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Original poster

How strict are you about use by dates?

43 replies

MissMistyy · 14/12/2023 17:09

Online delivery the other day, packed into fridge. Looked at the date on the top pack of pork and assumed both would be the same so decided that would be for dinner tonight. The bottom pack went out of date on Monday. My own fault for assuming but a bit peeved.
Some things I'm very strict on use by dates. Other things less so. Milk for example. You know when milk is off without a date on the bottle. Most things I would allow an extra day as I don't believe food spoils at the minute the clock strikes midnight and the date changes.
How strict/lax are others about use by dates?

OP posts:
BewareTheBeardedDragon · 14/12/2023 17:17

Not very, except for meat when I stick to it. Really not worth the risk

EdithStourton · 14/12/2023 17:18

Not very.
I smell meat and look at it carefully. If it smells okay and looks okay, into the pot it goes.

lljkk · 14/12/2023 17:20

I barely pay any attention to them.
I trust my nose & sense of taste.
ARe you saying it was out of date when you received it, OP?

Halfemptyhalfling · 14/12/2023 17:21

'Use by' in my mind just means you can't get your money back if it's gone off. I do find them useful because that's how I decide what to eat first in the fridge or in the shop I pick milk with a longer use by date so it's less likely to go off.

Illbefinejustbloodyfine · 14/12/2023 17:23

Hmm I have a piece of pork with today's day on it. Was assuming Id have to chuck it (we've all been ill so not got round to using/freezing it)

pinkspeakers · 14/12/2023 17:24

I don't really look at them at all, other than for meat/fish. Pork three days past I'd be a bit wary, but if it looked/smelled fine I would probably still eat it after cooked it thoroughly. But I'd be very slightly nervous!

TodayForTomorrow · 14/12/2023 17:24

Not very. I go by appearance and smell. It's definitely a major drawback of online shopping though. I'm sure they do it on purpose to get rid of the short dated stuff.

pinkspeakers · 14/12/2023 17:24

Illbefinejustbloodyfine · 14/12/2023 17:23

Hmm I have a piece of pork with today's day on it. Was assuming Id have to chuck it (we've all been ill so not got round to using/freezing it)

Today's date is fine unless there is something clearly wrong with it. One day wouldn't worry me either. Three is pushing it....

TheTripThatWasnt · 14/12/2023 17:25

Illbefinejustbloodyfine · 14/12/2023 17:23

Hmm I have a piece of pork with today's day on it. Was assuming Id have to chuck it (we've all been ill so not got round to using/freezing it)

If it's got today's date on it, and you don't want to use it beyond the date, surely you just freeze it today (if you know you're not going to cook it today). No need to chuck it!

HelpMeGetThrough · 14/12/2023 17:30

Not strict at all. I use my nose, if it smells fine, I'll eat it. Never had a problem yet.

Cheese, I'll just eat it, after all, it'll just be a variation of Stilton.

piscis · 14/12/2023 17:31

It depends. It is something dry such as crackers, biscuits...I have no problem with, or tins with an expiry date of a couple of months earlier.
Fresh food as meat or fish I am very strict. I actually wouldn't even eat it on the last day, in my experience it will smell horrible by then already. Fish and meat I would eat ASAp or freeze

ShowOfHands · 14/12/2023 17:36

I follow them to the letter. Best before is different, but some of the most horrible bugs are undetectable to the human nose and eye for quite some time. A microbiologist mate always rolls their eyes at "look at it/sniff it" as a mantra. A v good friend spent her entire honeymoon on a drip, alongside half her guests after eating chicken at the reception. It looked and smelled fine.

BarelyCoping123 · 14/12/2023 17:36

I don't follow them very closely (try to, but fail) - but I dont eat meat

NeverTrustAPoliceman · 14/12/2023 17:38

Very lax. Vegan though which is a lot safer.

Ragwort · 14/12/2023 17:40

Not at all, growing up we never had 'dates' on food, if I buy meat from the butcher it doesn't have a date on it. My DH is neurotic about dates ... I frequently remove the packaging Grin . I trust my nose. I wouldn't dream of throwing out a piece of pork just because it has today's date on it, why don't you freeze it?
No wonder there is so much food waste in this country.

Rudolphtherednoseddog · 14/12/2023 17:42

Meat and anything with meat (or fish) in it I’m very strict about. There is absolutely no way I would eat pork that was 3 days overs the use by date. Milk, cheese etc I go by appearance and smell but I use dates as an approximate guide.

Best Before dates on dried or shelf stable goods I ignore completely.

LadyWiddiothethird · 14/12/2023 17:44

I used to stick to the dates,not any more,if it looks and smells OK,I cook it . No-one has come to any harm yet!

Original poster
MissMistyy · 14/12/2023 17:45

The fillet that is over is already in the bin. I don't mind one day over but wouldn't chance 3, especially with kids.
It was delivered on Monday and went out Monday. I also got a Charlie Bighams curry that was two trays of rice. Not their finest delivery. Sadly living 100 miles from nearest "big" supermarket other than a co-op means being stuck with online delivery if I want Tesco's, Morrisons, Asda etc regularly.

OP posts:
senua · 14/12/2023 17:46

How strict/lax are others about use by dates?
I use my own judgement. But I also cook it to death (e.g. stew it for a long time), just to be safer.

Mumaway · 14/12/2023 17:48

Cooked meats and mince quite strict, other fresh meat smell/colour if past by a day or 2, almost anything else really quite relaxed

Ponderingwindow · 14/12/2023 17:48

Extremely. We also mark everything with the date it is opened and only keep things opened an appropriate number of days.

the last time we got food poisoning, the rest of us were barely impacted, but dh was in the hospital for 3 weeks and they were concerned he would lose his transplanted organ. We can’t afford to be careless.

ANightingale · 14/12/2023 17:48

Depends what it is and whether it looks or smells past its best. Meat I probably wouldn't go more than one day past the use-by. If it's just a 'best before' on something like biscuits, I'll eat as long as it tastes OK.

Toesaresoweird · 14/12/2023 17:50

I'm laid back about it, probably too much so.
Smell test used a lot.
I have been caught out a few times with hummus, yogurt, milk and feta cheese. You think I'd learn.
I am careful with use by dates for the children but myself, no.

MargaritaThyme · 14/12/2023 17:53

Depends what it is. If it’s fish or poultry I’m pretty cautious. I will happily use other meats etc if they pass a look & sniff test.

Best before dates I ignore completely. In fact, I will specifically look for cheeses close to their BB date on the reduced shelf, because they might actually be ripe enough to enjoy.

Copernicus321 · 14/12/2023 17:55

I've some salt that tells me on the packet that its been mined from deposits that are thousands of years old. On the bottom of the packet, there's a best before date of Dec 2027.