year … even if they are thawed and refrozen. Unopened condiments, oils and canned goods can last up to several years.
Of course, there are less forgiving foods such as meat, seafood, unpasteurized cheese, milk and baby food. Caution regarding foods prepared in-store is never a bad idea, and exercising thoughtfulness around the lifespan of deli meat or poultry can only do you good.
Food safety inspections also point out that our household fridges aren’t as cold as those in grocery stores. This has an impact on how long products last. So, chicken should be consumed within one to two days. Raw red meat, like beef, should be used by Day 4 or 5.
In short: Food safety has no expiration date. If you’re worried about a food item, listen to your gut…before it tells you otherwise.
