" Sell by" dates. What do you think?

gillybob are you living with my old boy??

Best before dates just warn you that the food may begin to taste stale if you keep it longer. Sell by dates only matter to the shop itself. Use by are more important. I am very strict about them because of DH's compromised immune system, the last thing he needs is food poisoning. Any EHO will tell you that food containing dangerous toxins may taste and smell perfectly fine.

When I visit my mother I occasionally go through her kitchen cupboards. There was a jar of Marmite with a sell-by date of over 20 years ago. The Marmite was fine, although a bit hard. I softened it in the microwave and had it on my toast. I am still here to tell the tale.

Lots of other things we gave her neighbour, as she wouldn't be using them again - e.g. jars of spices. Can't imagine they would go off, get a little less pungent perhaps, but still be usable.

However, there were a couple of bottles and cans of beer in her drinks cabinet which must have been got in for when my DS or other odd men visited. They were about a year over the sell-by date and tasted awful. I used a little to cook a casserole, but the rest went down the sink. Shame. Her male visitors will have to stick to whisky now.

I threw pate away only last week but everything is smelled and mostly eaten . Veg is often out of date but never a problem, if it is wizened it is binned other wise cooked or made into soup.
Fruit never lasts in our house and meat is frozen if not to be used in the next couple of days.
Very little is thrown away.
Fish is eaten the same day or frozen that day.

I ignore sell by dates, even on dairy, as yogurt can be eaten safely a month or more past its eat by date. Milk and cream smell when they are off, as does raw meat. I would be a bit more circumspect with processed meat like paté though.

I pay no attention to any of the dates if it smells and looks ok I ll eat it I think the younger generations are the ones to watch the dates We have eaten too much crxx over the yesrs to worry

Ignore all sell by dates. Pay attention only to eat by dates on meat and dairy products.

My Dad reckoned that during WWII, as a soldier, he was fed canned corned beef from WWI.

I'm the same as most others, if it looks and smells OK, I use it. This morning I fancied a milky cup of coffee, Camp coffee, so made one, then saw the date of 2015. I drank it, felt fine and am still here.

I'm the same as Norah and use all sorts of stuff way after the sell by date. DH is a bit fussier and I would have to hide the date from him or he wouldn't eat it.

Nothing wrong with the dates I think as long as it is dried foods or tinned,when I was little my Grandpa gave my mum some really large tins of peaches and jam which he had found in the stores at a military base they where clearing from the 2nd WW it was about 1952 at the time and they where fine according to my mum and nana,goodness knows how long they where stored there,all the neighbours shared without any complaints.

I agree, not a lot can go wrong with dry pasta. The company is just covering their back.

Dried pasta, beans, peas, flour, sugars, rice, oats, farro are all fine to me, no matter the date. Tins I use 2-3 yrs beyond the date. Frozen I cook and test for a nice flavour, not that is could go off frozen, that the flavour is pleasant and enough like just bought. Dairy I smell. Mold I bin

I can't see what could go wrong with dried pasta, so why not? I would!