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10 Foods That Stay Good Past Their Expiration Dates

Janelle Cabuco |
March 30, 2014 | 8:39 p.m. PDT

Associate Food Editor

Milk is good for an extra seven to 10 days after its "expiration date" (Guy Montag/Flickr Creative Commons).
Milk is good for an extra seven to 10 days after its "expiration date" (Guy Montag/Flickr Creative Commons).
Food "expiration" dates are contributors to the 141 trillion calories worth of food wasted each year. A 2013 study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic claim that a large majority of food is being prematurely thrown out because of people's confusion over what these dates actually mean. According to the study, about 91 percent of Americans throw away their groceries prematurely because of their misconceptions about these dates. 

Widespread labeling became popular around the 1970s, when the majority of Americans started to stop growing their own foods and started purchasing them. 

There are three types of listed food dates you might be familiar with: "use-by," "sell-by" and "best if used by." Many consumers confuse these dates as indicators of how safe it is to eat the foods they have bought. Well, the truth is that these listed dates have very little to do with food safety. 

The sell-by date is listed mainly for stores; this date tells stores how long to display the food for sale. 

The best if used by date is listed mainly for consumers; this date tells consumers when their food may be at its peak, both flavor and quality wise.

The use-by date is very similar to the best if used by date; this date tells consumers the possible last day their food is at its peak. 

Basically, these dates are solely listed to indicate food freshness. 

So, before you empty out your fridge of what you believe to be expired, check out this list of foods that might still be salvageable:

  • Eggs: Pay no attention to the sell-by date on your egg carton. The United States Department of Agriculture claims that eggs stored in a typical refrigerator will keep for an extra three to five weeks.
  • Bacon: Why toss out those last few delicious slices of bacon when they might still be good? If kept in the refrigerator, your bacon is still good for an extra two weeks; if kept in the freezer, your bacon is still good for an extra month.
  • Luncheon Meat: You can keep your unopened package of luncheon meat for two weeks after purchase. However, if you have opened that package, your luncheon meat is only good for an extra week. 
  • Lean Fish: Fish, such as salmon, that is kept in the freezer will still be good six months from now. 
  • Bread: Bread was on sale at the store and you bought too much? Don't fret. Keep your loaves of bread in the freezer and they'll still be good three to six months from now.
  • Hamburger Meat: Did you buy too much hamburger meat for that spring BBQ you threw last weekend? Don't worry. Keep all the meaty goodness in the freezer and it will keep for an extra three to four months. 
  • Steak: Ignore the best if used by date on your pack of steak. Keep your leftover steak in the freezer and it will keep for an extra six to 12 months.
  • Chicken: Chicken is usually cheaper when you buy it in bulk; so why not buy that two pound pack of chicken? Keep all that chicken in the freezer and it will remain good for an extra nine months. 
  • Jam: Unless you eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on a daily basis, you might find it hard to eat a whole jar of jam before its sell-by date. Don't worry. Keep your jam in the refrigerator and it will last for an extra six to 12 months. 
  • Beer: Beer will keep for an extra six to 24 months after purchasing. So if you find a cold one in the back of the fridge one day, don’t hesitate to drink it; it’s probably still good. 

Though many foods will keep longer than what their sell-by or use-by dates list, if your food ever develops a weird odor, flavor or appearance, don’t eat it. Additionally, if your food is left out in the sun for several hours, it may be best to cut your losses and toss it. 

Reach Associate Food Editor Janelle Cabuco here


 

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