Use by dates

Such labels destroys common sense. What would you do if it was not so labeled: look, smell, touch and for somethings even a touch taste.

Unless they are mouldy or have lots of dark brown specks I would use them.

"Waste not, want not" was drummed into me as a child!

Unless they are visibly rotten, and smell and taste ok, why not? I regularly use milk and cream long after the use by dates - when you think that apples onions and potatoes were stored over winter it’s a cunning strategy of the food industry to make you think after random dates you must throw away and buy more.

Use your nose! Use your eyes!

I've used soft, wrinkly peppers up by cooking them and they were fine. Obviously, if they're brown, mouldy or slimy they go in the compost bin.

I always store apples in the fridge. They store them chilled commercially anyway. I think the worst thing that happens with chilled potatoes is that their starch turns to sugar.

Unless they look or smell bad, I'd use them with no qualms. I have my fridge set to 3 centigrade (a tad lower than general recommendation) and I find things keep for longer as a result.
Same with 'best before' dates on jars and tins. I wouldn't eat mouldy jam or anything from a 'blown' tin or that smells wrong but otherwise, no worries.
The only thing I'm very careful about is cooked rice which, according to my GP is responsible for most cases of food poisoning because of Cereus bacillus which isn't destroyed by boiling, unlike most bacteria.

Use by or Sell by dates are just guidelines to protect the daft. If they look and smell OK, they're fine.

I use ‘smell by date’ not ‘sell by’ or ‘use by’. If it smells OK it is OK.

If soft and feel a bit wet, I wouldn't use. Otherwise use your instincts and use them. Don't pay much attention to use by dates on fruit and veg personally.

I would apply my usual eye, nose and touch tests and then go straight ahead and use them or anything else for that matter.

If still in original sealed packaging, will be protected by nitrogen until it's opened. (The nitrogen - inert, colourless, odourless, etc - displaces oxygen within the packaging, to postpone oxidation. When it's opened the nitrogen disperses hamlessly into the atmosphere. Look up nitrogen in fruit and veg packaging, or similar.) So will be fine if they look and smell ok.

Yes.....whatever happened to touch...smell... and good old common sense

Has anyone else noticed that use/sell by dates on packaged fruit and veg seem to be getting closer? I'm sure I used to be able to buy produce with another 4 or 5 days to go, now the dates seem to be just 2 or 3 days hence. Supermarkets have a cunning plan to make us bin more and therefore buy more perhaps

blueskies - The new potatoes I bought from M & S said to put in the fridge. When I opened them, still in date, there were about 8 that were rotten and stinky. I usually buy them from Tesco and put them in a potato bag where they keep for weeks (and they cost half the price).

If greens have gone yellowish then their goodness has gone but otherwise I go by look and smell for all veg

Sell by & Use by dates are responsible for most of the food waste. I was brought up before most things had dates on them.

Look, taste & smell.

Most veg can be used up in soups, stews or stir-fries

Yes I'd eat them

If they look alright and taste okay I would just eat them. I regularly eat tomatoes and carrots that are past their dates. I come from a time when you did not waste food so if vegetables look a little tired I make them into soup.

Ffs

I really don't take any notice of sell by dates, and only take notice of use by dates when you're talking about meat or fish. If they smell and look okay, then they are okay. As for vegetables, as long as they look and smell okay, use them, even if they are slightly wrinkly, they won't kill you and can quite easily be used in some way. There are now use by dates on cans for goodness sake! When they found Scott of the Antarctic's camp, there was canned food there that was still perfectly edible. What annoys me though is that when I was young, if bread went off, it went hard and could become a bread pudding. Now it just grows alarming green mould? What is that about?

Not really needed grannylynn65

Well I’m the worlds worst. I stick to all sell by dates. I have a stomach condition so just won’t risk going even one day over,years ago when no sell by dates I just went along eating willy nilly but since got ill I won’t take the risk

I wouldn't use them, those dates are there for a reason, a day or so but it's a long time over.
Unseen decay could be present by now.

I would take no notice of use by dates I never do, your own nose and eyes can tell you if something is ok to eat
Yes deedum those dates are there for a good reason, the reason is to make you throw it away and buy more
decay can be seen the pepper will become soft and wrinkly as it gets old just like us even wrinkly ones are not bad for you but if they become soggy or slimy throw them away

For fruit and veg I go by appearance, smell etc. For meat, dairy I ditch them as I have studied infection control as a nurse. Coffee, tea, spices I would use a bit longer but they lose flavour rather than going off. Tins - again use smell, appearance as they do last longer than use by date.