My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

This topic is for Q & As run by Mumsnet. If you'd like to sponsor a Q & A, please email [email protected].

MNHQ have commented on this thread

Sponsored Q&As

Ask the Food Standards Agency experts your questions about use by dates - £200 voucher to be won

131 replies

LucyBMumsnet · 01/03/2021 16:10

Your questions have now been answered and we are no longer taking new comments on this thread

We’ve all been there. You’re rummaging in the fridge for something to eat and right at the back you discover something that you forgot you bought. On closer inspection, the use by date has passed by a few days but you decide to eat it as it looks and smells fine and you’d rather not let it go to waste. However, use by dates are the best indicators of whether food is safe to eat or not, so it’s important to stop and consider if we’re putting ourselves at risk of feeling unwell.

Whether you’d like to know the difference between a best before date and a use by date, how to make safer decisions when deciphering food labelling terms, or whether consequences of ignoring the dates on the pack will affect the quality of your food or how well you feel, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) experts will be online on 24th March to answer your questions.

Here’s what the Food Standards Agency has to say: “Last year, our Covid-19 Consumer Tracker* highlighted that more people are eating food after its ‘use-by’ date, particularly families and those aged over 65 years old. It’s important to understand that different products can undergo different manufacturing processes and this can affect how perishable they are. For example, yoghurts may have a use-by date or best before date, so it is important to always follow the manufacturer’s advice. It is safe for people to eat food after its best before date, but a use-by date is a safety marker, eating food after this date can cause food poisoning.”

Want to know who will be responding to your questions and comments? Find out more about the Food Standards Agency’s experts below:

Narriman Looch - Head of Foodborne Disease Control Branch at the FSA
Narriman Looch is the Head of Animal Feed and Foodborne Disease Control Branch at the FSA. She leads the team responsible for developing policy in response to rises in human cases of foodborne illness, this includes developing guidance and advice for consumers.

Robin May - Chief Scientific Adviser at the FSA
Robin May is the Food Standards Agency’s Chief Scientific Adviser and a Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham. As the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Robin provides expert scientific advice to the UK government and plays a critical role in helping to understand how scientific developments will shape the work of the FSA.

Helen White - Special Advisor, Household Food Waste, WRAP
Helen works with food retailers, manufacturers and brands on engaging with citizens to reduce food waste and is WRAP’s spokesperson on household food waste-related matters. She has played a key role in defining WRAP’s approach to citizen food waste prevention and the development of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

All who post a question on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

^*www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/covid-19-consumer-tracker-waves-three-and-four-report-published^

Ask the Food Standards Agency experts your questions about use by dates - £200 voucher to be won
Ask the Food Standards Agency experts your questions about use by dates - £200 voucher to be won
Ask the Food Standards Agency experts your questions about use by dates - £200 voucher to be won
BristolMum96 · 01/03/2021 17:10

It's almost impossible to not eat things after a use by date has passed as the dates in the shop are always incredibly short - usually next day or 2 days! Is it unsafe to eat anything past use by or just the usual culprits like milk and meat? Is use by definitely a use by or use the smell/look/taste test?

Downriver · 01/03/2021 17:53

What is the point of use by dates and best before guidance when our fridges are at different temperatures and we do not all store things in the same way?

MyDcAreMarvel · 01/03/2021 17:55

Tinned food, jars of sauce , biscuits, crisps etc how old would they need to be to before they made you unwell?

GaryUnicorn · 01/03/2021 18:46

Is it ok to eat snack items like crisps and chocolates after the use by date? There doesn’t seem anything in them that will immedirately turn mouldy.

Asuwere · 01/03/2021 19:53

How much flexibility is built into use by dates? Surely something can't be fine at 11.59pm but unsafe at 12.01am, as it's now past it's use by date?

JulesJules · 01/03/2021 20:16

Can supermarkets use their own dates in order to give items a longer shelf life, or are they standardised?

I can see that dates on milk, eggs, fresh meat and fish are really important, but how are the dates for longer lasting items eg yoghurt and cheese or larder items like sugar arrived at?

Teatoweltable · 02/03/2021 06:58

Live yoghurt, is this OK after use by/best before. I've always thought the 'good bacteria' might help preserve it.

MySocalledLoaf · 02/03/2021 08:31

Are there data on getting ill from food past the useby date indicating the likely risk of one day over, two days over etc.? Not keen on having food poisoning while looking after a baby but I hate to throw things away.

TheLaughingGenome · 02/03/2021 08:49

I'm on an immune suppressant drug called Adalimumab (better known as Humira or Imraldi), and I'm supposed to take 'extra care' with food safety as I have to avoid any possibility of infection from bacteria, viruses and spores in dodgy food.

I've given up quite a few salad foods like bean sprouts and lettuce that can't really be nuke-cooked or boiled to reach the temperature of the sun for twenty minutes.

Please suggest some safe, crunchy salad / stir fry vegetables.

MyDcAreMarvel · 02/03/2021 09:26

@TheLaughingGenome really? I take humira and have never been told to take care with food. Was it your consultant who told you this? Thanks

TheLaughingGenome · 02/03/2021 09:50

The consultant gave me a leaflet and information booklet, @MyDcAreMarvel, and the Biologics Nurse Specialist went through it with me, during the pre-prescription counselling session.

ButterflyOfFreedom · 02/03/2021 15:01

Are any food or drink products exempt from best before or use by dates?
I've heard honey is the only food that doesn't spoil... ??

pushchairprincess · 02/03/2021 15:08

I have had food which has clearly gone off before the use by date - and I have thrown away, and also food which I have used (minced beef) 3 of 4 days past the use by date - the sight and sniff test was used on both occasions.
Do you feel that some dates are over cautious and the sniff test is accurate enough ?

lillypopdaisyduke · 02/03/2021 15:11

How accurate do you think supermarkets are with their best before and use by dates - is there a criteria used by all supermarkets which they are regulated to, I keep my vegetables in my fridge and often use weeks past their best before date - bearing this in mind - how much must they throw away ??

Wateringcan27 · 02/03/2021 16:42

If you eat foods after their best before or use by dates, does the nutritional value lessen?

NativityDreaming · 02/03/2021 17:10

When visiting the in-laws I was shocked to learn they cut mould off cheese, eat bread if they found any mouldy slices, or just scoop out the mouldy jam and use the rest of the jar 🤢

It’s not just me, is it? Those things are potentially really unhealthy, aren’t they?

I really don’t want my children eating at their home.

Sleepybumble · 02/03/2021 18:07

What signs should people look for when assessing the freshness of something near/after the use by date?

NigellaSeed · 02/03/2021 19:07

Is it true honey never expires?

Millsywood · 02/03/2021 21:28

Are some use by dates stated because the food item won't taste as good after the stated date, or is that only when it states a 'best before' date?

Millsywood · 02/03/2021 21:30

Sorry, another question.... Do caster sugar, icing sugar, dried rice, or dried pasta have use-by dates?

Mooloolabababy · 02/03/2021 21:41

If there's a long use by date then does that mean that there are more preservatives in the food?

wellingtonsandwaffles · 02/03/2021 21:45

Why does out of date taramasalata make me ill but fish out of date by a week I’m fine with?

How long do fresh eggs last?

How reliable is a sniff test?

Why do some foods say do not freeze when if you were making it yourself you would do - Is that to do with the use by date ?

Newsletters you might like

Discover Exclusive Savings!

Sign up to our Money Saver newsletter now and receive exclusive deals and hot tips on where to find the biggest online bargains, tailored just for Mumsnetters.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Parent-Approved Gems Await!

Subscribe to our weekly Swears By newsletter and receive handpicked recommendations for parents, by parents, every Sunday.

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

digginthedancingqueen · 02/03/2021 22:23

Is it safe to trust your nose re most things? If it smells ok it will probably be ok still?

sherrystrull · 02/03/2021 23:01

What leeway is given to fresh meat in terms of use by dates? I always throw away anything that is a day out of date even if it smells ok.

SylvanianFrenemies · 03/03/2021 00:46

Does how you cook things have any impact upon safety after use by date? I.e. if you cook really thoroughly, does that offset any risk?

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.