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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Houmous is five days past its use-by date

58 replies

ValerieMorghulis · 12/04/2021 08:54

AIBU to eat one (small) pot on toast for breakfast and the other in a wrap for lunch?

Really trying hard to minimise food waste but my usual cut-off is three days, for this sort of thing...

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chubbybubbyandmrwrinkles · 17/04/2024 23:55

Update! I felt fine the rest of the day, no vomiting or diarrhoea. I threw the rest of the 3 day tub away though as it was getting watery and I didn't want to push it 😂

chubbybubbyandmrwrinkles · 15/04/2024 14:02

Well this was an interesting thread to read whilst eating my out of date hummus 😁I had one slice of toast with hummus 3 days out of date and one slice with a tub 2 days out of date. I'll let you know how I feel tomorrow!

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 12/04/2021 11:00

didn't Delia used to say Whooo-moose? I say hoo-mus.

the cat is looking at me now...humm-us humm-uzz hooooo-musss hughmus.... godsake! :o :o

LolaNova · 12/04/2021 11:00

Meh, if it’s not fizzy I’d eat it. I’m yet to die of food poisoning although I’ve only had it once or twice so who knows, it might yet finish me off.

Crunchymum · 12/04/2021 10:59

Have some (unopened) and was going to give it to the kids for lunch?

It is dated today?

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 12/04/2021 10:57

I am pretty cavalier about sell by dates but not on houmous. I don't know why, but I imagine vats of chick peas being boiled but maybe not properly and then slowly cooling and them sitting about all luke warm and festery!

I am not that keen on the premade stuff anyway!

KoalaOok · 12/04/2021 10:55

I've had a google and HOoomosse is risky becuase of the high protein content and its full of moisture. So ideal breeding grounds. Also sesame paste gets infected with salmonella a lot.

Blueuggboots · 12/04/2021 10:51

I think it's houmous too...

Blueuggboots · 12/04/2021 10:49

With hummus, it's a USE BY not a best before for a reason.

0gfhty · 12/04/2021 10:48

I don't know why it's considered high risk, I assume just because it is pre prepared food. Maybe it's something to do with the water and carbohydrate content. There have been a few recalls over the years not sure if they're all down to tahini. I mean yeah I would probably eat it a day over if my fridge is cold and the trip from the shop was quick

whatisforteamum · 12/04/2021 10:36

As a chef I would never eat any protein past its use by date.The way I see it is a day or two off sick from work costs more than a couple of quid saved and some food poisoning can last longer or be fatal.
As kids we ate cheese with mould cut off however the mould penetrates the cheese so I wouldn't do it now.
I am strict with hygiene and food dates and my family were hardly ever sick.
Cue ill family some point this week.🤣

Bluesheep8 · 12/04/2021 10:23

*Bluesheep8

What is it about Hoummus that makes it so dangerous though?

Nothing really. It just goes off like other things.
Everything off can make you really ill.*

Ah ok, I thought there was something particular to hoummus that was risky. I've eaten out of date hoummus more times than I can count so was just curious.

BarbaraofSeville · 12/04/2021 10:15

What was actually super interesting on that was how many people were shocked at how many brands of hummus are made in 1 or 2 factories

I don't know why people find this so surprising. It's like when there was a flood in a biscuit factory and none of the supermarkets had any biscuits because that factory made a large proportion of all supermarket own brand biscuits as well as one of the big brands and people couldn't understand why it was so widespread a problem.

I thought it was common knowledge that many large factories supplied multiple supermarket own brand ranges as well as main brands.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 12/04/2021 10:08

@Bluesheep8

What is it about Hoummus that makes it so dangerous though?
Nothing really. It just goes off like other things. Everything off can make you really ill.
SchrodingersImmigrant · 12/04/2021 10:07

@0gfhty

It's bizarre bit hummus is actually a high risk prepared food and there have been a few recalls in supermarkets over last few years due to salmonella.
The salmonella was in the tahini afaik. They identified it quite quickly.

What was actually super interesting on that was how many people were shocked at how many brands of hummus are made in 1 or 2 factories

Bluesheep8 · 12/04/2021 10:06

What is it about Hoummus that makes it so dangerous though?

SchrodingersImmigrant · 12/04/2021 10:03

But have you ever been ill due you eating out of date food? To me, Mumsnet seems ridiculously conservative on this matter and lots of people seem to be throwing away lots of perfectly good food based on a very pessimistic arbitary date.

Not just here. My friend never had to buy fruit for lunch because there was always someone in the office with cherries/strawberries/whatever which went out of date so they wanted to bin it. 😂 She was really baffled by it, but saved fortune.😂

It's the same with rice. If you ever mention eating reheated rice, the rice police will pop up with dire warnings about how eating reheated rice will cause the worst food poisoning possible.
Yup. I met people surprised restaurant rice is reheated... Good catch woth the egg fried rice.

ImFree2doasiwant · 12/04/2021 09:57

Bliney I was about to say yes dobt worry at all. Had no idea.

I have Houmous in the fridge, its in date, but been open for more than the suggested 'eat within 2 days of opening ' . An i going to vomit if I eat it?

0gfhty · 12/04/2021 09:56

I eat out of date food all the time and cut mould off cheese etc but hummus is the one thing I'm careful with.

0gfhty · 12/04/2021 09:55

It's bizarre bit hummus is actually a high risk prepared food and there have been a few recalls in supermarkets over last few years due to salmonella.

BarbaraofSeville · 12/04/2021 09:53

@ineedaholidaynow

It is one thing I have learnt from MN never to eat when out of date! Before reading about it on here I might have been cavalier about use by date but reading the horror stories has made me very vigilant.
But have you ever been ill due you eating out of date food? To me, Mumsnet seems ridiculously conservative on this matter and lots of people seem to be throwing away lots of perfectly good food based on a very pessimistic arbitary date.

It's the same with rice. If you ever mention eating reheated rice, the rice police will pop up with dire warnings about how eating reheated rice will cause the worst food poisoning possible.

Yet I've probably eaten reheated rice at least twice a week for the last 30 year and have never been ill due to it. And that includes Chinese takeaway fried rice, which will have been reheated twice Shock.

In fact, the only time I've had food poisoning in close to 30 years as an adult was a ready made prawn sandwich from the work canteen, which will have been in date and be kept in accordance with all food safety rules.

billy1966 · 12/04/2021 09:51

I am very flexible with dates but after a good friend of mine was so ill after houmous I'm now wary.

Hers smelt fine too and was a day out.
She thought she was going to die. For a woman who had three natural births to tell you it was the worst, I listened.

Coleslaw is the same.
There is a reason they advise you avoid it when pregnant or they did when I was!

KoalaOok · 12/04/2021 09:48

Salmonella and Listeria

FeistySheep · 12/04/2021 09:42

Interested to know why houmous is considered so risky by some people? Why is it different to coleslaw/tzatziki/onion dip etc?

I've eaten out of date houmous all my life. I check carefully for the black hairy mould that houmous gets, and then I taste a tiny bit to make sure it's not fizzy. Am currently eating a tub that expired on 23rd February - it's fine and delicious.

I do regularly eat out of date food, and know the differences between dangerous moulds and less risky ones (one blob of blue mould on bread is not going to kill you) BUT I have worked up to this all my life. If you are mould-phobic and would never touch milk four seconds after midnight on expiry day, I wouldn't recommend diving straight into two month old houmous! Build up tolerances slowly :)

ineedaholidaynow · 12/04/2021 09:28

It is one thing I have learnt from MN never to eat when out of date! Before reading about it on here I might have been cavalier about use by date but reading the horror stories has made me very vigilant.