Out of date food

I think they attract fungal growth over time - whether that is harmful or not I do not know.

Mishap yes fungal growth rings a bell with me from somewhere,same sort of thing when flour develop's weavels when very out of date,I would tend to throw them away after such a long time,I do eat fresh food after the "best by" date for up to two days if kept in the fridge.

I wouldn't eat them but i would use them to feed the birds

gadabout I think dried fruit tend to be treated with some substance ? a vegetable oil which tends to taste rancid after a while. Your 3yrs beats some of my out of date food records.

Asda`s milk keeps very well, we`re sometimes using it 6 days after the use by date, and it`s OK. I won`t use cooked meat though if it`s been open more than a couple of days, even if the date`s still OK, and definitely not if it`s still unopened and the date`s gone by.

I first started to realise my Mum had dementia a few years ago when I was cleaning out her fridge.Everything was very out of date and her freezer section was stuffed full of Magnums!I also found an out of date malt loaf.She said she
didn't believe me and said 'let me see'. I gave it to her to examine and as I walked back into the kitchen the malt loaf caught me on the ear!!Looking back, it was insensitive of me to tell her but I hadn't suspected a thing.

Raisins will be absolutely fine, especially if cooked. But feed them to the birds as said before- but soak them overnight. I use common sense and not dates with food. Can't believe that my daughters sometimes comment about things like rice or chickpeas, etc, being a bit out of date. Who cares!

With you on that one granjura I sometimes use tins and jars of food that have been lurking in the cupboard. I must say that I never give out of date food to guests or children.

grannylin Magnums sounds like a very good thing to keep the freezer stuffed with.

When did sell-by dates become mandatory?
It's a long time ago but they didn't exist in my childhood/early marriage and tinned goods could last for ever!
In the 80s I had a partnership in a heathfood shop.-not many even then.
Unopened out-of-date tins and jars I use if they look/smell ok.I guess they may lose some of their flavour/vitamin content.
Dried fruit in my favourite cake is heated with sugar and juice before baking so that should be fine.
Dry goods I store in Jars/tins to avoid weevil invasion. I guess the quality control on packed goods imported is better now.

I take no notice of dates -I just judge by smell, sight and taste. I haven't been ill so far. I think manufacturers love it that people are throwing away perfectly good food and buying more.
I think I read that some cans of corned beef which had been taken on an expedition in about 1912 had been opened and found to be fine.

Funny this should come up now. DH is in one of his proavtive moods -"I think we should clear out the spice cupboard and throw a lot of them away, as they are past their est before/sell by dates"
"Yes dear" and ignore.

My Mum refused to throw any food away, even cutting off mouldy bits before eating the rest. It didn't do her any harm as she lived to 97 years of age, despite smoking from the age of 24!

gracesmum - spices are one type of commodity that does need renewing from time to time, as they lose their flavour (their only major virtue) over time... Just a couple of days ago I cleaned out my spice daba, and will have to go foraging for more at my nearest Indian-owned grocer, on the way into Slough...

Grannybags -- my mum frequently lunched on bits of cheese from which she had removed the mould... she would refer to herself as 'Mousie' on those occasions, and giggle...

My Grandad, a doctor who lived to a great 90 something age, also used cut the mould off cheese and scrape it off jam etc. "Just a little bit of penicillin" he used to say

Me too,and my parents, they couldn't afford to waste any bit of food.
I'm not quite 90 yet though!