Best before date on consumables - How believable ?

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raksrules

raksrules

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Most consumable products we use come with some sort of best before date. In most cases, except medicines, all consumables have a "Best Before" date rather expiry dates (usually on medicines).
How believable are these dates ? They have a best before rather than worst after date. I am pretty sure if something has best before date as 31st March then the product does not automatically become non consumable on 01st April.
Like a bread usually has a best before date just few days after it is manufactured but i have read that one can preserve bread for upto 6 months if kept in freezer.

What are your views ?
 
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It all differs from case to case. I have consumed bread that has been in the fridge (not freezer) for little short of 2 months. It did not go bad, but it did become too dry use in the conventional way (i.e toast or sandwiches). I have consumed cakes and some other things as well for the best before date. Some stuff can go bad and glaringly visible and in some other cases you won't even get to know that something has gone bad till you eat it and upset your stomach. More often than not, the best before date is just a safe last date for consumption. It does not necessarily mean that stuff would go bad the next day or that stuff wouldn't ever go bad before that date.
 
It's a guide to help you decide to eat/drink/consume the product before it starts showing signs of going bad.

It doesn't necessarily means that the product goes stale the moment the expiry date passes, but it gives you a warning to be cautious.
 
Keep away from dairy products, atleast in India, even if says best before any date, it would show its signs of.....!

If you like cheese, wine; yes they have really no best before dates.. Speaking of Cheese meaning Frecnh home made cheese; The longer they are kept, the better it becomes.
 
best before date is date by which the product would taste its best under normal conditions. example a loaf of bread, it has a best before date of 3-4 days since the manufacturers assume you will keep the bread outside on a table. if kept outside in room temperature, it will last and taste good for about the time they mentioned. bread contains yeast which is always active even when refrigerated. after sometime the bread will go dry and taste sour or stale and you may need to bake it again (ex. toast) to make it taste good.

other foods will go bad and decompose few days or weeks after best before date. most of the sugary stuff like jams etc can be eaten long after their best before dates since they dont spoil. refrigerating food increases its shelf life considerably. veggies can last 2-3 weeks if fridge is kept cool enough. milk lasts around one month if frozen.
 
raksrules said:
Most consumable products we use come with some sort of best before date. In most cases, except medicines, all consumables have a "Best Before" date rather expiry dates (usually on medicines).
How believable are these dates ? They have a best before rather than worst after date. I am pretty sure if something has best before date as 31st March then the product does not automatically become non consumable on 01st April.
Like a bread usually has a best before date just few days after it is manufactured but i have read that one can preserve bread for upto 6 months if kept in freezer.

What are your views ?
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The Best By dates are a bit of a suggestions and I am sure companies that sell bread and eggs and other items shorten it so that people buy more of their product...

Ok. time to take the conspiracy theory hat off.

A local food donation organisation close to where I live has a few rules before they redistribute donations. If properly stored, they redistribute food after expiry dates.

  • Bread and desserts (cakes, pies, muffins, etc) - up to 3 days after the expiry date listed.
  • Milk - 4 days past the date (but only if kept in a temperature controlled environment all the time)
  • Eggs - 4 weeks past expiry date
  • Juice - 4 weeks past expiry date
  • Uncooked Pasta / Rice - 6 months past expiry date
  • Tinned goods - Upto 1 year past expiry date and no dents in the can. (A dent could mean that the protective lining inside the can is broken.) Exception: Cans with acidic content, only 3 months.
 
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What I have learned from my pharmacist friend is, "expiry dates" of medicines are specified like 3-4 months BEFORE the actual expiry dates to avoid any risk.
 
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I have consumed food past expiry date a few times, out of ignorance, it didnt not really end well.

Also medicines and food are different. Food gets spoilt since it is food for us and animals and bacteria alike. Medicines simply lose their efficacy marginally or completely post exp date. They don't turn poisonous.

I usually throw out bread, milk and eggs that are more than 2-5days old.
 
@Sarath_ Some medicines can turn poisonous after expiry, and some can do the same if not stored in appropriate physical conditions. You shouldn't generalise all the medicines as one, different compounds react differently.
 
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blkrb0t said:
@Sarath_ Some medicines can turn poisonous after expiry, and some can do the same if not stored in appropriate physical conditions. You shouldn't generalise all the medicines as one, different compounds react differently.
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I was refering to certain pills which just become duds. I forgot to add an exception to the myriad of other preparations. I was mostly referring to over the counter drugs which come in the form of tablets. Certain drugs do however decompose to lethal compounds post expiry.

Was just trying to dispel the common myth that all drugs go poisonous after expiry.

Food however is a whole different story.
 
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Also depends on where you're living. Near the tropics or equator food tends to spoil faster than the north. Use common sense for perishables.
 
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also be wary of these buy one get one free offers , pretty sure its for expired or close to expired products
 
kippu said:
also be wary of these buy one get one free offers , pretty sure its for expired or close to expired products
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Isn't selling expired products illegal either way? You must be wary of the expiry dates always, offers or not.
 
i am sure its illegal , you can start shouting at them, file a case , waste your time

i once went that way against hypercity selling eggs , endresult : nothing , they are still selling expired stuff
 
^ yeah, i remember that some juice company was selling 1+1 free 1litre juice promos sometime back. looked at expiry date and all were near or around 1 month after expiry date.
 
I almost everytime double check the expiry date whenever there is something on offer, especially when it is too good to be true types.
 
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