Expiration date on can food/items

[bnhasak]

On a related note. I was looking in my pantry tonight and found 2 boxes of gingerbread cake mix that expire 27NOV09.

Would you make them or not?

My husband just had totally unexplained anaphylactic shock last week so I'm overly paranoid right now?

 

[arminnie]

While I was visiting my parents last spring, I went through their cabinets, and I couldn't get over the expiration dates I think the record was seven years (and I thought they only had owned the place for five )

I threw it all out (about 3 trash bags due to the weight), and then I didn't have to worry about them going to the hospital due to eating rotten food. I agree with PP's who say just toss it and mark it up to lesson learned!

My dad bought this mayo with an expiration date of 1998 for 19 cents a jar. It was a few years ago - but yuck! He's a depression baby so I just would buy a new jar when we needed it and throw one of his away.

He would go buy from this "salvage" place that I called the "used" grocery store. I got a really bad infestation of pantry moths which are the worst. I am moving and have a lot of unexpired stuff but am afraid of infesting someone's pantry if there is even one egg buried in the label. Which is also why I am not taking one thing to my new place.

Someone getting two sacks of groceries for free would not be worth it if they lose everything in their home because of the pantry moths.

Years ago when I was in grad school I stayed with my aunt one summer. Her husband died and while she was taking care of stuff I baked a lemon cake from one of her cake mixes. It turned out awful - turned out the box was about 8 years old. We still laugh over it.

 

[sameyeyam]

Here are some interesting studies and information:

http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm

According to most of this information, the food is safe, but the quality may deteriorate. I routinely buy recently expired food from clearance bins. As long as the can isn't dented or package open, then it's just fine. Nobody in my family has ever gotten sick from the food.

 

[happygirl]

On a related note. I was looking in my pantry tonight and found 2 boxes of gingerbread cake mix that expire 27NOV09.

Would you make them or not?

My husband just had totally unexplained anaphylactic shock last week so I'm overly paranoid right now?

I think it should be fine

 

[happygirl]

Here are some interesting studies and information:

http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm

According to most of this information, the food is safe, but the quality may deteriorate. I routinely buy recently expired food from clearance bins. As long as the can isn't dented or package open, then it's just fine. Nobody in my family has ever gotten sick from the food.

That kinda of what I was thinking, The date that is on the can is the date to use by.

 

[wdwfan16]

I would throw it out.


During Katrina I saw reports that canned food is good up to a year after the expiration date.

 

[thebeesknees]

I won't comment either way on if it's OK to eat or not, but when we were at my SIL's house for dinner one time, I went to get some salt out of her cupboard and she had a jar of chili peppers in there that had expired 8 years ago! Eeew....

 

[SandrA9810]

The oldest I've had to throw away is probably a couple of years. But that's because we haven't lived in any one place for more than a couple of years.

When I went to my aunt's, she had fridge stuff expire years ago. I didn't even check the pantry. She's only lived in that place for like 5-6 years now. I'm pretty good about doing monthly clean outs of the fridge. We're big pantry eaters, so very few and far between do I have to throw something expired out from there.


When you go grocery shopping, instead of filling up your kitchen pantry, take all the groceries to the spare pantry... unload from there what needs to get used and fill it up with the new stuff. Make sure when you buy in bulk, you can use the product up before the expiration. No need to buy a 6 pack of ketchup if it takes a year to use up one bottle.