Food Theory: Expiration Dates DON'T Mean What You Think...

*SUBSCRIBE or Your Milk Will EXPIRE!*

Have you ever wondered whether your food ACTUALLY expires? Okay, every food has _some_ expiration date. But, how legit are they? Sometimes food can still look and smell great, but the expiration date is clearly EXPIRED. So, what's the deal with this? Should we be crying over spoiled milk? Today we discover the real meanings behind expiration dates.
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*Credits:*
Writers: Santi Massa, Eddie “NostalGamer” Robinson, Bob Chipman
Editors: Gerardo Andrés Mejía Torres, AbsolutePixel
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#ExpirationDate #Expired #Expiration #Milk #SpoiledMilk #Theory #FoodTheory

[lifesQnA]

Fun Fact: if your honey has ever turned into a crystal in the jar that doesn't mean it's unsafe to eat, and you can reverse it, what it actually means is that your honey is less processed because more processed honey will take longer to crystalive or won't at all

[gaidencastro]

Expiration Dates are more of a legal issue. You can't sue the company if you got sick from something that's out of date, so they round it down to be extra safe.

[LizBlizzard]

Non-US/maybe non-UK viewers: keep in mind *your* country probably doesn't play so loose with the regulations. I've lived in 3 different countries (2 in Europe, 1 in Asia) so far, and they all have pretty rigid, government-enforced "expiration dates" on the package. You may still be able to eat food that's a couple weeks past that date, but you'll be rolling dice as to whether you'll get sick or not. This video is very US-centric and details problems with how the US labels their food, not with how food is labelled worldwide. Stay safe out there!

[heypesky]

Fact check: I just finished a small business course for food businesses. There's absolutely public health regulations around how use by dates are determined, and that they must be on foods labeled for retail sale. For most foods its 1 week unless its frozen or you send the food in to an independent laboratory for testing (at least in Michigan). The FDA may not require it but state health departments do, and handle the monitoring for compliance around this.

[phelanii]

Here in Germany there's an app called Too Good To Go, where retailers can put up their almost expired, slightly stale or cosmetically unappealing wares up for sale in surprise bags etc at a highly reduced rate. It's mostly bakeries, getting rid of what didn't sell that day at the end of it, or slightly stale stuff from the previous days, grocery stores selling packaged foods with a "best by" date that's tomorrow or yesterday, as well as cosmetically imperfect produce, like ripe bananas, slightly wilty greens, bruised apples or peaches etc.
Even restaurants are in on it, all you can eat buffets selling leftovers from that days service, hotel restaurants getting rid of the leftovers from their brunch menus etc. It's a really great resource for families as well, since you get so much stuff in these bags, it's hard for one person to go through all of them before they go actually bad. My sister and I sometimes get a bag and share the contents with each other and friends, or get the meal deals and bring it to work, especially for night shifts when *everyone* has the munchies.

[midiarum]

The code is more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules…

[ferrelagrios]

This is actually annoying too for retailers.

My family owns a retail store and we buy our supplies from supermarkets and get supplies from supplier, if a customer sees the date on the item has passed they won’t buy it, we don’t get sale, and we have to still buy to restock

[ninjarmadillo]

Bit of extra info, Here in the UK "Best Before" and "Use By" is not legally required, however lot numbers are on a lot of products which can be used to trace manufacture date.
Also, even though "Use By" dates are not legally required, it IS illegal to sell products past their use by dates.

[sleepymonsteraddict]

THANK YOU for this video!!! As someone who has worked in a grocery store for a long time, you cannot imagine how much food goes into the bin because of this nonsense. I would always take home whatever I can to prevent food from going to waste. I swear I have eaten dry products that have been expired for months to a year without being sick, I've eaten things like yoghurt, milk etc. that had been expired for a month and was absolutely fine. I even see people who throw away food a few days BEFORE it expires and it drives me mad. LOOK, SMELL and TASTE, then throw it out if it's gone bad!

[victoriavidaud]

One thing to be aware of though is things like milk can definitely spoil quicker and even before the date on it because of being put in the door or something, I’ve had times where it’s gone bad for no reason far before the dates just because of where it’s stored in the fridge. Don’t store super perishable things on the doors because they’re closer to being near warmer air, and that can affect them being fully refrigerated. Same thing with freezers.

[ExposingOurWaste]

As someone who's been dumpster diving at stores and residences for 5 1/2 years, THANK YOU for expelling this dilemma of our modern supermarkets and retailers. All too often do I find *dumpsters full* of crackers and chocolate that "expire" the same month, or people cleaning out their entire fridge because the items are not well within date. It's unreal and should be unacceptable as a society to waste so much unnecessarily. CONSUMERS: USE YOUR SENSES, they don't let you down! I've been (personal choice) eating "expired" food I've found tossed out (sealed products, usually non perishable) for 5 1/2 years and never gotten sick ONCE. Most others on Youtube who do the same will share a similar story.

[doggod]

When it starts smelling wierd or looking moldy is when I throw it out

[UnswimmingFishYT]

This video should have existed a lot sooner. A commonly trusted channel like this one making an attempt to dispel a major misconception can help a lot

[nikkafrog]

I have worked in food service and here are some tips. Most food has 3 date to be concerned about. Unopened food will last longer, so this will be the longest date. Opene food has a shorter date. Make sure once opened, you store in the proper way. If it states to refrigerate after opening, it most likely has an ingredient that has a danger zone. Items like dairy and meat has a temp zone that will grow bacteria in the zone. Useally at room temp. That is why it recommended to thaw items in a fridge than keeping it on the counter. For example, milk can stay fresh in the fridge up to 3 days longer when unopened. But keep it at room temp, and 3 to 5 hours is around how long it will last. 3rd date is how long it will last after being prepped or cooked. Most food can last up to a week in a fridge after being cooked.

Restaurants use their own best buy dates to ensure that is won't go bad before you eat it. They give themselves a larger buffer. Useally around 3 days to make sure it can still be fresh enough to hang out for 3 to 5 days of leftovers.
Another big reason for the expiration date is for stocking. Companies want to make sure they are selling you oldest product to ensure less waste. The term used is fifo, or first in, first out. Having a date to help make sure that fifo is being followed. This is also a good practice at home. If they do get ride of the expiration date, I assume they will still have some date code so they can keep an eye on this.

Last tip. If you want to save money, check out manager specials if the store has it. Some places will reduce the price on items that are getting near their posted date. They are still good for a while after that. Plus some items can be freezer to add up to 6 months or more. There are also companies that work with retailer to help sell food that is close to posted date or even damaged boxes. Check to see if you have a local "scratch and dent" store or check which companies work through apps.

[michellesteimle]

A key phrase is "stored properly". A lot of fridges have space for milk to go in the door. But if you are worried about it turning bad make sure you store it further in your fridge where it will be kept colder.
Also I grew up eating pancakes with buttermilk. When the milk was too spoiled to drink we just made pancakes with it.

[Zee_Lust_ig_Chaos]

I feel like expiration dates are one of the most confusing mysteries of our planet, never to be deciphered completely. The ultimate puzzle.

[Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

I remember hearing something similar in a previous food theory. Some foods that are packaged (like cereals or cans) will still _technically_ be edible

[rigidpixil]

My family used to and still does put bread, muffins, and baked goods in our giant basement freezer. They’d stay there for months or even up to a year. When we ran out of bread, we’d take a frozen bread out to thaw and use it. If we thought no one would use it for more than a couple of days, we’d put it in the fridge. We’d do this for a lot of things but mostly pastries. It’s a habit I still do, especially for muffins. Are they the best quality ever? Obviously no, but they were all still good and none of us ever got sick. It helped cut down on our food waste too which I appreciated the older I got

[chrisc]

I feel you need a better disclaimer... having family in the medical field, there is a lot of patients who get food poisoning that say they couldn't find anything wrong with the food. Mold and decay show evidence, but a lot of bacteria won't leave a bad taste, smell, or sign of decay but will still badly poison you if injested.

[auser]

My siblings ate cereal 6 months past expiration date, dont tell me they were right