Food and drug expiration dates: what happens in your own kitchen
Clearly food and drug dating is a problem that many retailers struggle with, given the reports of supermarkets that don't move expired yogurt from their dairy aisles and the drug stores that can't keep up with the expired over-the-counter medicine and infant formula on their shelves.
But are consumers really in danger when they use products past these dates? What do they really mean, anyway?
According to a food dating primer from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, in most situations the dating gives people a sense of when the item will be at its peak quality -- that the texture, flavor and color have not deteriorated.
You really shouldn't buy infant formula after the "use by" date, however. Federal regulations require infant formula and baby food to be labeled with dates because after that point, the product starts to break down and might not deliver nutrients as promised.
For other products with a "use by" date, follow that date.
Buy anything labeled with a "sell-by" date before that date passes. If you're debating about items already in your fridge, products labeled with "sell by" dates should actually be safe even after that date has passed, as long as they have been handled properly (kept below 40 degrees, etc.). Then again, nothing is safe without safe handling, even if the date hasn't passed.But you can keep milk for about a week past its sell-by date, and eggs as many as three to five weeks, according to the USDA. The USDA site has a chart to give you guidelines about when to use products after the package has been opened.
If this all seems too confusing, we also told you about the site StillTasty.com, a searchable database that should eliminate the need for the sniff test in front of the open fridge door.
As for medicine ...
... expired drugs generally decline in efficacy over time, according to Consumer Reports. In other words, that pain reliever might not offer much relief from a headache.
So, toss expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine as well as any vitamins that show signs that they are past their prime (crumbling pills or capsules that stick together). And definitely guard against wastes of money by checking expiration dates before purchasing things at the store.
