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yesman
02-09-2005, 02:37
Does anyone here buy "out of date foodstuffs" i.e. Bread, fish, cheese, meat or even tinned stuff for that matter.

I am sure food does not perish on the date given on the label attached to it, and I was always under the impression that tinned food was a non-perishable item, maybe I am wrong.

A lot of folks around here tend to make a habit of queueing around the out of date shelf at the local Asda.

I have noticed that a lot of the time I go shopping, food items on the shelf are past their sell by date the following day, unless you root around to the back of the shelf.

I would have thought that to attract shoppers that will come back, sell by dates on items on the shelves should be removed at least two days prior.
I find it quite annoying tbh and am tempted to go elsewhere.

This has no doubt been done before but......
What do you do ?

Roy MM
02-09-2005, 02:48
Sell by dates are not the same as use by dates, so you buy something with todays date as a display date means you have a time span of consume on it, hope that makes sence, i'm ****ed "hic" nite.

Millay
02-09-2005, 03:00
This link should tell you all you need to know. I rember when tinned foods were not dataed at all... If the tin is in good condition then the contents should be fine.. I certainly dont worry about the dates on the bottom of tins:

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/usebydateguid
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What do †˜use byââ‚ ¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢, †˜best beforeââ‚Ã⠀šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ and †˜display untilââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ mean?

'Use by' means exactly that. You shouldn't use any food or drink after the end of the 'use by' date shown on the label. Even if it looks and smells fine, using it after this date could put your health at risk and cause food poisoning.

You will usually find a 'use by' date on food that goes off quickly, such as milk, soft cheese, ready-prepared salads and smoked fish.

It's also important to follow any storage instructions given on food labels, otherwise the food might not last until the 'use by' date. Usually food with a 'use by' date needs to be kept in the fridge.

'Best before' dates are usually used on foods that last longer, such as frozen, dried or canned foods. It should be safe to eat food after the 'best before' date, but the food will no longer be at its best. After this date, the food might begin to lose its flavour and texture.

However, you shouldn't eat eggs after the 'best before' date. This is because eggs can contain salmonella bacteria, which could start to multiply after this date.

Some food labels also give instructions such as 'eat within a week of opening' and it's important to follow these instructions. But remember, if the 'use by' date is tomorrow, then you must use the food by the end of tomorrow, even if the label says 'eat within a week of opening' and you have only opened the food today.

'Display until' and 'sell by' dates are instructions for shop staff to tell them when they should take a product off the shelves.


Taken from:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/foodlabels/asksamlabelterms/

makikomi
02-09-2005, 08:42
I think really it depends on what the food is and how it is packaged.

With food like chicken or pork, you're taking a bit of a risk if eating something after its use by date.

With other things like dried foods, they usually last longer and can be eaten fairly safely.

My brother is penny pincher (for that read "tight git") and works in a supermarket. He often buys stuff that has been reduced. When I moved out of the flat we shared to move to Leeds, he still had about 6 cartons of tea leaves which were just slightly out of date...

...ten YEARS past their sell by date.

And he was still making tea from it, claiming it tasted ok. :erm: :rolleyes:

greencreeper
02-09-2005, 09:41
Sniff n feel - any doubt, bin it. I've never checked a tin for a best before date - never really occured to me :erm: I eat eggs upto a week past their date, though they're better fresh. I'm more cautious about cooked meat and dairy foods - more chance of ending up with food poisoning. I avoid raw meat - don't like handling it anyway.

My dad cuts mould off cheese :disturbd:

me283
02-09-2005, 09:44
I'm of the school of thought that a lot of the time the dates are merely a ruse to make people buy more stuff. Sure, as the previous posters said, some foods you have to be very careful with (as a recent bout of food poisoning taught me!), but that can't realistically apply to a tin of beans for example? And I often wondered how the manufacturer can tell you to the exact day just when a tin of food will be unfit to consume... many months in advance.

Basically, I always think that you can smell if something is not good enough to eat; failing that, the first taste will put you off.

As an aside, I once bought a batch of canned drinks that were out of date. The supplier told me that as a rule of thumb they advised people that most tinned drinks are OK for a good few months after their "use by" date, with Coke being OK for up to a year after. That was their opinion though...
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I am often reminded of the two strange examples:

Croutons - how can you have a "best before" date on something which is essentially stale bread?!

Bottled water - they tell you it's been running through the earth for thousands of years... but once you open the bottle it's only good for 5 days!!

marky
02-09-2005, 09:57
as roy previously tried to post ;) sell by dates are totally different and are a good way to rotate stock, that is why all the old stock is on top
as for use bye dates ive had bread go mouldy before the date and steak as fresh as can be 4 days after the date :shrug:
but i tend to buy the freshest from the bottom of the pile because i'm lazy and dont like going shopping often:)

ps.i once got a tinned pie and the use by date was 2107
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and achohol free beer starts to get alchohol in it :Yikes:

Ramrod
02-09-2005, 10:16
I never worry about dates on food, even with meat- I tend to go by the smell. The only time I am suspicious of meat is with ASDA chicken, I've known that to be rotting even before it's use by date! :erm:

Martin
02-09-2005, 11:09
When i go shopping i'm the one that is ussually rummaging through the shelf for the best sell by date! Supermarkets should rotate stock so buying something nearly out of date show's someone is not doing there job properly!!

marky
02-09-2005, 11:13
When i go shopping i'm the one that is ussually rummaging through the shelf for the best sell by date! Supermarkets should rotate stock so buying something nearly out of date show's someone is not doing there job properly!!

thats people like me digging to the bottom and mixing everything up trying to get the freshest :disturbd:

Angua
02-09-2005, 11:18
The Tescos up by Ma-in-law has blood in the bottom of the meat display cabinets on a regular basis (or did) :erm:.

I often get "last day" stuff and bung it in the freezer as soon as I get home, cold meats I do steer clear of though! A lot of items will have cook from frozen instructions anyway.

Further thoughts, if they hang beef for 3 weeks more (for better flavour) does the bright pink beef have such a short shelf life?

Jules
02-09-2005, 11:46
I am very funny about useinf stuff by its used by date and will often throw stuff away rather than risk it. But there again I have a dodgy tummy and it doesn't take much to upset it

Angua
02-09-2005, 11:55
I am very funny about useinf stuff by its used by date and will often throw stuff away rather than risk it. But there again I have a dodgy tummy and it doesn't take much to upset it
:sorry: Poor Jules.

And that brings me on to "fresh" food! I have often wondered why (in order to stop them going mouldy) I have to keep carrotts in the fridge? Also why is it tomatoes are better for you if they are not refridgerated, but you are told to refridgerate them at home?

Best fresh stuff I get is from the local farmers market you at least know it has only been picked within the last day or so.

Jules
02-09-2005, 11:59
When you buy eggs from the supermarket the box always tells you to refrigerate them so why doesn't the supermarket?

Angua
02-09-2005, 12:12
When you buy eggs from the supermarket the box always tells you to refrigerate them so why doesn't the supermarket?

Apparently eggs do not benefit from being taken in and out of cold conditions. :shrug: hence why you refridgerate at home. Also eggs are stacked in the warehouse small at the bottom to extra large at the top (the smaller the hens egg the stronger the shell).

Halcyon
02-09-2005, 12:15
You need to be careful with egg based foods, meat, milk, etc, and as people have said, you can often tell as it will smell bad.
The "best before date" is normally an indication to tell you it is best to eat it in that time, however it is relatively safe to eat it after this date and it will probably still taste good.
"Use by date" is the last day you should eat something such as egg based, milk, meat based dishes.

Fruit, sandhich's, vegetables are often reduced in supermarkets as they have past the date. They will still keep another day or so and be ok to eat. If we are going out for the day I often get the reduced sandwhichs in tesco. They are very nice and just one day past best before date.

Julian
02-09-2005, 12:16
Weird old business.... I don't remember Corona cherryade having a best before date years ago and how about war rations?... go into a butchers and half the meat is hanging from a hook in the window - in a shop it will be wrapped with a max temp. warning on it.

There isn't much now that doesn't have a use by or best before date nowadays - shampoo, toothpaste, wine etc...

I wonder if it is all the cr@p that gets added that causes the problem. ;)

marky
02-09-2005, 12:19
army rations with a mars bar 3 yrs out of date it turns white but tastes ok :disturbd:

Angua
02-09-2005, 12:21
Weird old business.... I don't remember Corona cherryade having a best before date years ago and how about war rations?... go into a butchers and half the meat is hanging from a hook in the window - in a shop it will be wrapped with a max temp. warning on it.

There isn't much now that doesn't have a use by or best before date nowadays - shampoo, toothpaste, wine etc...

I wonder if it is all the cr@p that gets added that causes the problem. ;)

Made me think of another daft one "Honey", IIRC they found some in one of the old Egyptian tombs and it was still edible.

They do have a system for shampoo and conditioner:Yikes:. On some bottles there will be an opened top symbol with 12m or 18m next to it, this is to show how long it can be kept once opened.

Nugget
02-09-2005, 12:57
<snip>Fruit, sandhich's, vegetables are often reduced in supermarkets as they have past the date. They will still keep another day or so and be ok to eat. If we are going out for the day I often get the reduced sandwhichs in tesco. They are very nice and just one day past best before date.

I hope your local supermarket isn't selling things past the durability daye, seeing as it's illegal!

The reason that chilled foods and the like have a Use By date is because, after that date, the microbiological count goes past acceptable levels, meaning you could well poison yourself by eating the product.

marky
02-09-2005, 13:02
marky now throws sandwich in bin wich was bought yesterday from a garage :sick:

Nugget
02-09-2005, 13:11
marky now throws sandwich in bin wich was bought yesterday from a garage :sick:

Oops, sorry :disturbd:

At least you can tell your mum I saved your life ;)

Martin
02-09-2005, 13:15
My nan used to insist Cream Cakes be stored in the oven to keep them fresh!!

Angua
02-09-2005, 13:19
My nan used to insist Cream Cakes be stored in the oven to keep them fresh!!

My gran used to keep eggs in icinglass in the cellar to use over the winter.

Bread kept in the fridge will go stale but crackers keep well.

Halcyon
02-09-2005, 15:08
You can freeze bread too. We do so there is always some if we run out.

me283
02-09-2005, 17:24
I hope your local supermarket isn't selling things past the durability daye, seeing as it's illegal!

The reason that chilled foods and the like have a Use By date is because, after that date, the microbiological count goes past acceptable levels, meaning you could well poison yourself by eating the product.

I believed it was lgal to sell out-of-date food, as long as you made it clear that it was actually out-of-date?

Nugget
02-09-2005, 17:29
I believed it was lgal to sell out-of-date food, as long as you made it clear that it was actually out-of-date?

Nah, it's actually one of the biggest no-nos a shop can do, particularly when it involves chilled food.

Obviously, you can't pander for the idiots amongst us, but what if someone bought something out-of-date, ate it and then suffered from food poisoning for a fortnight? The store would find it very difficult to categorically prove that the food had been advertised as being out-of-date, so they'd be on dodgy ground anyway.

me283
02-09-2005, 19:05
Nah, it's actually one of the biggest no-nos a shop can do, particularly when it involves chilled food.

Obviously, you can't pander for the idiots amongst us, but what if someone bought something out-of-date, ate it and then suffered from food poisoning for a fortnight? The store would find it very difficult to categorically prove that the food had been advertised as being out-of-date, so they'd be on dodgy ground anyway.

Maybe I'm thinking of the "best before" date...? I'm sure I've seen shops with stuff like that on sale. Oh well... as long as it tastes OK!

greencreeper
02-09-2005, 19:36
I never worry about dates on food, even with meat- I tend to go by the smell. The only time I am suspicious of meat is with ASDA chicken, I've known that to be rotting even before it's use by date! :erm:
I've noticed that my "local" (several miles away) ASDA sometimes has dodgy poultry - green and yellow marks on the meat where the clumsy butcher has burst the bits of a chicken you don't really want to burst :disturbd:

homealone
02-09-2005, 19:48
Nah, it's actually one of the biggest no-nos a shop can do, particularly when it involves chilled food.

Obviously, you can't pander for the idiots amongst us, but what if someone bought something out-of-date, ate it and then suffered from food poisoning for a fortnight? The store would find it very difficult to categorically prove that the food had been advertised as being out-of-date, so they'd be on dodgy ground anyway.

Maybe I'm thinking of the "best before" date...? I'm sure I've seen shops with stuff like that on sale. Oh well... as long as it tastes OK!

with chilled food there can be 2 dates - the 'display until' and the 'use by' - the first is advisory, so selling product past this date is ok, but as my tall friend pointed out, selling food past its 'use by' date is illegal. (and consuming it may be dangerous)

For frozen food, the date is given as 'best before' - it is illegal for a shop to sell food past that date, but should be safe to consume. ;)

me283
02-09-2005, 21:44
with chilled food there can be 2 dates - the 'display until' and the 'use by' - the first is advisory, so selling product past this date is ok, but as my tall friend pointed out, selling food past its 'use by' date is illegal. (and consuming it may be dangerous)

For frozen food, the date is given as 'best before' - it is illegal for a shop to sell food past that date, but should be safe to consume. ;)

I was thinking more specifically of biscuits and tinned drinks (spot the person with a healthy diet!). I am sure these can be sold past the sell by date.

Julian
02-09-2005, 22:02
I was thinking more specifically of biscuits and tinned drinks (spot the person with a healthy diet!). I am sure these can be sold past the sell by date.

And you would be right, except eggs :)

LINKY (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/foodlabels/asksamlabellingrules/)

marky
02-09-2005, 22:05
just stick the eggs in a bowl of water if they sink OK if they float throw them at you nearest mp simple :D

homealone
02-09-2005, 22:20
I was thinking more specifically of biscuits and tinned drinks (spot the person with a healthy diet!). I am sure these can be sold past the sell by date.

And you would be right, except eggs :)

LINKY (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/foodlabels/asksamlabellingrules/)

thanks Julian - I was wrong about the 'best before' then :p: :D

yesman
02-09-2005, 22:41
After reading this
Food manufacturers are secretly re-labelling millions of pounds worth of food that is past its "best before" dates so that it can be sold after the original deadline expires.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2005/08/30/nfood28.xml&sSheet=/health/2005/08/30/ixhmain.html

I think it is time for "The Good Life" and be self sufficient :erm:

homealone
03-09-2005, 00:02
After reading this
Food manufacturers are secretly re-labelling millions of pounds worth of food that is past its "best before" dates so that it can be sold after the original deadline expires.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2005/08/30/nfood28.xml&sSheet=/health/2005/08/30/ixhmain.html

I think it is time for "The Good Life" and be self sufficient :erm:

Once, Felicity Kendal could have come round & poured gravy down herself, anytime :p:

- alas, i no longer think she would be impressed with my part of the bargain :angel:

There are also firms that buy stock near to the best before - and even sell by, dates and sell it back - our staff shop gets M&S sarnies with maybe a day of life left, sometimes - but for less than half price (free range egg & bacon, today ;) )

zoombini
03-09-2005, 15:33
And wheny our old gran says it will last for ages....

She is thinking of how food was, because these days they are supposed to have far less preservatives in them.

Dang I got to put me brown sauce in the fridge now, yeauch - makes it all cold.

Dave Stones
03-09-2005, 15:36
i've never put brown sauce or ketchup in the fridge before, it has never done anything to me :erm:

much better room temperature :D

Millay
03-09-2005, 16:59
I think everything being put in the fridge is silly, Brown sauce tomato sauce just dont belong in there, its the same as anything pickled. the whole idea of pickling something is to preserve it, so why does it need to be refrigerated...

Dave Stones
03-09-2005, 17:18
in case the vinegar goes off, obviously ;)

yesman
04-09-2005, 23:38
Once, Felicity Kendal could have come round & poured gravy down herself, anytime :p:

- alas, i no longer think she would be impressed with my part of the bargain :angel:



OK OK I have to ask what your part of the bargain would be Gaz ? :D
The suspense is killing me :erm:
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I think everything being put in the fridge is silly, Brown sauce tomato sauce just dont belong in there, its the same as anything pickled. the whole idea of pickling something is to preserve it, so why does it need to be refrigerated...
Agreed, including English Mustard and Horseradish Sauce, who in their right mind would put them in the fridge :dozey:

greencreeper
05-09-2005, 01:14
I put all my sauces in the fridge once opened :erm:

Ramrod
05-09-2005, 01:22
I think everything being put in the fridge is silly, Brown sauce tomato sauce just dont belong in there, its the same as anything pickled. the whole idea of pickling something is to preserve it, so why does it need to be refrigerated...So it lasts even longer than intended :shrug: :D
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I put all my sauces in the fridge once opened :erm:
Same here! :tu: :)

kronas
05-09-2005, 01:26
Same here! :tu: :)

me three :)

i dont rally believe in out of date foods being consumed because of the danger of contracting something, however a mate of mine has sometimes wandered over to that section and is relatively healthy buying pizza etc :erm:

the dates are there as guidance its your choice to accept them.... me id rather keep my health in good condition then risk it like a lottery :disturbd: