MSE Poll: Do you eat food past its ‘best before’ date?

Nick_C

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

I heard on a news report about this scheme that food banks etc. won't or can't take out of date food because they are not allowed to redistribute it.

That's crazy. It's perfectly legal to sell food that has gone past the BB date. I believe there is a website that specialises in selling these items. So why can't food banks distribute them?

Bogof_Babe

Nick_C wrote: »

That's crazy. It's perfectly legal to sell food that has gone past the BB date. I believe there is a website that specialises in selling these items. So why can't food banks distribute them?

I imagine there might be an element of avoiding being sued for "making someone ill".

heatherw_01

Yes, best before is just a suggestion. It is use by that you are supposed to not eat past for health reasons

organazized

You can eat honey 1000 years after its best before date. It never goes off

Anthorn

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

If they abolish best before dates there will be far fewer reduced-for-quick-sale reductions.

I haven't bought any bread that wasn't reduced-for-quick-sale in about 10 years.

That's the other problem with East Of England Co-op of which I'm a member of as well as Co-op Group. Stores from both Co-ops are available in the place I live.

At East Of England Co-op previously food which was due to pass its sell-by date the next day was marked down and I used to buy it. But now it's allowed to pass its sell by date and is then sold for 10p and those items are sold very quickly. I don't know which is better. Personally I would rather pay a marked down price for something that hasn't yet passed its sell-buy date than 10p for something that has already passed it, according to East Of England Co-op a whole month past it!
https://www.eastofengland.coop/news/east-of-england-co-op-to-sell-products-past-‘best

It's unclear whether the 10p food items up to a month past their sell-by date are sold to people who can afford to pay more or to people who need to pay less. I suppose it's a matter of first come first served.

Anthorn

Nick_C wrote: »

It depends which date you are talking about, and it is important to understand the difference between the two.

Food that has just passed its best before date is usually perfectly safe to eat. But it may no longer taste as good as it did previously. Crisps, biscuits, flour, tinned goods, could all fall in this category.

Official advice is not to eat food that has passed its use by date, as it may be harmful. Personally, I would happily eat cheese or beef after the use by date, also cured meats such as bacon and chorizo. I would probably not eat chicken or pork that was out of date but more than a day or two. I try not to throw food away though. Think of a use by date as a freeze by date.

Of course, many people don't store food properly. I keep my fridge at 3C. The safety of food will depend on how it has been stored as well as how long it has been stored for.

The system is not perfect. For example the bread I buy (Village Bakery Wholemeal Sliced from Aldi) has a sell-by date and perhaps most of us can agree that bread goes mouldy very quickly when it reaches that sell-by date unless we put it in the fridge. The date of bread should therefore be a use-by date. Alternatively is it the contention that mouldy bread is safe to eat?

Personally I would say that notwithstanding the Food Standard Agency labelling standards there is in practise and in fact no difference between the sell-by date and the use-by date which are used interchangeably.

PixelPound

I remember as a kid you would scoop the mould off the top of jam, throw it, and then use the jam from underneath .

Some things can go off before their best before date, its all how they are stored. It's all about personal preference. When milk starts to go off I will still use it (if it is just turning) but I know others that won't.

thornbridge

I have eaten yoghurts 4 weeks past the best befor. Only chucked one out of four because i noticed some mould. The others looked and tasted fine.
I take no notice whatsoever of best befor dates, instead go by my own senses. Never had food poisening tummy upsets so will continue