We’ve consulted with our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians to bring you informed recommendations for food products, health foods that start with s and nutritional goods to safely and successfully guide you toward making better diet and nutrition choices. We strive to only recommend products that adhere to our philosophy of eating better while still enjoying what you eat.
Don’t throw out that food just yet. Every food you purchase has a shelf life. With the exception of fresh produce that isn’t sold in a package, virtually all food items are marked with some type of expiration date giving the consumer an idea of when they should be eaten. However, those dates—whether they’re denoted by “use by,” “sell by” or “best by”—are only intended to serve as guidelines and don’t actually indicate food safety.
Instead, they provide a general estimate regarding when a particular food is at its peak quality. That means that basically everything can be enjoyed beyond the date you see on the packaging. Baby formula is the only exclusion. Still, as you may have guessed, the period between an expiration date of some sort and when food actually goes bad varies depending on the food itself and how it is stored. We talked to a group of food safety experts and dietitians to put together a list of the foods that don’t have to go to waste after they hit their expiration date. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be nice to know if your pantry items are still good to eat so you don’t have to make another grocery trip. Below, these pros differentiate between the various forms of expiration dates, list specific foods that are particularly shelf-stable and good to have on hand, and share tips for how you can tell if your food has gone bad.
What do the different dates on your food mean? If you’ve looked at the items in your pantry or refrigerator lately, you may have noticed that some have a “use by” or “expiration” date, while others say “sell by” or “best by. Food manufacturers take things like product ingredients, the length of time it takes to distribute the product, and storage temperature when determining these dates,” says Sofia Norton, RD, a registered dietitian at Kiss My Keto. But none of this is federally regulated.
Use By” Dates: “This date is put on by the food manufacturer as the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. Expiration” Dates: “The “expiration” date is aimed at consumers and is the last date the product can be considered fresh. After that, it’s quality goes south and it may soon go bad,” says Norton. The expiration date does not mean the product is not safe to consume, but that can happen soon after this date.