What's your outlook on use-by dates?

[jessjessjess]

Do you stick to use-by dates? Logically I know that if it smells and tastes fine it probably is and food doesn't go off the second the date changes.

But, psychologically, I can't eat food I know is out of date as I just convince myself it tastes or smells weird. I've just eaten some coleslaw that's one day out and it seemed okay but I kept thinking it wasn't.

Wondered where others stand on this? I mean use-by, not best before which isn't quite so prescriptive.

I don't take too much notice. This morning I ate two yogurts that were, ostensibly, days over the limit. They were fine.

I go by look and smell and how they have been stored.

People didn't use to have fridges and freezers. Food didn't have use-by dates.

There must be a lot of waste if people throw things out because of use-by dates.

I watch for dates when I buy food. Veg ok but meat etc I bin after that date. Don't want festive food poisoning!

Use by is tricky.

Generally, if the meat is still red/pink then I will still cook it and eat it.

If chicken smells (sometimes even before the use by) it gets binned.

If milk is one day over and doesnt smell I would use it to cook or in tea but not on cereal.

I buy things with a long use by and use them well within time. I meal plan so its rare I would have such a dilema!

depends what it is - veg, fruit, yoghurt even cheese ok if look and smell ok. Meat no.

Sniff and see, pretty much.

I don't take any risks with meat, fish, chicken or dodgy things like pate.

It depends what it is. Chicken, pork or fish I'd stick by the use-by date. Beef/lamb I'd use if they look and smell OK - ditto bacon. Eggs - sniff and/or float test (they last way longer than date - I think their use-by assumes no refrigeration). Fruit and veg totally ignore and use common sense. Yogurt - if it looks and smells OK it always seems to be OK.

Prepared foods more caution - coleslaw I'd sniff and taste a bit.

I am hugely paranoid about them, even though common sense tells me otherwise!! I won't even eat something 1 day BEFORE the useby date, let alone after it!! This is things like meat products and yogurts. I don't worry about fruit or veg. It drives my husband mad (and I annoy myself with it too) but I just can't get over the paranoia that it will make me ill!! I do have anxiety issues (agoraphobic) and this, along with a huge fear of being sick, has crept in almost unnoticed.
I have always been careful with dates, but not to this extent. Just in case anyone is concerned, I have been getting CBT for the agoraphobia!!!

Interesting thread as I've just found an unopened pack of bacon at the back of the fridge. Use by 21st Dec. it looks ok.

What say you, MN?

My mum always tells me off for wasting food.
I throw food away as soon as it's passed the best before date or is at the use by date. I don't even open the packet/tin/bag to check it, just throw it away.
Because of this I don't buy much meat in advance, usually picking it up the day I need it, or a day before.
I routinely smell milk before using it and tip it away if it smells a bit odd. My mum has taken food home with her before now as she can't bear to watch me throw it away.
I know it's wasteful and I do feel bad about doing it, but that's why I modified my shopping habits and now only buy what I need when I need it.

Meat, fish, pate etc I stick to dates.

Bacon that is a week older than sell by date, I wouldn't risk it, Boer.

Same as Jambalaya - Sniff and See.

I do ensure that I buy food with the longest date, so that I get the freshest food. For this reason, I'm not so keen on online food shopping, as I doubt the pickers do this.

I am also veggie, and don't buy or cook that much meat for others, and when I do, it's usually for set meals, so less likely to be hanging around, as it would in other households.

Mixed responses! I've decided to bin it. I've got another pack that's 5th Jan so I'll eat that.

I HATE wasting food but it's my NY resolution to stop doing big shops and buy less and more often so things don't get lost in the back of the fridge!

I don't take a blind bit of notice of them, I go completely by smell/ look. The only time I've ever had food poisoning was from an in-date prawn sandwich from sainsburys that I trusted despite my better judgement hunger

I remember laughing at a flat mate at university eating up some yoghurts as she didn't want to waste them when they went out of date the next day. When I pointed out that they weren't suddenly going to turn lethal at the stroke of midnight she realised that this was silly but just had never thought it through that far.

Eggs, milk and most meats are off when they smell off everything else, if it looks right it probably is.

I used to work on a supermarket deli counter - hams, cheeses etc would all get X amount of days put on them (usually about 48 hrs) as a use by date when a piece of it was sold to the customer. The rest of the same ham or cheese would quite happily sit on the deli counter for anything between another 7 - 21 days depending on the product and how long it had already been there. Use by/ best before dates quite often aren't even worth the ink they are printed in - they are just an arbitrary date thought up to protect the manufacturer if someone eats something months out of date.

I thought the government were doing away with best before dates to try and reduce people relying on them too much?

Oh and another thing...

properly cured bacon is supposed to go a bit green! Stop chucking it out people!

I ignore them, and go by looks and smell. They are useless - had stuff stored properly which isn't fit to eat before the date, and lots of stuff we happily eat out of date.

Boar - too late, but I'd have opened the bacon, and seen what my nose said.

I use them as guidelines, e.g. I had two packets of yoghurt in my fridge, so opened the one with the earliest use by date. I would, and do, happily eat things well after their best before/use by date if I think they look and smell OK. However, I don't eat meat so it's not too big a risk.

I did chuck out a load of yoghurts for DS though as they were a couple of weeks after the use by date and I can't rely on him to tell me if they taste dodgy!

Looks like I need to be less paranoid about this!

If something is just one or two days past its date, I honestly wouldn't think twice about just eating it. I figure the manufacturers must always be erring massively on the side of caution with those dates.

I've eaten yoghurts that were weeks out of date, and stuff in jars/tins that were months out.

With meat, I'd potentially eat up to 5 days out of date but I'd cook it really really thoroughly.

If something has actually got mold growing on it or significantly changed in appearance/texture, I'll throw it out, but beyond that there are no fixed rules for me.

I use my eyes, nose & a bit of common sense to decide if food is ok to use.