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Thread: Obeying the expiration date

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    Smart Canuck
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    Do you always obey the expiration of your items and throw them away as soon as they expire? Do you wonder, as I do, whether companies use the expiration date as a ploy to make you throw away items so that you have to buy more? Any thoughts?
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    Junior Canuck
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    For me it depends on what the item is. For example, I will keep yogurt a day or two past the date. Milk I always use by the expiry date and I don't like to keep things like deli meat past the expiry date. As long as bread is frozen, I don't pay too much attention to the expiry date. I keep most soaps past the date as well.
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    Must Coupon, Must Save :) SassyAshley's Avatar
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    I never go by the expiry date as in most cases it is when the store must sell it by not when the product will go bad. I am more careful with perishable items like dairy but even that if there is no mold or off smell I will still consume for a week or so after the expiry date. With other items like cereal, crackers, dry pudding we keep them and try them if they are not stale we eat them

    But to be honest I am not sure we can blame companies as the government is the one that said all foods must have an expiry date. With that being said I am not sure who regulates how long something should be good for.
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    Mastermind Natalka's Avatar
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    Expiration date is definitely different than a best before date.
    All depends upon what the items are, whether we use past a date.
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    Smart Canuck
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    I used to be very careful with expiry dates and threw out lots of stuff past expiry, but now I mostly ignore expiry dates except for meat, and perishables. I watched a video recently and this woman who is a big time canner and she was talking about expiry dates, she had a pack of unopened cheese that was about 3 years past expiry and it was perfectly good, same with some jarred food, 3 years past expiry, perfectly good. That being said I don't know that I would chance cheese 3 years past expiry and you still need to be careful with way past expiry on canned goods but if a canned good is a couple months past,expiry I would eat it still if it looked good when I opened it. Really if something expires dec 31, there is no way it is going to be unsafe on jan 1. Be cautious and use common sense. I hacpve a container of salt that has an expiry date on it, which is ridiculous and salt doesn't really go bad.
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    I just read an article about this (can't find the link...sorry!). The gov requires it to be on prepackaged goods that have a shelf life of 90 or less days; however, some companies put on goods that have a longer shelf life than that...probably as a ploy, like you suggested.

    I always judge based on whether or not it's been opened or frozen. I've definitely eaten yogourt that was left sealed in my fridge past the exp date.

    I'm sure you can find more info from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency/Government of Canada website!
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    Smart Canuck
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    It's a question of liability first and foremost. The manufacturers put a date they can be sure their product is still adequate for consumption. If anyone eats the product after that date, then they do so at their own risk, and can't blame the company if they get sick.
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    Canadian Genius
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    .
    Last edited by lecale; Sun, Jan 18th, 2015 at 09:45 AM.

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    Smart Canuck
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    http://science.howstuffworks.com/inn...s-safe-eat.htm

    I read this today and thought I would share this with you.
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    I am more of a " look " at it, " smell " it, then " taste " it if the date is passed. I made a delicious cheesecake last week from 4 pkgs of cream cheese that expired in Jan, May and July ( all 4 packs had different months! who wasn't paying attention when she bought them eh?? lol )
    The large tub of 0% fat plain Greek yogurt was also expired ( Jul ) but none of these had been opened yet and they were in a separate small fridge that does not get opened often, so after my see, smell and taste test I went for it.

    Normally when I shop I am very good to get the latest ( furthest date ) on things, but sometimes in the excitement of a great sale I grab things and run and forget about checking. Canned things I almost always use if the date is passed unless the can looks bulging or damaged.
    Processed foods I almost never buy anymore, so stuff like a box of Ritz or something, I would not like the taste of them after the expiry date, they get a stale funny taste if I remember right?
    Frozen stuff lasts forever. ( lol!! not really but in my mind it does, so I use it)
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    Smart Canuck ninna's Avatar
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    I'm a freak about expiry dates at home for things like yogurt, milk and meat. I might let yogurt and milk go a few days past, but the meat gets tossed.

    As for other things-- cereal, for example, or canned goods...I tend to let those slide a little, in part because I learned from volunteering on a field trip with DD's class to the food bank that you can go past the dates. When we were sorting the food donations they told us we could keep dry goods for up to 1 year (cereal) past and canned good were up to 2 years past the date stamped on the cans.

    The one exception to that rule is boxed/bagged cake or muffin mixes...which I believe can be dangerous because they can grow a particular kind of mold that makes you sick or causes an allergic reaction (even after it's been baked). Don't remember where I heard that though. So I give cake mixes the heave ho when they go past the date.

    DH's family thinks we are crazy and paranoid. lol

    I tend to freeze most stuff anyway (even bread) and pull it from the freezer as I need it. I even keep open bags of oatmeal flakes in the freezer and flour because I want to avoid cottling moths.
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    Contradiction in progress sweet sparrow's Avatar
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    My dental floss has an expiry date. That blows my mind.
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    Smart Canuck
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    So... What happens when good floss goes bad?

    I try and watch expiry dates with bread. I've had 3 Dempster's products this summer go mouldy on or before the bb date, so I'm paranoid.
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    Contradiction in progress sweet sparrow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Durham Couponer View Post
    So... What happens when good floss goes bad?
    I haven't got a clue. It goes too quickly here. I suspect it has something to do with the mint flavouring and regulations with it being a food additive more than string going bad. I still thought it was pretty funny though.

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    Junior Canuck EvilTofu's Avatar
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    Expiration date of food is usually calculated by bacterial growth under "normal use". They would assume the fridge is a little warm and you leave groceries in the car for 2 hours or so. It is for your protection. Of course, you can extend the shelf life if you are careful. But the manufacturers can not foresee all obstacles.

    For instance, I can see Price Chopper's parking lot from my apartment. They often get milk and juices delivered by 6:30am on Saturdays. They don't take them in until after 8:30am. Once inside, they sit on the floor and the teenagers take their sweet time putting them away. (While talking about vulgar things such as "That girl will *uck anyone!") By 11:30am, half of the milk are still on the floor. My mom kept buying from them because they often have the litre-size on sale for $0.99, but they start to turn days before expiration. Of course, they have been in room temperature for more than 5 hours! I'm so glad they closed down!

    Expiration date of non-food matters is usually a guideline in which things are no longer in their manufacturer's intended quality. Stuff like dental floss don't go "bad", but the wax might be icky, increased moisture might create more "lint". (My parents buy them in bulk, melty wax is so so icky...) The date is to prevent stores from selling us subpar items.

    Did you know that even CD and DVD has expiration date? They do decompose/degrade. Great quality ones can lasts 20-30 years, but the cheap ones we buy in spindles last only 3-5 years. If you have important files and photos, move them to the cloud!
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