We are all aware that people throw tons of food out every single year, and before they do that, most of them check the label and the expiration date to see whether a certain product is still safe to consume. But, it seems that these dates are not always what they seem.
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Reading the Expiration Dates
The NRDC (National Resource Defnce Council) argued that the SellBy date does not show a date when a product is going to expire, but shows the date of the prediction – how much time will that particulat item be kept in stock.
Some other variations that we encounter, like Best By or Use By are indicators from the manufacturer about the time when this product has reached its optimal freshness, and not its spoilage. This is the main reason why these dates can be so confusing.
If you want to be more certain about the condition of the food you want to consume, pay attention to when the product was bought and when it was opened. In addition to this, we give you the real expiration dates to some popular foods:
- Milk – very often it lasts a week more than it says on the label, but make sure you smell it before consuming. If it smells even a bit soury, toss it away immediately.
- Honey – the honey has no expiration date, so you should definitely not throw it away.
- Chocolate – the boxed kind of chocolate, if in a room temperature can stay from half a year to 9 months, and if put in the freezer it can last up to 18 months.
- Uncooked poultry – it can be kept in the freezer for maximum of nine months, but if put in the fridge, only a couple of days.
- Peanut butter – after it has been opened, a peanut butter jar can stay up to 4 months in the pantry.
- Yogurt – the packaged yogurt can stay after a week or two after its expiration date, and if it is frozen, up to 2 months.
- Eggs – if you keep them in a basket they will last for 3-5 weeks after puchase, but if you freeze them, they can last the entire year.
- Fish – if you decide to freeze salmon, it can be kept about two months to form its taste, but an unopened item will last one day from its purchase date.