Can you safely eat food past its expiration date?

As Canadians continue to feel the pressure of high groceries, some people are choosing to ignore the expiration dates in hopes of further boosting their dollar.

A report from the Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab found that 58 percent of respondents were willing to eat food close to or past its expiration date to save money, even if it puts them at risk of getting sick.

A food safety specialist and professor at the University of Guelph, Keith Warriner, said the practice may not be as risky as it seems.

“Once you reach its expiration date, if it was handled properly, it was a good property to start with. It could very well go beyond that expiration date,” Warriner said.

However, he emphasized that the best before date and the best before date are not interchangeable and anything after the best before date is not safe to consume.

“When we talk about expiration dates, we are actually talking about nutritional supplements. So these are the places where a nutrient decreases over time because it is stored. When it reaches a minimum level, it expires. Expiration dates have to do with quality.”

For some people who struggle to stay nourished, choosing to look beyond the expiration date can mean the difference between eating that day and going to bed hungry.

“The reality is that an expiration date does not necessarily mean that a food is no longer good. An expiration date on a food product simply indicates how long a food product will maintain its best quality in terms of taste, texture and nutritional value,” said Kim Wilhelm, CEO of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. “Ultimately, it’s about the person consuming the product and what he or she feels comfortable with.”

The Waterloo Region Food Bank follows Food Banks Canada guidelines to ensure all the good food that goes out is safe to eat.

“We can distribute cans up to two years after the expiration date. Packaged and baked items up to a year ago. Salad dressing and mayonnaise will be a thing of the past for up to six months. Natural peanut butter and tetra packs up to three months old.’

Weighing the risks

Some expiration dates may carry more weight than others.

“On the other hand, the dangerous side: deli meats, seafood, soft cheese – if it says ‘store in advance’ it means, ‘Yes, don’t eat them afterwards,'” Warriner explained.

“But in this middle category – bacon, milk, yoghurt, bread, pizzas – we have to be careful. Ideally, they would be fine until that expiration date and beyond. But sometimes they can spoil prematurely because we take out all the preservatives. So you have to use your senses there.”

He said foods such as dry crackers, chips and canned food typically pose the least risk but can decline in quality over time.

When some foods start to develop mold, it can be tempting to simply cut away the affected area and eat what’s left, but this technique cannot be used on all foods.

“The thing is that with mold they produce so-called mycotoxins, which can make you feel sick and which can accumulate in your body. Now with bread it is dry and firm, with hard cheese because it is dry and firm you can cut the mold out without any problems. But where the problems arise is when you have soft fruits – strawberries, peaches – because they are soft, which the mycotoxins can diffuse through. So even if you find one moldy strawberry, don’t be tempted to say, ‘Well, I’ll just take that out and we’ll have what’s there,’ because the strawberry will spread,” Warriner said.

When it comes to milk, Warriner says an odd taste doesn’t necessarily mean the milk has gone bad.

‘You taste it and maybe think it’s not right or something. With milk it’s a little different because sometimes it’s just natural yogurt fermentation. But again, if you notice that it tastes bad, don’t risk it.

And when it comes to eggs, he recommends doing a “float test” to see if it’s still good.

“So eggs, of course we buy eggs in trays and they are very expensive these days. They have a shelf life of approximately five weeks. But you can go much further. The thing to test a good egg versus a bad egg is through the float test. Just take a glass of water and put your egg in it – a good egg will sink to the bottom because there are no air bubbles in it. A bad egg floats to the top.”

He encourages people to use their senses, and ultimately always trust your feelings.

“We must use our sense of smell, taste and eyes and not take risks.”