All You Need to Know about Expiration Dates…
How often do you notice that one of your favorite food items has just expired and then wonder how much longer it can safely hang around in the refrigerator or on the pantry shelf? I know I always hate throwing away a half-eaten block of my favorite cheese or tossing unopened canned goods that have reached their expiration dates! Apparently, I am not alone as I received the email below from reader, Ashlee…
As a semi-new couponer I’ve developed quite the stockpile for both personal care items as well as food. What I’m curious about now is expiration dates. Some things it’s easy to tell when they are bad, but others not so much. And what about sell by dates? How long are eggs, milk, bread, yogurt and things like that good after their sell by date? I know there are some deals to be found in the clearance sections for foods close to their sell by dates, but I’m cautious of them. And for personal care stuff? Face wash has an expiration date on it, does it really go “bad”? Thanks!!!
So Ashlee inspired me to do some research and here is what I found…
Have you ever noticed that different foods have different types of dating?
* “Sell-By” date:
Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Be sure to buy the product BEFORE the date expires.
* “Best if Used By (or Before)” date:
Recommended for best flavor or quality. It is NOT a purchase or safety date.
* “Use-By” date:
Last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality as determined by the manufacturer of the product.
How long can I safely use…
FOOD
* Milk:
If stored around 37 degrees Fahrenheit, pasteurized milk will remain fresh for 2-5 days after its sell-by date.
* Meat:
All meat (whether it’s ground hamburger or a steak) should be eaten or placed in the freezer within 2 days of purchase. Even if the sell-by date is five days away, the refrigerator at home usually isn’t cool enough to keep the meat fresh for more than two days. Frozen ground meat should be used within 3 months. Pork holds for 6 months. Beef, lamb, veal, and venison last 8 to 12 months in the freezer.
* Chicken:
Chicken should be cooked or frozen within 2 days of purchase. Poultry and other birds last about 12 months in the freezer. Do NOT that chicken on the kitchen counter as bacteria multiply very rapidly at room temperature. The safest way to thaw poultry or meat is to defrost it by placing the package in the refrigerator immediately after removing it from the freezer or by placing the package under cold running water.
* Canned Foods:
Be sure to store them below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. In general, high-acid canned foods such as tomatoes, grapefruit and pineapple can be stored on the shelf 12 to 18 months; low-acid canned foods such as meat, poultry, fish and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years.
* Cake Mix, Pasta, Cookies:
Store in a cool, dry storage place and they will last up to six months from the date of purchase
* Cereal:
Edible 2-3 months after being opened in a dry room.
* Cold Cuts/Hot Dogs:
Discard them as soon as they reach their expiration dates
* Soft Cheese (i.e. Brie and Camembert):
Eat within three to four days of opening.
* Hard Cheese:
Last up to three weeks and can also be frozen up to six months.
* Eggs:
Properly refrigerated and handled, eggs are considered safe for consumption for four to five weeks beyond the sell-by date. Did you know that you should refrigerate the eggs in their original carton and place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not in the door?!
Check out this interactive tool over at RealSimple.com
PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:
* Liquid Foundation: 3-6 months (Cream foundation can last 4-6 months)
* Concealer: 6-8 months
* Powders: 1 year
* Mascara: 3 months (I am guilty of keeping my mascara much longer than 3 months 🙁 )
* Lip gloss & Lipstick: 1 year
* Eye/Lip Pencils: 1 year (Sharpen pencils at least once a week to prevent bacteria from being transferred to your eye area)
* Facial Cleansers & Moisturizers: 6 months
* Facial Toners: 1 year
* Body lotion: Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.
* Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel: About three years.
* Sunscreen: Check the package for an expiration date.
* Perfume: About two years if you stash it away in a cool, dark place.
* Nail polish: One year.
* Hairstyling products: Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.
* Bar soap: Up to three years.
* Shaving cream: About two years.
* Deodorant: Up to two years.
Obviously, I could have created an endless list of items, so I tried to pick out items that many of us have in our refrigerator and/or on our shelves. Please add your comments, suggestions, tips etc. below!
(Thanks to Business Week’s A Guide To Shelf Life, the USDA’s Food Product Dating, CBS News’ When Your Cosmetics Expire, and Real Simple for the information above!)
This is awesome information, thank you so much Collin for sharing this – I’m always having trouble in this area and I tend to throw alot of stuff away because I’m never sure. Thanks, maybe now I won’t waste as much. 🙂
When I go through my stockpile I get rid of things that are expiring soon, usually about 2-3 months before they expire. I give to family and friends who are very appreciative – particularly in this economy. You could also donate to a local food shelter or women’s shelter. Hope this helps to reduce waste!
i like toast luckygirl
Quick question- for the personal care items, this is how long they are good AFTER they are opened right? (i.e. the mascara). Because I have many mascaras still in package.. they should be okay for a while right?
I had the same question…
I believe nail polish never expires.
I have had a few polishes “expire”, as in the color separates and no amount of prodding will get it back to normal. Of course I can’t tell you how long I had them stored in the medicine cabinet, etc… 😀
Nail polish does reach a point of not being usable. It will get really thick and gunky. Sometimes you can rescue it by putting a bit of nail polish remover in it to thin it, but if it is so long gone there’s nothing that can be done.
I’ve never used that stuff. I wouldn’t want that chemical stuff on my nails. Besides who has time to remove and reapply??? Not me :o)
Keep nail polish in the refrigerator.
ive had most of my nail polish for over 10yrs and they are just fine. I would not worry about an expiration date on them. you can tell when they are bad so when they are bad throw them away then.
Also, any dry goods such as beans, pasta, rice, cereal, crackers, etc. keep a lot longer if you take them out of their original bags or boxes and store them in plastic or glass containers that are airtight.
Pasta, cake mixes, flour can all be kept in the freezer as well if you have space for them. I have always been told this helps prolong their life for even longer after expiration.
You can also put coffee and flour (in plastic container) in the freezer to keep it fresh a lot longer.
Me too!
I also store nuts and corn meal in the freezer.
My mother in law stores her nuts in the freezer – and it works great!
I’ve had the same problem with my stockpiles. While I know I’m getting a good deal with my matching sales with coupons..I never think to look at maybe they are on sale for a reason….EXPIRATION DATES lol. I have tossed lots of salad dressings and special mustards and canned foods because of it. So now I make double sure to look at expiration dates before I buy with or without a coupon.
I’ve used mustards well past their expiration dates and they taste fine to me. Ketchup is a different story. I’ve also used salad dressings way over the expiration. I’m of the opinion that if it tastes fine, and hasn’t been opened for long, then I eat it anyway. With eggs, there’s an easy water test. I’ve had eggs last for months. If they float in a glass of water, they’re bad. If they sink, still good.
Yep – that’s the method I use to test eggs, too. It’s always worked great!! We get fresh farm eggs often, and it’s always nice to know when one floats to the top – that you found that one that got away from the nest a week before it was found!!!
I know in Europe many personal care items have a little note on the package saying how long it’s good for after opening. Nice to have as long as you mark on the package when you opened it.
Totally agree with the meat and chicken – do not go by the sell by date! Home fridge is just not as good as the store one. Took me a couple of times with chicken to learn the lesson. It was smelly even though there was still 2 days left according to sell-by date.
In case of most food items I go by smell and look of course. In the summer things spoil so much faster.
Thanks for the information! I understand people needing to know when things like sunscreen expire, but who cares if your nail polish is expired? I guess it might not cover nails correctly or be globby, but it wouldn’t harm you. And make sure to toss eye care products once opened for three months, eye infections are nothing to mess around with! Thanks again Collin!
Thanks!
OFF TOPIC: I just received my set of three free Crystal Light Pure Fitness drink mix packets that Collin told us about on May 25! This was a Vocalpoint freebie. For those who signed up for it, be on the look-out for yours! Not only do I LOVE the drink mixes, but this freebie came with THREE $2.00 OFF ANY ONE coupons! They are on sale right now at Target for $1.97 each! FREEEEEEEEE DRINK MIX!!!!!!!! I’m going to pick up my three FREE boxes at Target today!
I hope everyone who signed up gets theirs soon!
Thanks Collin!
Just a note about eggs…I imagine they keep longer if they’re refrigerated in the coldest part of the fridge, however…eggs actually don’t have to be refrigerated at all! It’s a very American thing to refrigerate eggs (most other countries I’ve been to have them for sale in the grocery store or market unrefrigerated)…
Thought that might be a helpful tidbit, especially if you’re like me and randomly forget to put stuff back in the fridge and then wonder if it’s still safe to eat after it’s sat out all night…:)
Ahhh yes I just had to google that today about the eggs and read how many ppl don’t even refrigerate but they say that as a safety measure here in the US…I left the eggs out over night and they were fine 🙂 It said that if you put an egg in a cup of water and it sinks then it is good. If it floats it is bad 🙂
My European friends never refrigerate the eggs and we’ve had breakfast with them many times and have lived to tell about it 🙂
Our neighbor gives us her farm eggs all the time, so it is not uncommon for us to have like six dozen eggs at once. I have been told by several people to forget the date, go by appearance. On white store eggs if they are getting the dark spots they are bad. All I know is we are constantly making homemade angel food cake when they are close to going bad… It takes a whole dozen egg whites.
Thank you for compiling the list. I have copied your information into a Word file for ongoing reference.
Me too! 🙂 Thanks Collin!
I work for a cosmetic company and it is not required that companies post expiration dates on cosmetic products. Some choose to and as far as skin care is concerned, the anti-oxidants, SPF, etc. is most potent (just as a vitamin) when used before the expiration date.
As far as the above dates listed for cosmetics – these are recommended times once a product has been opened – seal broken and exposed to oxygen. (ie. mascara should be replaced at a minimum 3 months after opening – most companies recomend 6-8wks.) You are likely safe to keep most cosmetic and skin care for 2 yrs unopened in a cool, dry place.
As always, if something looks or smells unusual or the texture/consistency has changed – it is always safe to toss it.
Thank you for this – I got a little carried away with a recent Cover Girl BOGO sale and probably won’t open some of the items for awhile 🙂 Good to know they’ll last quite awhile unopened.
What a hoot! Me too on the Covergirl BOGO!
Candy some have a letter and number on the back… the number is for the year like 0 is for 2010 and the letter is the month 🙂 just somthing i learned from working at the gas station for 6 years
Do you know if the letter number is for when it’s made, sell by, or eat by date?
Thanks!
those guys who bought the Blistex Fruit Smoothie check their expiry date…i bought 2 and yesterday night when i came back home i checked the expiry date it was 7/10.
I bought a tube of blistex medicated lip ointment 07/05/14 and I started using it and my lips look like they are burnt and blistered very swollen. The Lot number on the tube is 091306. From what I have read that means Sept 13, 2006!! My local pharmacy said it looks like a chemical burn and need to see a Doctor to be treated. Heading to Dr on Monday as it is the weekend now.
Cathleen, I thought the same thing about the date correlation with the “Lot” coding on the box, although I’ve experienced no adverse reactions as you. FWIW, here’s a link to a response on an Amazon product page, which explains that, according to your product coding the manufacturer date was 09/13, or Sep. 2013. I hope this helps put your mind at ease and I hope you’re much better by now.
https://www.amazon.com/Shelf-Anyone-what-shelf-Blistex/forum/Fx33Q9LBJ8XP82F/Tx3SV8R9JW6IJ9Q/1/ref=cm_cd_ql_tlc_al?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B000052YDG
Milk always goes bad for me BEFORE the expiration date so I usually buy half gallons to make sure I’ll use it all up before the expiration. I’ve had no problems eating yogurt that is 2-3 weeks past the expiration date. Cereal is usually as least a bit stale if I dont use it by the date on the box. I really have to be careful not to overbuy good deals because it takes me a long time to use up things. Fortunately there are food pantries and charities that can use my extras.
Did you know you can freeze milk? The “secret” that I learned is in the thawing process. After freezing, allow plenty of time to thaw in the refrigerator-3 to 4 days for a half gallon, about 5 days for a gallon I believe. Haven’t done it for a long time. The secret to having it come out tasting like it has never been frozen, is to shake it every time you open the refrigerator door, even though at first it will seem you will be doing no good. Shake it hard for about 30-60 seconds. No one ever knew for a long time that it was frozen milk that they had been drinking. 🙂 Instead of empty water jugs to fill up freezer space, buy milk when it is on sale!
Is your refrigerator cold enough? We keep ours around 34-37 degrees F, and our milk easily lasts a week past the expiration date (on those weeks when we’re out of town, ’cause otherwise we drink it too fast. 😛 ) 🙂
This is great info! Thanks for sharing.
Great information. I’m saving this for future use.
I recently used an old sunscreen (I didn’t realize it was way past expiration) and was burned that day – even though I applied it multiple times. That is one to check for! Especially, if you stocked up on a WAGs deal in the last year or two 😉
What if you put lunchmeat and hot dogs in the freezer as soon as you buy them, once you start eating it, how long is it good for? Obviously it would be past the date by the time you started eating it…
Check how far off the exp. date is when you put it in the freezer. Mark the product so you know how long it will be good once you take it out. If your exp. date is a week away, it should be good for a week after you take it out.
Hotdogs freeze very well, and frozen or not they keep practically forever as long as they’re properly packaged (ie, air-tight container to reduce cross-contamination from other things). I usually keep lunch meat until it starts to go bad (though I get frustrated when it is around long enough that I have to throw it out :/).
The rest is great to know. Thanks for looking this up for us! 🙂
Awesome! I’ve always wondered about this.
I couldn’t bring up the tool on RealSimple.com but there is a website – http://www.stilltasty.com that you can type in your item and it will tell you how long you can keep it in the fridge and freezer – opened or unopened.
Great minds think alike, I was going to comment about stilltasty.com as well
I am very particular about food…and I will not even use milk a few days BEFORE the expiration date because I think it tastes bad. I am extremely sensitive to meat, and like you said will never ever eat anything that has been in fridge more than 2 days,a nd I won’t buy clearance meat. But when I was a kid we used to leave eggs in a bucket on the counter, and it never affected them.
Also my liquid foundation lasts about a year,and so that is how long i use it. I probably have 5 year old mascara and my 40something aunt has them from when she was a teenager
Beware about mascara! My mom bought some mascara from a locally operated store not knowing it was old. It clumped up in her eye and she had to go to the emergency room to have her eye flushed out.
Spices are another kitchen item that we rarely think about replacing, but they do expire. Anyone have any tips or links on spices?
My mom taught me to cut off the mold on cheese. If you think about it cheese is aged anyway. It took me a bit to get over the mold, but I have done it. I do use it pretty quick after that. I have also used slightly soured milk in cooking and recipes instead of buttermilk. We haven’t died yet. I am extremely picky with meats though. If I even think it smells off I won’t use it, cook or anything. I have even returned meat back to the store on a few occasions. Also leftovers are only good for 3-5 days if refrigerated immediately after the meal. When I have leftovers that contain meat, I play it safe and use them within 3 days or toss them.
Spoiled milk will not injure you – except a bit of a tummy ache, and bad flavor – it would have to be VERY old to injure you further than that. This is a great way to use older milk, though!!! Banana Bread is great for aging milk and the over-ripe bananas on the counter!!
As long as the cheese is hard just but off the mold and a little around it and it’s fine. Soft cheese should just be tossed though because the spores can get through them .
Hard cheese keeps longer if wrapped in brown parchment baking paper. As long as the paper doesn’t get wet. I also do the same with my bread and keep that in the fridge. Put a couple of slices in the microwave on defrost just to take the chill off when you need to use it.. it’s like new/fresh. Brown bread lasts longer than white bread.
You can check your McCormick spices here:
https://www.mccormick.com/Spices101/HowOldSpices.aspx
I store certain dry spices in the frig to make them last longer (dill weed, chili powder, oregano, basil, paprika, etc.)
On a side note, Target is notorious for clearance pricing soon to expire or already expired foods. So watch those carefully when buying at Target. Actually, some of their sale prices (not clearance) are same way, too – esp. their cheese, bacon, deli meat, etc. I was going to buy the OM turkey bacon the other day but it expired in two days. Um … no thanks.
You can always freeze for up to a year – so even things expiring soon are great to buy for this purpose!!
I also heard on couponmom you can freeze baby wipes.
To have them keep fresh?
I have nail polish from over 10 years ago, that I still use, as long as you shake them at least once a year, they still work great, just because they separate in the bottle does not mean its bad! lol.
Watch out at Grocery Outlets or other specialty stores, I’ve seen a lot of expired product there and only get the ones that I know for sure are not bad.
I usually go by the look and smell of food to determine if it is bad or not. I have milk that the sell by date was June 16th and I am still using it today on the 28th! It still smells ok and have not got sick yet for drinking milk past the sell by date! I have used ground hamburger that was not cooked yet that had sat in my fridge for at least 5 days! I hate doing this but I also hate throwing it away! Chicken is a different story though! I try to get it used up quickly or put it in the freezer right away! Unfortunately I had to throw out a 3lb package of chicken Because I kept procrastinating doing something with it! I was so sad to have to do that! Eggs I have used at least 2 months past the date on the carton! Whe using eggs this far past the date I always crack them First into a seperate container and then as long as they don’t stink and they look ok then I will use them! I have always wondered if you could freeze eggs! Not in the shells, but crack them into an ice cube tray and freeze them and then once frozen put in a ziplock bag! Then just let them thaw before using! Has anyone ever tried this!?! If so, can you bake with them after they have been frozen!
Rachael Ray mentions that she freezes egg parts in a ziploc baggie in the freezer. She pours the unused portion into the bag, and makes sure to label it.
I think she would freeze the whites, for a future omelet.
I would recommend a separate ice-cube tray just for your eggs, if you are going to be putting the raw eggs in there. Raw egg could contaminate you ice cubes.
This is an incredibly helpful tip!! Thanks!
I have done this and then use them in baking mixes. I guess you could also scramble but I don’t know if it would change the texture. I have never had a problem with it affecting my baked goods.
What about butter or margarine? How long is it good past the sell-by date?
Yogurt – These can stay for up to 3 weeks after the expiry date on the container, but starts getting more and more sour by the day. I am OK with it as I like sour yougurt.
Butter, I am not sure, but in India we clarify butter by boiling it and taking out all the water and air from the butter. This clarified butter NEVER expires irrespective of whether you keep it in the refrigerator or on the shelf in a cool/dry place.
i personally think that the expiration dates are put on items to worry people and make them go out and spend more money buying new products. a person with common sense should be able to look at or smell a product and to tell if it is bad or not. i can not tell you how many things in my house i have used past an expiration dated and the item was perfectly fine.
yes this may true, but grocery store are NOT allowed to have outdated items on the shelf. I work at one and we sometimes have customers willing to pay way less for almost out of date or if they are out of date will take it off our hands but we are not allowed to let them do that
I total agree with you Pam Also use stuff past the expiration dated.
I agree with you! Except food items to a point. I get leary with food items for good reason.
But the oatmeal I found this year over at my dads house from 1998 was for sure bad! LMAO I also found that and some cereal from 1999 as well way back up above his fridge!
Just wanted to add, when you open your block cheese, to make it last longer and not turn hard or darker, wrap it in aluminum foil, it keeps it fresh longer
Almost all personal care products have a small picture that looks like a little container with the lid partially open with a number in it. That number represents how long that product lasts after opened. Check it out–it is on the back of everything! The number is in months usually 24.
Sheesh, I think if I went by this list, I would be broke. I keep things as long as they look/smell okay. I got a bunch of blocks of cheese on January 31st when they were free after a catalina, and I just finished them up a couple weeks ago. I left them in the package in my refrigerator that whole time, and they were fine. Yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese aren’t bad until they mold. I have had butter and cream cheese for a year or more, too. I have make up that is several years old, and just as good as the day I bought it. Also, if something is adequately packaged, it can be frozen for a lot longer than 12 months. A frozen chicken is no different after three years than it is after one, in my opinion. I know it’s better to be safe than sorry, but common sense plays a role too.
I dont know if this was brought up…..
What about Cologne/perfume. I have a bunch from back in the day, Ok, ok 1990 and so.
Do these go bad? I heard they do, but still haven’t departed with them yet.
I think bar soap lasts indefinitely!
I have my milk delivered to my home and one week I found I had forgotten to bring in the milk and had a whole gallon curdled on my pourch. In the past, I would have thrown it away, but I was so sad at loosing a whole gallon of expensive milk that I did some research instead. I had heard of sour milk recipes and how it’s the same as buttermilk, but the thought of using sour milk turned my stomach. However, I was very surprised at what I found out.
Apparently there are 2 ways to remove bacteria from milk; one is the pasteurization process, and the second is to allow the milk to sour. As the milk separates and the acidity goes up, it actually becomes too acidic for the bad bacteria to survive. So consuming sour milk is actually safer than consuming regular milk.
Once you get past that mental block, there are a TON of sour milk recipes on the internet, Most call for only a cup of milk or so, so great for when only a little at the end of the carton goes sour (I find the sour milk recipes are fluffier than other recipes). In my case, where I had a whole gallon of sour milk, I looked up how to make cheese! You can make it soft like a cottage cheese, or harder like a crumbly (slightly blander) mozzerella; or add things to it like chives and peppers to make your own specialty cheeses.
And it’s not very hard either. When the milk separates, it becomes curds and whey (remember Miss Muffit?) You use the curds for cheese, and the whey (which is full of great vitamins) I use in many recipes that call for milk or water (it’s kinda between the two.) It works for some, not others. You just have to give it a try. Google it. It’ll change your life. I NEVER throw away milk anymore. If anything, I now get a little excited when it starts to turn.
Thanks for this comment!! I typically throw very little away, but there have been times – when the whole family is sick for a week, or something – that several things in the fridge just don’t get eaten!! It’s nice to know that it could be turned into something very useful!! I love baking, and want to know more about making homemade things – such a the cheese you describe. I think I will look forward to my milk souring now – – just to try this out!!! ( I might even put it outside 🙂 )
Last week when I got two free gallons of milk from the Meijer deal, I made mozzarella cheese out of them. This was my third time trying, and I still have not gotten a good result. My tip for anyone wanting to try it is to use true rennet, not the junket tablets that contain rennet. I think that’s my biggest problem. It still tastes pretty good but is not stretchy and does not melt nicely.
I use my makeup including mascara until it is gone or dried out. It is not uncommon for me to hang onto a mascara for a year. I have not had any infections or adverse reactions because of doing this. i wonder if some of these expiration dates are just to get people to spend more money and replace stuff that will still last.
If you keep your sour cream sealed, it will last indefinitely in the fridge. Once the seal is broken, make sure to use it within about a week.
I once called Heinz about ketchup. My mother brought down a bottle of new ketchup, not opened, but had expired at least 1 yr prior, possibly 2 yrs. She wanted me to cook with it, YUCK! So, I just called the 1-800 number and asked it if was dangerous. What I was told is that it would taste more like a barbecue sauce than ketchup. Sure enough we cooked with it and it was fine! Actually, I liked it more that way, than the fresh ketchup in this particular recipe. So, 1 hopefully mom will have more bottles for us soon, since the kids use way too much for it to every get old around our house…..
Yeah, ketchup as well as several other condiments has vinegar in it so it doesn’t really go bad.
Does mouthwash expire? Target mouthwash has a code 7jf0356 but can’t tell if there is a date in there.
i wanted to ask if seal of a cough syrup broken and used and again it is stored then what is the expiry period of it. can it be reused after 3 or 6 months
Can n Do ” Centrum Silver Chewables ” Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplementbe be taken 3 months later after Expiration ” Thank you .
Kellogg’s cereal says better if used before May 29, 2011, is it still good today?
Question, my mom and dad want me to make a banana pudding, the pudding mixed is out of date, /MAY 5 2013, now its July 14,2014 I told them BOTH its not any more good I can I get profe.
I have unopened mouthwash and it expired. Can use or toss it?
If it still looks good I would still use it
I have six container of Chocolate Trim shake, What if the expiration date is March 1 2014, it is good if i drink? your reply ASAP is appreciated.
Thanks for the info… I have a question… I have unopened hair removal cream mentioned use before 07/2015. Can I use that product in 07/2015 month.. Your reply ASAP is appreciated
When I as a child, we cut the mold off of cheese, or scooped it out of jelly. Of course, we didn’t have all the poison to worry about possible chemical reactions either.