Do You Throw Out Food If It Has Passed the stamped date of “sell by” or “use by” ?

12 replies
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Would you throw out food if it is pass the “sell by” date?

AP U.S. News 07/01/2026 - Did the milk expire? California bans ‘sell by’ food labels to cut food waste

I never even reference the sell by date or actually the use by date either, I got by my own senses and they have never failed me.

What do you do?

SereneSeagull

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

If it’s uncooked meat, I never mess around. As we age, what used to be safe to eat, may not necessarily be safe, as our immune system is easily compromised.

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GailL1Author

@SereneSeagull

I just stick it all in the freezer the day I buy it and then rotate to cook the oldest 1st.

SereneSeagull

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

Yeah, I’d agree with that. Freezing is the way to go.
Love me some frozen blueberries in the summer! Get them fresh washed and placed on a lined cookie sheet to freeze, and into a freezer bag after. Pop ‘em into the mouth from the freezer and they’re a great cold treat

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leonp574353

Contributor ⭐⭐

Not a chance! I have eaten cereal and peanut butter a year after the date printed on the container! I have eaten canned goods three years after the printed date also! SO much good food gets thrown away due to these arbitrary dates! On fresh dairy I am much more careful. I drink milk up to about 10 days after the date without taste or health issues at all.

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GailL1Author

@leonp574353

Me too - I will at least try it before it gets thrown away. I think that goes back to my poor college days - NEVER throw food away that is still recognizable ! 🤣

I don’t think that Fat Free Lactaid is real milk but I do love it - seems it never goes bad at least when added to a big ole bowl of Cheerios (heart healthy of course).