The label on the eggs in your fridge says “best by” yesterday’s date. Is it safe to make one last omelet? You hate to waste the eggs, but you also don’t want to get sick.
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Registered dietitian Anna Kippen, MS, RDN, LD, offers up some food safety guidance for all your food groups.
Navigating food expiration dates
You’ll see dates on many perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. But you might be surprised to learn that they aren’t usually about food safety.
According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, manufacturers put “best by” or “best if used by” dates on their products to let retail stores and consumers know how long their products are expected to maintain their best taste and texture.
These dates aren’t required by federal law (though some states require them) and don’t necessarily indicate a product’s safety (with the exception of baby formula). In fact, perishable products are usually safe to consume beyond their “best by” date if they’ve been handled and stored properly.
But there’s no hard and fast rule here — it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether it’s a good idea to go ahead and make that omelet du jour, or to toss the eggs and opt for a bowl of oatmeal instead.
Check your food for these surefire signs of spoilage:
- Smells “off.”
- Is moldy.
- Has a different texture than you would expect.
- Has an unpleasant taste.
General guidelines for freshness
These items should be safe in the fridge or pantry for the following amount of time:
- Milk: 7 days (Tip: Keep milk in the back of the fridge, where temperature is typically coldest.)
- Eggs: 3-5 weeks (Tip: Also store eggs in the back of the fridge, where the temperature is coldest.)
- Ground meat/poultry: 1-2 days.
- Cooked meat/poultry: 3-4 days.
- Lunch meat: 2 weeks unopened, or 3-5 days opened.
- Dry pasta: 1-2 years.
- Steaks: 3-5 days.
- Fresh poultry: 1-2 days.
- Canned fruit: 12 to 18 months, or 5 to 7 days in the fridge after opening.
- Rice and dried pasta: 2 years, or 3 to 4 days in the fridge after cooking.
Tips for freezing
If you aren’t going to be able to eat something in your fridge before it goes bad, consider tossing it in the freezer. You can safely freeze almost any food at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, with the exception of canned food and eggs in their shell, and it will not significantly reduce the amount of nutrients in that food.
“Freezing food can be a wonderful way to extend shelf life and keep quick, easy, healthy options on hand,” Kippen says.
To preserve the food’s quality as much as possible, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil or airtight freezer bags. If your food becomes freezer burned, that doesn’t mean it’s unsafe to eat. Simply cut the freezer-burned portions away before you cook the food.
For the best quality, recommended freezer shelf life is:
- Hamburger and other ground meats: 3-4 months.
- Chicken or turkey (whole): 1 year.
- Soups and stews: 2-3 months.
- Lunch meat: 1-2 months.
FAQs
These dates aren't required by federal law (though some states require them) and don't necessarily indicate a product's safety (with the exception of baby formula). In fact, perishable products are usually safe to consume beyond their “best by” date if they've been handled and stored properly.
What is the unsettling truth about expiration dates on food? ›
No, the expiration dates on food are directly related to quality and not safety. However, food does spoil or “go bad.” It is recommended to use a food product by the listed date and to use your best judgment on throwing food out for health and safety.
Do expiration dates on food really matter? ›
In an effort to reduce food waste, it is important that consumers understand that the dates applied to food are for quality and not for safety. Food products are safe to consume past the date on the label, and regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food product prior to its consumption.
How long you can really eat stuff past the expiration date? ›
Sell-By Date: Refers to the last day a retailer can display a product for sale; typically a food is safe to eat for 10 days after the Sell-by Date if refrigerated properly. Use-By Date: Refers to the last day a product will maintain its optimum freshness, flavor, and texture.
What is the truth about the expiration date on canned food? ›
Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the 'best by' date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.
What are the side effects of eating out of date food? ›
After that date, the food may have poorer quality due to deteriorating properties of the food, grow harmful bacteria, or lose its nutritional value. Consuming expired food can lead to food poisoning, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever.
Can you eat eggs 2 months out of date? ›
On those egg cartons, if an expiration date appears, it can be no more than 30 days after the pack date. "As long as they're kept properly refrigerated at 40°F or lower, fresh eggs are safe to eat four to five weeks beyond the carton's Julian date," Maloberti says.
Does water expire? ›
Water is a natural substance and does not go bad, however the plastic water bottle will degrade over time and begin to leach chemicals into the water, which is why it is always important to choose BPA free bottled water.
Can you eat 40 year old canned food? ›
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, canned contents are safe to eat as long as the can is in “good shape.” The Canned Food Alliance agrees, citing 100-year-old canned food that was recovered from sunken ships and tested microbiologically safe.
Does dry pasta go bad? ›
Dry Pasta. Pasta won't spoil easily because it's a dry product. You can use it well past the expiration date, so long as it doesn't smell funny (egg pasta can produce a rancid odour). Generally, dry pasta has a shelf life of two years, but you can typically push it to three.
You can keep peanut butter in the pantry for six to nine months (unopened) and two to three months (opened).
Do chips expire if not opened? ›
Sealed, a bag of chips can remain fresh for two or three weeks past the printed "sell by" expiration date. Technically, even potato chips have the potential to carry Salmonella, but, in general, chips "expire" not by spoiling but by going stale.
Why can't you put open cans in the fridge? ›
An oft-repeated reason to avoid sticking an open can in the fridge is that chemicals from the metal can and packaging could seep into the food and contaminate it with Bisphenol-A (BPA). This synthetic compound has hormone-like properties, which can build up in humans and potentially affect metabolism and disease rates.
Can you eat canned food 5 years out of date? ›
Good news: Shelf-stable canned goods are safe more or less indefinitely, lasting up to five years or more according to the USDA.
Why is it okay to ignore food expiration dates? ›
They may not taste as good after a while, but won't make you sick. The organization also suggests that most canned and packaged foods will stay safe past the dates on the package, although taste and quality will start to deteriorate.
How much food is wasted because of expiration dates? ›
An estimated 20% of household food wastecan be attributed to food tossed out because it “expired.” The USDA estimates that more than a third of the American food supply is wasted — more than enough to feed all the country's hungry and food-insecure — and 43% of this garbage is generated at the household level.
Can you still eat expired date? ›
So can food past "best before" dates be eaten? In a nutshell, yes – but at your own risk. Using your senses to judge whether a product has gone bad is key, experts said. They advised to visually check if anything is growing on the product in addition to using your sense of smell and taste.
When did the FDA start putting expiration dates on food? ›
Expiration date stamps on food began to emerge in the 1970s when consumer advocates complained about the lack of assurances that packaged foods were still safe and edible at the time they were purchased.
