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am I going comepletely insane, or am I right in thinking that the government are thinking about taking the 'best before' dates off of many foods??

27 replies

GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:25

and if so, does that mean that I can ignore all the dates, unless for obvious stuff like meat and fish etc??

please say yes, as I need hummus, and the only stuff I have 'ran out' 5 days ago, and I am too stressed to care so am eating it

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StirlingTheStrong · 26/06/2009 18:27

Have a look at THIS info about dates on food.

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hocuspontas · 26/06/2009 18:27

I hope not. That means there could be year old eggs on the shelf

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hocuspontas · 26/06/2009 18:28

Ha. Just read the link

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:32

ok, I may need to bid farewell as the hummus is actually a 'use by' date.............


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TigerFeet · 26/06/2009 18:32

Anything with a Use By date should be stuck to, as the food has been tested and can be microbiologically unsafe after this date. If it has a Best Before or Best Before End date, it's OK to eat after that date as it's still safe but the quality might not be as good.

GhostOfPsycho, I'm afraid houmous falls under the Use By category...

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TigerFeet · 26/06/2009 18:33

ooops, x post

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:33


but I heard on the news, I was sure......
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StirlingTheStrong · 26/06/2009 18:40

But, if it helps, if it smelt ok, I would eat it

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TigerFeet · 26/06/2009 18:42

me too Stirling, and I have been

a) a Food Microbiologist
b) involved in setting the shelf life of foods whilst working in the chilled food industry

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:46

well, smells fine, tastes fine, looks fine, and am not dead (yet)..........hopeful that I might have got away with it this time!!

i knew meat was a no-no, as was fish, but this is a dip.............surely it is worthy of being safer for a little longer??

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TigerFeet · 26/06/2009 18:51

Fraid not Psycho

And for once I actually know what I'm blethering on about... have worked for a company that produces chilled dips. I think a day or two would probably be OK but any more than that, I'd bin it tbh.

Unless it smells and looks okay of course

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:58


until I read the 'smells ok and looks ok' bit
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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 18:58

I will report tomorrow how I am faring.....

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TigerFeet · 26/06/2009 18:59

Usually, when they go off you can tell. By the enormous furry or yeasty colonies on them

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 19:00

ah, now I might have some sight probs, but furry islands or new life forming is one I can spot

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DiamondHead · 26/06/2009 19:03

A couple of weeks ago, I accidently ate them eggs that were three weeks past their use by date.

I live.

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DiamondHead · 26/06/2009 19:03

them = some.
It's Friday, I obviously need alcohol

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 19:04

lol diamond

I do find eggs are easy to spot if they are off, by account of the smell!!

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EyeballsandherSunburntNorks · 26/06/2009 19:06

Anyone eating hummus deserves to pop their clogs anyway, foul revolting stuff even when in date. Have cake, much better

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 19:08

ahhh, but cake WOULD kill me on account of the milk allergy I have!!

hummus is a poor, but tasty substitute

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EyeballsandherSunburntNorks · 26/06/2009 19:17

Yeah yeah we know about the allergy just have, I don't know, a macaroon or something! Meringue. There you are. No milk

No excuse for dipping your pitta in cat puke.

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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 19:19






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EyeballsandherSunburntNorks · 26/06/2009 19:30


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GhostOfPsychomum5 · 26/06/2009 20:58
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lou031205 · 26/06/2009 21:30

We treated the only known case of food-borne Botulism in the UK in 2004 - cause was hummus.

We joked that his MIL was trying to kill him off!

Apparently it is the garlic & oil combo.

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