Posted on 10/03/2024 1:16:46 PM PDT by metmom
Before you put a food item into your cart or basket at the grocery store, you likely look for a “best by” date (or something of the like) to make sure you’ll be able to use it before it goes bad. But did you know that an expiration date and other food date labels are not the same?
Here’s what you need to know — from what each label means to which foods to avoid after their expiration date.
Expiration date vs. date labels: What’s the difference?
According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), an expiration date is typically only found on infant formula, which is regulated by the FDA. The “use by” date on infant formula refers to the date the manufacturer can ensure both the quality and nutrient content of the formula is safe for your baby. FDA regulations require this date to be clearly labeled on infant formula packaging because once that date passes, the product should no longer be given to babies.
(Excerpt) Read more at goodrx.com ...
“They taught me that canned items were safe to eat unless they were dented, rusty, or swollen.”
I had a can of tomatoes in my pantry that was slightly swollen, and I ignored it.
3 months later the dang thing exploded, and I spent hours cleaning up the mess
Beware of expired canned tomatoes!!
My Grandmother spent her whole summer canning fruits and vegatables. (And I helped)
She also made her own noodles.
She had a huge dining room table and would roll out the dough, (and I would helped again) cut them onto noodle and hang them out on hangers until they dried. She stored them in empty Quaker Oat boxes.
Great memories.
I’ve taken to writing down the date I purchased stuff, too, to help rotate it.
I do that with stuff like laundry detergent, etc just so I can rotate it.
And for some foods, too, but usually, I just copy the best by or exp date in Sharpie so it’s easier to find and read.
Shopping tip: watch for sales on canned items that are about to expire. Store will run a sale to clear the shelf. Nothing wrong with them per se, just a lot of people won’t buy them otherwise.
I’ll have to try that.
Thanks for the recipe.
My canned corn ALL comes out dingy.
Very unappetizing looking. I just freeze it on a cookie sheet, loose, and then either vacuum seal it of put it in canning jars and stick it back in the freezer.
Veggies are far easier to vacuum seal when they are frozen first. Keeps the liquid from being a problem.
Store bought soup?
I think exactly the same way about whoever wins.
Sometimes I wonder if DJT really understands what he’s up against.
May God bless him and protect him and his family.
We usually only have one spare of things like laundry detergent, and it never goes bad, so I don’t worry about rotating that. I do write the manufacture date of bleach on the jug, because it will lose much of its strength in a year or so.
Writing the dates on cans and other food packaging does make it easier to keep track. We keep pasta in sealed tins or canisters and it will last indefinitely, same with sugar, rice, and other staples. Pinto beans don’t cook up as easily after a few years, though.
I have a legacy can of corned beef with a 2008 date that I’m trying to get up the nerve to open.
I forgot to mention that if this dock strike lasts for very long, medicine will probably be affected, too. Why in the world would we allow ourselves to be reliant on foreign countries for that critical need? And especially China. Who knows what they might be doing to those medicines.
I had heard that.
We keep our fridge COLD. We turn it down until the milk freezes then bump it up until the milk stops freezing. It ends up being about 34F.
Milk, eggs, and leftovers keep FOREVER in our fridge.
I remember when I was a teen, they had a picture of a thermometer on the side of the milk carton with the shelf life in the fridge listed for every degree F from 33 to 40.
I can’t find anything like that now, but IIRC, it seemed like it doubled the shelf life for every degree F you lowered the temperature.
I will buy frozen veggies over canned any day of the week. Of course, I still keep canned on hand for emergencies - but I agree. Canned veggies are usually kinda lacking in flavor, texture, visual appeal, etc.
When we’re all hungry, none of that will matter, though. :(
Mr. mm said he just heard that they settled temporarily.
Sounds like political maneuvering so as to not ruin the democrats chances.
Hunger is the best sauce, and if push comes to shove, at least I know how to can and will be able to preserve SOMETHING.
It does sound like that. Thanks for letting me know.
I conducted experiments for nearly 15 years with various food items just to see what really lasted for survival purposes. Long story short, jasmine and most white rice lasted the duration with no problems, as well as dried beans. Brown rice went rancid surprisingly quickly. Flour and flour based products (e.g. noodles, cake mix, pancake mix, cereals) went bad very quickly. Sardines were fresh and fine for 4 to 5 years, started to be a little less fresh out to 8 years, which is as long as I kept them. Canned foods generally lasted the duration, notably canned salmon which was still nearly perfect after 12 years.
LoL, indeed they do.
I love this post. For many reasons.
My family grew bell peppers for extra money (I joke that I had them with my Cheerios for breakfast, but it’s not that far off the mark.)
My parents had gone through a (forced on them) bankruptcy, so we became penniless. I have no idea how Dad and Mom made it through those incredibly difficult years. Six kids, 6-18. How do you feed them all plus your wife? How do you keep all of your kids in parochial school? There needs to be a trade off. Ok, the older kids go to public HS, and work at McDonald’s. You hold 2 jobs, no three! You live in a cinder block home with one bathroom for all 8 of you to share. Just a smitch better than a double wide. But!! You have access to a small farm plot that your brother in law will allow you to farm on his land, for nearly nothing. You decide you can grow bell peppers, and sell them to the big city farmers’ markets, for a few seasons, anyway. This was how my parents managed through that particular crisis.
It took me roughly 40 years to be able to even get close to bell peppers again. I never wanted to see them or more importantly, taste them or handle them again, ever in my life. Fortunately, the years heal many things.
As to Gary, my best friend in high school was a guy. I had no idea he was interested in me. None. Zip zero nada. When I introduced him to my then boyfriend in college, he was gracious, but let Mr FF know that he would be watching. Closely.
If all worked out.
We stayed in touch for 15 or so years. My “Gary” got to meet my kids, who were children. After a few years we lost touch, but I know that despite that, we still wish the best for each other.
Friends.
I freeze brown rice.
It keeps much better that way.
I love my memories of my Grandma. Special relationship, for sure!
My Grandma died when I was 9. She was 80. I was HEARTBROKEN.
One of my brothers who is just a hair older than me recently told me that I cried for so long. And I did. I didn’t know that anyone noticed or cared. I think I cried more than anyone in my family. It was good to hear him tell me all these years later. He had noticed his lil sister. ❤️ He wasn’t quite the brute that he pretended to be.
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