8 replies to this topic

[FLASHINGROOSTER]

I have been pushing the best before dates on a bunch of stuff lately. As long as it stays unopened and refrigerated, and if it passes the sniff test, stuff lasts much longer than advertised

 

Bacon lasts forever, even in the fridge I find it goes months past best before date. Some dairy as well, I ate a yogurt yesterday and had some orange juice as well during the week. The little unopened yogurt cups best before date was april 12, 2021 and they juice was somewhere in march of 2021. Both tasted nearly identical to fresh. The yogurt had some whey separation but a quick stir and it tasted normal. I have had some old cheese in my fridge in those wax coverings and they say in there for close to a couple of years. Popped the last one open a few weeks ago and it too was fine.

 

 

 

 

[Myc]

Hah!!  That's part of my moonlighting job - to determine the actual "best-by" date for manufactured beverages. LOL!!!

 

I manage archive samples of every canning run. Various tests are performed at targeted intervals - 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. I have yet to detect any product drift in samples which are one year old or less. We also store the samples in "hell" - a horrible space that replicates someone's garage - cold in winter, miserably hot in summer. Everything holds up fine - carbonation, pH, sugar content........etc.

 

If you get milk from a dairy - instead of the grocery store - you'll find that it lasts a lot longer than you're used to. The stuff from the grocery store has been stripped of all of its fats - the cream and butter were skimmed for re-sale. The stuff from the dairy still has all of this intact and is more resistant to spoilage. And I'm not talking raw milk - they generally offer pasteurized milk as well.

 

The dates make for a decent reference point in case of the need for product recall. But like the tag on your mattress, law enforcement will not arrive if you violate the instructions and remove the tag (or drink or eat an out-dated product). LOL

[shiftingshadows]

In the case of bagged fresh produce, at say Trader Joes, one can use the date, to pick fresher items, if there is a choice. So it may have a use. As regards prescription drugs & supplements, it probably depends on the chemicals in question as whether it is a marketing ploy, or a warning best heded - hard to know which.

[TVCasualty]

Some stuff is already old by the time it hits the stores, so it's hard to tell exactly when we should start the clock on spoilage. Frozen turkey is one example; it may well be over 4 months old before it even reaches your grocery store.

 

 

That's why I'd much prefer a dating scheme for foods where the date a product was manufactured is provided (or in the case of meat when the animal was slaughtered), not what someone else's estimate of when I should probably throw it away happens to be. Some food products do this, hope it catches on.

[bezevo]

I TORE THE TAG OFF OF THE MARESS

 

and

 

The Pillow  !

 

QUTLAW !

 

heh ! i dumpster dived 10 big blocks of sealed Sharp Cheddar Cheese .. used the last one eight years later

it tasted very interesting  very crumbly  more  like Stilton hummm....

 

Bez

[Cuboid]

The mum of one of my school mates, who happened to be a paediatrician, always said something like "If it's not visibly mouldy and doesn't smell off it's probably OK!"
I think they beleived ion giving your immune system a challenge from time to time to keep healthy. Seemed to work OK for them. I am a little more cautious but not shy of ignoring a best before if my senses tell me it's OK really.

[Myc]

I TORE THE TAG OFF OF THE MARESS

 

and

 

The Pillow  !

 

QUTLAW !

 

 

Bez

 

Mad Magazine - Don Martin's Completely Mad

I went and looked for it. There was a cartoon of a guy reading the "do not remove under penalty of law" statement.

Next panel he removes the tag while looking around furtively.

Next panel lights and sirens are "visible" through the windows while an armed swat team kicks in the door to arrest him........

One of my favorites.

 

As for checking food.......

I use the smell good - looks good method.

If in doubt.......throw it out.

 

 

[FLASHINGROOSTER]

Who would have guessed all that rigorous testing was being done haha, that is too funny to hear that you do that Myc.

 

I mean ya bag salads, fresh meat from the grocer, and the store bought milk seem to be fairly on point as far as freshness dates go. I suppose there are some in the middle that we don't think of. Like the eight year aged cheese from above hahaha. The look I got at work from this guy for telling him I ate a yogurt that expired back in April was priceless

 

As far as drugs go I swear I recall watching a show where they say they tend to last way longer than advertised as well. The only concern is you can't be sure of potency loss and dosage. I have used Tylenol that was close to a decade old and it worked well enough to beat a hangover headache. So consider that rigorous scientific testing that took place in my bathroom and later on the couch

Edited by FLASHINGROOSTER, 03 August 2021 - 03:23 PM.

[Mycol]

Man screw them dates .