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

jonnygee2

I never really look at the dates other than when I'm shopping. Fresh stuff I use as fast as possible and other stuff I just sniff / small taste.
I avoid buying in bulk and generally just buy what I need, so stuff rarely hits its best before dates.

Steve_L

I still use the Old Style Forum "sniff test":

1. Sniff it.

2. If you don't pass out, then eat it.

3. If you do pass out, then throw it away when you come around.

I refuse to waste any food, as long as there is at least one person in the world suffering from the lack of it.

Frogletina

Debran said:

How have those of us born before 1970 managed to survive?  No dates on food then.

I know that i used to go shopping daily in the 70s - I didn't have a fridge or freezer those days, and if I'd had one, i wouldn't had had enough money to fill it. By the end of the week I often had no food left in the cupboards, not even staples. We were a family of 5 by 1974, and I was still shopping that way. Food was not around long enough to go past best before or use by dates.

Owain_Moneysaver

There's no "I actively seek out food past its date because it's cheaper" option. 

Fingerbobs

I voted, but the results won't load for me.

Even with use-by dates, I'm happy to eat stuff that's obviously perfectly safe to eat a day or two after its use-by, unless it's meaty in any way. Any meat product goes out.

MoonChild91

Always surprises me how many people throw out eggs because of the best before date - I've had them that were still fine to eat a month afterwards. I thought it was fairly common knowledge, not to mention really easy) to use the sink/float test, but maybe that's something I just learnt from my nana. 

bleetosht

Depends on what it is for me. If it alters the taste then it's in the bin.

Jenna_Appleseed

Does MSE not know the difference between Best Before & Use By Dates? *roll eyes* & *smh*

General_Grant

Jenna_Appleseed said:

Does MSE not know the difference between Best Before & Use By Dates? *roll eyes* & *smh*

Of course it does.  But it thinks we might not which is why it directs us to an explanation.

mimi1234

Liquids and dairy, I will always bin after the best before date.  Crisps, biscuits, packed items etc I don't because they more or less taste the same.  They might be a big soft but it's not the end of the world.  Some crisps I find taste even nicer when they are out of date.  

People tend to bring in out of date food for a guy at work (not sure why because he is on £30K+) and he snaffles the lot.  Someone once brought a loaf of bread which was going mouldy and he ate it.   To each their own and all that.