38 replies to this topic

[kitleen]

Dear Kitleen,

Your start post is now 5 months ago.

Can you tell us, what you/your manager has done with the products and what have been the experiences?

hi,

for those expired spaghetti sauces, we have did sensory evaluations to determine how 'off taste' it would be. however, the sauces still taste the same and did not show any signs of spoilage (mold / yeast).

the sauces had a few weeks to go and so we did manage to get some off to those fast food kiosks.

however those that was expired, we managed to persuade the MD not to resell it to the public with a reasoning that reworking those goods (i.e. man power to change the dates and etc... ) is not worth the effort and more importantly to him... PROFIT.

so yea.. its cheaper to write them off rather than to rework and then later write off again.

it will just take awhile before those pile of expired sauces be rid off though

=====

interesting topic to discuss about

[Simon]

hi,

for those expired spaghetti sauces, we have did sensory evaluations to determine how 'off taste' it would be. however, the sauces still taste the same and did not show any signs of spoilage (mold / yeast).

the sauces had a few weeks to go and so we did manage to get some off to those fast food kiosks.

however those that was expired, we managed to persuade the MD not to resell it to the public with a reasoning that reworking those goods (i.e. man power to change the dates and etc... ) is not worth the effort and more importantly to him... PROFIT.

so yea.. its cheaper to write them off rather than to rework and then later write off again.

it will just take awhile before those pile of expired sauces be rid off though

=====

interesting topic to discuss about

As a preventive action and an improvement in a case like this should you re-evaluate your products expiry dates and extend them where safe to do so. That may prevent or reduce this issue in the future. If your process and product are stable and reliable then the products are either all good or all bad after a certain time - of course with a bit of tolerance.

Regards,
Simon

[MaggieB]

I am unlikely to buy something with an expired date from the store, but if I am going through my cabinets at home, depending on the item, I will probably still eat it unless it is very far out of date.

[Dr.Des]

I've voted no because I just wont buy an out of date product - however, if I came across some at home that's a different matter.

For me it depends on whether the expiry date was a Best Before or a Use by.

If it's best before, fine I'll take a chance, but if it's a use-by date then no, not worth the risk. Use by dates are there for safety, Best by is just a quality thing..

[Charles.C]

I've voted no because I just wont buy an out of date product - however, if I came across some at home that's a different matter.

For me it depends on whether the expiry date was a Best Before or a Use by.

If it's best before, fine I'll take a chance, but if it's a use-by date then no, not worth the risk. Use by dates are there for safety, Best by is just a quality thing..

Hi Des,

 

Archive trawling ?

 

Would you consume an expired can of Pasta Meal (mainly tomatoes) ?.

 

After expiry I have been watching it for approx. 1 Year in the range 20-30degC. No visible sign of leakage/damage/explosion.

 

Unable to take the Plunge.

[Dr.Des]

Hadnt spotted that the post above me was the first for many years!

 

If the expired can isn't swollen/distorted and doesn't stink when you open it, it's probably fine to eat. the pasta might be a little mushy!

 

Go for it!

[Cthulhu]

Two to three months ago I accidently ate past date Quaker fruity instant oatmeal. I didn't do so well the next 3 or 4 days. I noticed after that the pouches were about a year and a half past expiration date. I'm not even sure how it stayed in the house that long. I typically never eat anything if it is even close to the expiration date because my stomach seems to be very finicky with everything. 

[HenryCHa]

Hi, 

 

I would not consider easting expired products either. Bit depending on the ingredients it may be suitable for consumption after the best before date. This is actually a question we receive a lot from our customers. 

 

For spice mixtures such as curry paste that is vacuum sealed and has water activity of 0.85, similar to beef jerky which would be 0.8, suggests that consumption should be okay past the best before date. If you look for signs of spoilage, an obvious one would be mold which can be easily spotted. 

 

Would you guys agree? 

 

For spices, if they are not dried well, it can grow mold. If not, the spices would naturally lose their efficacy due to oxidation. 

 

As for canned food, depending on the type of food we can have an idea about the best before date. If it is high in sugar or salt, it would act as a natural preservative with a lower pH so the best before date does not mean much. If is it coconut milk or a product without preservatives, it has a higher chance of spoilage past the expiry date. 

 

Please let me know your thought.

[Andy_Yellows]

This topic flashed up and is a really interesting thread.

 

For what it's worth, I'm avoiding eating any ready-to-eat foods past the use-by even if only by a day- call me wasteful but I can't help feeling there isn't a yogurt or soft cheese out there that's worth even a 1% chance of food poisoning for me.

 

But anything ready to cook I'm fairly happy to eat generally if it smells and looks ok and isn't too far past the use by. For small meats such as bacon or sausages I'm more than happy to eat them a day or three late if I've given them an extra few minutes in the oven. Perhaps I'd have to think again if I was cooking my Christmas turkey which is the size of a medium dog and it was a week out of date!

 

Plus, in the bacon/sausage scenario, my mrs won't eat them if they're past their use-by so I'll get it all to myself!

[Sayed M Naim Khalid]

As we are growing up with the legal knowledge, in many countries expiration date is not considered a food safety issue anymore. Some countries changed their laws so they can reduce food waste. 

 

Generally speaking, if I have the option to pay something that is not expired, I will buy that. But in terms of eating, I have no issue especially if that product is undergoing a heat treatment. 

[Charles.C]

As we are growing up with the legal knowledge, in many countries expiration date is not considered a food safety issue anymore. Some countries changed their laws so they can reduce food waste. 

 

Generally speaking, if I have the option to pay something that is not expired, I will buy that. But in terms of eating, I have no issue especially if that product is undergoing a heat treatment. 

Hi SMNK,

 

I applaud yr bravery but I also hope you have medical Insurance.

[Totes716]

For me it depends very much on the product.  I certainly wouldn't sell anything that was out of shelf life to anyone.

[hello.fizz]

In Australia the legislation states that you have to say 'Best Before' if the expiry date is for a quality reason. Stores can legally sell product after the Best Before Date. 

 

The legislation states that you have to say 'Use By' if the expiry is for a food safety reason. Stores cannot legally sell food past it's Use By Date and have been fined for this. 

 

There are a few exceptions, such as bread which can have a 'Baked on ' date. 

 

I would eat food past it's Best Before date but am unlikely to eat it past it's Use By date. 

[dell]

I have answered a similar question received through one of my followers on Instagram. I don’t agree with consuming expired items and the details are as follows:

 

Frequently asked question : Is it possible to eat yogurt or expired milk?

 

Although different opinions are coming from nutrition experts or doctors from all specialties regarding that there is no harm in consuming expired yogurt or milk or any other food items and that consuming them will reduce loss or waste along the food chain, in addition to the huge health benefits that a person will obtain, such as taking probiotics in larger doses if she or he consumed an expired yogurt that expected to contains a larger amount of beneficial bacteria. ...etc. However, it is recommended to be careful when consuming it due to potential health risks.

 

Also, the decision to consume or use expired yogurt or milk must be sought after by food processing and food safety experts, as well as microbiology specialists, as they know for sure that the pasteurization process may not eliminate pathogenic microbes or those that cause spoilage. Rather, as we all know, some heat-loving, pathogenic microbes may remain and not die due to them being not completely pasteurized for any reason.

 

Therefore, sometimes pathogenic microbes remain for a longer period (after the expiration of the shelf life), especially when there are contributing factors such as improper handling or storage. This leads to the growth and multiplication of pathogenic microbes and ultimately may cause disease to the consumer, especially for vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly.

 

We always advise consumers to buy milk yogurt or any food item according to the size of the consumption, because consuming expired food may reduce the person’s benefit from the nutritional value.

 

Not every food contamination that harms human health shows deterioration signs, but as we all know, most food poisonings occur and occur because of eating food that does not show any signs of spoilage.

 

Food Scientist

Basel