Black-Belt Tightwad: Expiration Dates

Just about everything you can buy from a grocery store has an expiration date on it. When you you ignore them and when should you pay attention to them? We’ll answer those questions this week about the American food system as part of our Black-Belt Tightwad series.

When You Should Pay Attention

You should always pay attention to the expiration dates on raw meat; refrigerated dairy products; pre-cooked, fresh foods that are not canned or pre-packged produce. Fresh foods need to be kept refrigerated, and the expiration date is generally very close to when the item will go bad. These items are perishable and can not be kept at room temperature.  If an item isn’t kept properly refrigerated, it will go bad before the date on the package.

The exception on this ‘must be refrigerated’ issue is commercial infant formula.  You will find powdered, shelf-stable infant formula that is marked ‘expires on.’ I realize as a real foodie, you aren’t as likely to have infant formula in your home, but should you ever be in a situation with it, you need to know that it should be used or discarded by its ‘expires on’ date.  Federal law requires this date on formula because after that date, there can be problems with clumping, loss of nutrition and the like.  Since formula can be the sole source of nutrition for a child under 6 months, it is critical that a child gets the nutrition that he or she needs.

These items are generally stamped with a date that is labeled as:

• Sell By
• Expires On
• Guaranteed Fresh

When You Should Check Carefully

Canned items that are acidic, such as tomatoes and citrus products, do have flavor changes and degradation around the expiration date because of the acidity of the food. It eats into the can lining, making the food develop an off, ‘tinny’ flavor. For that reason, I prefer to home-can tomatoes and use ground, dehydrated tomatoes to make tomato paste.

When I do purchase commercially canned tomato or citrus products, I make sure to use them by the expiration date so they don’t develop a metallic flavor. My experience is that the flavor does begin to change not long after the expiration date passes.

When You Can Likely Ignore It

Shelf-stable items, such as grains, prepared sauces, starches, spices, dry beans, nut butters and the like, have a date stamped on them that gives the last date on which the manufacturer will guarantee the item to have the nutrition and quality as stated on the label.  Food does degrade over time, but for many shelf-stable items, the degradation does happen very slowly.  These items will generally last past, sometimes much past, their expiration dates.

The key to having items last is to store in a cool, dry, dark location.  Dry goods such as spices and grains generally go bad by the fat in them going rancid.  That means that things like oats, brown rice and nut butters, which contain more fat, will go bad quicker than items that have little to no fat, such as baking starches, white rice and salt.

Canned items that are not acidic, can generally last up to 5 years past their expiration date if stored correctly. It is important that they be kept away from heat and humidity for them to last.

These items are generally stamped with a date that is labeled as:

• Use By
• Best By
• Best Before
• Best if Used By

However, if a can is rusted, leaking or bulging, you should discard it, no matter the date stamped on it.  Dented cans are fine so long as the container has not been compromised.

What About Medications?

Liquid medications and other suspensions that need to be refrigerated do go bad around their expiration dates.  Discard the medications once the expiration date has passed.  Ditto for liqui-gels or other liquid filled capsules. Shelf stable over-the-counter liquid medications, such as children’s medications, generally go bad not long after the expiration due to the added ingredients, such as the sweeteners and flavorings, going bad.

Dry powders that are encapsulated or dry tablets generally will last past their expiration dates if kept cool, dry and dark.  The worst place to store your medication is the bathroom, where it is warm and humid. A recent study showed that many pills were still acceptable to take 28-40 years after their expiration date, if unopened and stored correctly.  This meant that they were still at 90% or more potency, which is what the FDA requires- meds can range between 90-110% potency to be acceptable. The study did fid that some medications weren’t good after that time period, however.  So it’s important that you know which med you’re taking and if it’s safe to hold on to or not.

The mantra with medications should be ‘if in doubt, throw it out,’ especially if a medication is necessary for life.  Consult a pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns about the particular medications you are taking.