How many of us throw away food before it's really gone bad?
 

This is in NO WAY supposed to be a blasting post on my wonderful hubby. My DH grew up with absolutely nothing and he went to bed hungry quite a lot of the time. We met when I was 21 yrs. old, and he's 10 yrs. older. But what I'm getting at is this.....he remembers when an expiration date on something meant that it was the last date to use that item (I really think he dreamed this or it makes sense to him), so now if something says that "sell by" date was last week, it magically went bad, but it was ok until then. So I really have to use all my bought canned food, even pasta and cake mix, etc., before the sell by date, or it goes in the trash. I can't convince him otherwise, but this morning I read this and I printed it out for him so now maybe he'll think twice before wasting our money (or maybe I won't buy as much?)....http://www.grandparents.com/food-and...ampaign=fnl154

I get upset when when my DH suddenly decides he is no longer going to eat something esp after I just replenished the pantry or fridge. Yesterday he announced that he no longer was going to eat grapes! Says they discolor his teeth. I hate grapes unless they are fermented. ;). I also reminded him that his teeth are not white to begin with! ( age related discoloration , not decay) . Or he suddnly is going on a diet after I buy his fav snacks....again, not my favs. I reminded him that if he did not eat 4 bags a day of those single serving chips, he could still cut back. But, no, he grabs one right after meals and remarks that he is still hungry! I give up! Yes,wasting food ticks me off. The sell by date has not been an issue tho.

sandy

Thanks, good information.

I have eaten can goods with expired dates but I try to be careful. Hate to waste food.

We hate to waste food. I try very hard to use things up. We have never gotten sick on anything that has been in the frig a few days - like leftovers. I don't usually stock up since I am retired and can get to the grocery on my way to or from - I leave the house most days whether to go to the gym, my one morning a week part time job, or just because. From what I understand, the sell by date doesn't mean it will go bad. It helps stores rotate their stock.

Here is just one article I found on Mr. Google.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/1...ck-to-toss-it/

When I showed my DH the article that I printed out, he said that he only throws stuff out that was more than 6-8 months past it's 'sell by' date.....most of which is cake mix and things like that. I make sure there is nothing wrong with anything past it's date and I try to keep an eye out for most of it myself, but I was mostly just interested in sharing the article. Thanks for your comments, and I hate to waste food too! (Maybe that's why I can't lose weight????)

I don't pay any attention to "expiration" dates, except maybe on milk and OTC meds, which ours tends to be outdated quite frequently. I figure we all managed "somehow" to survive before they came up with the "expiration" date theory.

If it smells good, it's good. I find those dates to be quite arbitrary and don't pay much attention to any of them.

I'm with Kimkankwilt on this one, if it's fruit and veg you can tell by looking at it if it's gone bad, if it's meat I smell it, you can smell meat that's gone off a mile away. Potato chips soda chocolate and beers are all fine way best the date on the packaging.

Sandygirl my husband does the same thing! I have come to call it OMS (Old Man Syndrome) because it started after he turned 50, and my friend said her DH did the same thing since he turned 50. He gets on a food kick then suddenly finds that it may not be that great so we should throw it all out. My daughters call it GOMS (Grumpy Old Man Syndrome) if he is over the top about it.

Thankfully My Husband doesn't look at expiration dates. I grew up like your Husband, went to bed hungry for long periods of time. We have decided we will not waste any food and eat it up. I keep track of expiration dates and don't worry about using somethings after the date. Growing up we never had expiration dates, sell by dates or anything else and all was well.
There are only two of us now.

I watch the expiration dates, but don't always pay attention to them. Most of what we eat these days is fresh food and that is easy to see when it goes bad.

Love this!
Sandy

I taught my kids this rule.....when in doubt, throw it out.

Your husband may be correct about the cake mix. http://www.eatbydate.com/other/bakin...piration-date/ The expiration date on cake mix is based on the expiration date of the leavening agents( baking powder or baking soda). I rarely throw things out because I try to use it up before the expiration date. If it does go past, I do eat it if it smells and looks ok.

The date on the milk carton is not an expiration date. It is also a sell by date. I keep milk is the back corner on the top shelf of my refrigerator. It stays good for up to several weeks past the date on the carton. Those dates are sell dates. The same goes for medications. The medication does not go bad, it just may be less effective.

I used to work in a 7-11 and we were told we couldn't sell after such and such date but that didn't mean it wasn't still good so we were allowed to take some of it home............they changed that rule later though. We then had to throw all outdated food in the dumpster which I thought was such a waste but then the tramps could rummage thru during the night for food so not a total loss. When I buy produce such as fresh veggies and I know I won't be able to use them up fast enough, I chop them up and put in the freezer for soups later on. Then all my work is done ahead of time when it comes time to make up my soups. I eat lots of soups during the winter months making a huge pot, splitting it in half and putting half in the freezer for another time. I chop/freeze carrots, peppers, mushrooms, celery, onions and even milk if I can't drink it fast enough before it spoils. I use the milk for my Impossible pies. I measure it out for the recipe so I just have to throw it into the blender once its thawed out. I hate to throw food out if I can help it. Right now I'm having an abundant crop of strawberries this year so I'm using them for my version of "Orange Julius" drinks, over ice cream at night, freezer and giving them away to my neighbors. My zucchini and butternut squash gets the same treatment, give away or prepared for future use and put into the freezer.

We eat everything and are not sticklers to expiration dates but then we do not eat many packaged foods. The only thing we toss is vegetables gone bad and occasionally cold cuts or meat that got lost in the frig and looks scary.

We usually ignore those dates on the packaging and go by sight, smell, and taste.

I'm lucky my husband does not go into the pantry, nor does he cook. I remember a time when there were no expiration dates on beer, or soda. Then our government steps in and says we have to have it on those too. I only throw food if it smells bad. I freeze left over veggies, small bits of leftover meat, potatoes, etc., it all goes into the soup pot on a cold day. I had heard about the cake mix leavening agent in cake mixes so if my cake mix is a bit old I use it and throw in a teaspoon of baking powder just in case. That has always worked well for me.

I, too, tend to ignore "sell by" dates. But I wonder if anyone else has had this experience -- Diet Coke seems to have a limited life span. I once found some in the back of the pantry that had to have been there for six months or a year. I assumed it was OK to drink. It was still carbonated, but it tasted terrible! I have experienced this another time, too. Anyone discovered the same thing? Wonder what makes it go bad.

Most items on the grocery shelf that have a sell by date are intended to be used within 7 days of that date, canned goods within 3 months, but if the can has no rust and no large dents or bulges, they are still good. Our government is just trying to protect the consumer (now there's a label with no expiration date! lol)

The dates are a guideline, in my opinion, and they are pretty accurate. Something in a can or a jar a year after its sell-by may be discolored or the flavor will have gone off or it smells odd...I am more worried about refrigerated leftovers and handling raw meats.

Same here. But I read an article some where on the computer-Think it was Good Housekeeping's E-mag that said that the date on Bottled Water is not for the water but for the plastic bottle itself. Scary that if it is not drank before exp.date it then starts to break down and has been known to taint the water which may cause ''simple' stomach ailments. And these dates could also be for other things sold in plastic bottles. I hate all these plastic food containers. I try not to buy them and when I have to I will transfer them into glass containers.

I read that baking goods must be used by the proper date, A pancake mix was used after the expiration date and people got very sick, so be careful with that.

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*** The one I do not understand is the exp. date on toothpaste and bottled water.
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We never throw out food. If it goes bad or is well beyond the expiration date, we just chop it up and add to the compost bin for next year's planting.

Interesting info but I think their "90% " of Americans throwing away "expired" food is ridiculous. I know very few people that actually do that.

I've had a couple cases of sodas for about 3 years now. Mother used to live with me and she loved A&W Rootbeer. She now lives with my sister but didn't take the sodas with her. I was moving them to a new location in the basement when I notice a can or two had leaked and the cases were stuck together. YUCK!!!! I've gotten rid of the couple cans I found that had leaked and now have them in the fridges being used. They still taste the same.

One of my friends was moving to live with her daughter so I cleaned out her pantry and took the can goods home. I knew I'd never be able to use it all so shared with my friends at my congregation. One asked me if I knew the most of the can goods were expired. YIKES!!!!! But mostof us figure it its not bulging or leaking its still okay. Some folks get ansy about expiration dates.

Never. The use by date is just a guide. We can all sniff it and see if it all right.

I think it mostly depends on what it is and how it is packaged. I do pay attention to exp dates, when shopping, I'll reach to the back to get the "freshest"! Most things, if in doubt, I'll smell, but usually chunk if in doubt. Really picky about sandwich meat, even before checking date, I smell and feel, if it don't smell right or it's slimy, it is definitely chunked. I hate wasting also, but I'd rather go hungry than to get sick on bad food. JMHO

Same thing I do. We both got food poisoning at the same time but from a restaurant. Don't want to go through that again. Therefore when in doubt! One thing I have started doing the past few months, often it's hard to find the expiration date. So when I do I mark it on the label in permanent marker. Easier to see at a glance!

I don't worry too much about expiration dates, but our food pantries are not allowed to pass this food on. If the sell by date is passed they MUST throw it out. Maybe I can understand this, but I surely don't do that.

A few years back, we were at a camp ground, about to stay for three days, when I found a bag of Kwik Trip milk under the front seat. It had rolled there, and I never missed it. It had been there for a week or two in the hot summer time, and the bag was inflated and seemed about to burst. I took it to the camp office to let them dispose of it, but I was very sorry that I didn't have a container along that I could take this very sour milk home. My DSIL thought that was disgusting, but he doesn't know that sour milk is used in a lot of cooking; in pies and cakes, and in a lot of delicious things. Soured millk is actually good for you until it turns pink. That's when it needs to go OUT.

Please be careful with certain things though. For instance, in Canada right now, there's a recall on mushrooms for possible Listeria contamination. The recall specifically states: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-th.../1433730071945

I have worked in food service for 25 years. Food may smell and look fine and be capable of making you sick if you taste it. This is especially true for the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and small children. In my house and at work an expiration date is followed. Best by dates, I just use common sense.

I am very careful about spoiled meat. If I am even one bit unsure, I throw it out. I hate having food poisoning.

Thanks for that. We buy the foil packages of taco sauce and other seasonings. They last indefinitely. So one day I came home to find that my cleaning lady had tossed all of them with expred dates on them. Must have thrown out $30 worth!! She was trying to help me stay organized...so I never said anything, but geeze, Louise! So thanks for this! I"m sending it to her. Now that I'm retired, no cleaning lady, so no worries about the foil seasoning packets.

The link to food scraps shows us what to save, and mentions seeds of pumpkin and squash. I save not only the seed but all the gunk that surrounds them. You eat that stuff in cucumbers and zucchini, and it is good food. I put all of this into the blender with about a cup or two of water and blend until liquified. Then it is used in making breads. Add it as part of the liquid. The bread tastes wonderful.

I agree, I do a smell/taste test. and go from there. I do try to "manage" canned/pkg foods in that I write the date I purchased in black sharpie on the label and pull the older cans to the front of the cabinet. I don't keep tons of food on hand like I did when the kids were at home. I hate wasting anything: food, fabric paper etc.