Do you follow Use by and Sell by Dates, and other food safety issues

Linda32

charlies_mum wrote: »

I used to throw everything away, but since reading previous posts about this, I check with my nose and eyes first.

A few weeks ago, I did eat a beef lasagne that had gone over its use by date by one day, and that wasn't a good idea. I'll spare you the gory details, but I did suffer the next day :eek:

Thats exactly what worries me, its just not worth it. IMO, for the 2.00 quid or so it cost.

Of course I look on the reduced shelves in the supermarkets but would never go near the fridge one's

Then I only buy the damaged packets, we oftern have multi-packs of crisps with parcel tape on them


Regarding sell by dates/use by these some things I do find okay such as packet meat, I wouldn't eat it if its passed its sell by date, but I don't throw it away after three days either, as it says to do on the pack.

Some things of course would just be stale, so thats where the best before date comes in, like crisps for example. I doubt they would do you any harm, just wouldn't taste of much either.

Larfingboy

Best before ..... means just that. Bread, for instance, is best before a certain date, and if you keep it much longer it ceases to be bread and becomes cardboards!!

Use by, however, you have to be a bit more careful, but smell and the presence of wriggly things in your food are a good indication!

I worked for Sainsburys many years ago and all their in-house rules for how long items were on display were designed to err on the safe side. For instance, you can keep a yoghurt for about 10 days before it walks off, but JS rules meant they were sent back to the dairy after 5 days.

Most of it is common sense, and as someone in the thread said, the stuff doesn't suddenly become toxic at one minute past midnight on the sell by date. If you can, cook it and then freeze it down, and its life is immediately extended by weeks or months, as long as you bag or box it up properly so it doesn't get freezer burn.

At the end of the day, if you don't need it, don't buy it, and save yourself some hard-earned dosh.

Larfingboy

Laine49 wrote: »

There really is no need to throw away stuff that is past its use by date. Unless you have impared senses then your eyes and nose will tell you if something is past using.
Come on MONEYSAVERS... Let's not increase the supermarkets' profits anymore than necessary!!!


Boy, oh boy, I couldn't agree more. Thanks, Laine49, for a bit of common sense.

Estimator1

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I have several bags of flour dated July 2006, you reckon I can still use them?

You need to check for flour mites though, a few are ok, and as long as they're cooked they won't poison you. However, i'm not sure that a lot would be ok. (thye're tiny little grey/brown mites that move, and are usually found in stored flour - they can also get into other things in the cupboard, such as pasta & breakfast cereals.........so look out!)

Estimator1

Gilla wrote: »

I'd only throw jam, etc out if it develops mould or looks slimey on the top.

Eggs are quite happy out of the fridge, but preferably not in a too warm spot. If you're making meringue, older egg whites beat up much better than fresh ones.

I grew up with my family running a village shop, and we ate all the out-of-date food, and we're all still around and my mother lived to her mid 80's.

My OH thinks out of date things should be thrown - so I make sure he can't see the dates!

Fresh fish I wouldn't use out-of-date, but most other things. Cheese especially is fine.

Even with Jam/marmalade, you can skim off the green mould, and re-boil it in the microwave (takes about 2 mins - depending on the quantity left in the jar)........if you consider what temperature jam reaches when it boils, it'll kill anything. Be careful though, as hot jam can badly burn, so cover your hands when removing from the microwave. Also give it a stir halfway through - being very careful again!

ethansmum

What about jars of say, chicken tonight? I bought loads on offer then I forgot about them. Would they be okay to eat?

Laine49

So long as the pressure thing on the lid hasn't popped and the inside of the lid isn't corroded or anything when you open it (and obviously it smells and looks ok when you open it) then go ahead. You are going to thoroughly heat the sauce (cooking properly kills bugs). I have used jars of sauce that I have found at the back of the cupboard and as my previous post says I am still here and healthy. Old tins should be treated with similar caution. Is the tin undented with no signs of corrosion? Then it should be fine. A little note here... During the 1st Gulf War some of the "compo" rations consumed by our forces had dates in the 1960s on them!!! Apparently they were some of the nicest!!!
Elaine

juliamarsh

I am no respecter of sell by dates at all - if it looks and smells all right I eat it and I have never ever been ill from following this policy! I have a jar of marmite in the cupboard with a sell-by date of April 1994!!! As you can gather I don't eat marmite very often, but on the odd occasion when I do my 'vintage' marmite does me no harm at all, it's a preservative anyway I believe!

*debbie*

Please lets make sure we are all correct on dates.

Use by - this is a legal term and food must not be eaten after the date specified as high risk to health. This applies to high risk items eg cooked meats etc

Best before - this is a quality term and means the product may not be as good in regards taste, texture etc but is not a food safety issue. This applies to low risk eg flour.

Generally Sell by is one day before use by and is for the supermarket only use.

Shops may not legally sell products beyond use by date and this is an offence. If you see it contact local environmental health

Tindella_2

Interesting posts! I'm like most of you - if it looks OK and smells OK, I eat it! If it makes a run for the outside world when I open the fridge door, I bin it! I find that my son's generation are addicted to "sell by/use by" dates, so I have to keep him away from my food or he would bin most of it. I remember when I moved, he helped me pack and chucked out a load of food from my fridge and cupboards - mind you, some of the cupboard "basics" were 10 years old!

I'm wary of shellfish/fresh meat/fresh fish but regularly raid the "reduced" counters for bargains! Bread I pack in smaller portions (I live on my own) and freeze, same with anything that's reduced because that day is its "sell by" date.

Like most of you have said, it's common sense - and I've never found a weevil in my flour - but then, I probably don't look that closely. It is a ruse to get us to chuck out food unnecessarily, but, obviously, most of us have cottoned on to that! People power!