Expired foods that can still be eaten

Generally, dry foods can easily be eaten after – sometimes even long after – the expiration date shown on the packaging. Especially since the date which appears after ” to consume preferably before… “ corresponds to a date of durability minimal. Because nothing prohibits consuming a product beyond this date. Provided that its packaging is not damaged. So a bulging tin can – even before the expiration date – may be the sign of a bacterial contamination.

Long shelf life: honey, spices, pasta, rice, etc.

Canned foods and especially dry foods can be stored for a long time:

• the honey – just like sugar for that matter – can be stored ad vitam aeternam. It is an extremely stable food. Even if it can undergo some transformations – liquid / solid or vice versa – it remains consumable without risk.
• The same goes for spices. In the worst case, you risk losing their flavor.
• Tin cans – hence their name – or products such as pasta or rice can be stored without problems for several years after their expiration date. If their storage conditions were good, however: absence of humidity, no rust or swelling of the box, etc.
• Ditto for freeze-dried products such as bagged soups and dry biscuits.

Chocolate, frozen foods, milk and yoghurts

• the chocolate can also be consumed for up to two years after its expiration date. Especially if we are talking about artisanal chocolate containing little matter fat added. When a white film begins to settle on its surface, the chocolate begins to lose taste. This still does not mean that there is a health risk.
• Frozen products can – provided that the cold chain has not been broken – consume months after their expiration date. The only risk: that they lose their taste qualities.
• Yoghurt in general is safe to eat for up to three weeks after the date indicated on the package. Always assuming that they have been kept cool.
• And UHT milk. It has been pasteurized so it can be drunk for up to two months after the expiration date. He may simply have lost vitamins and minerals and taken a little in acidity.

Expired foods: What about the rest?

About the eggs, as long as their shell is not damaged – and they have not been washed, because the operation makes the shell porous – they can be eaten even up to 4 weeks after their date expiration date. But you have to be sure otherwise, you risk bacterial infection. To check, dip the egg inCold water. If it falls to the bottom, it is because it is still good to eat.

For other products such as cold cuts or meat, the fish or cooked meals, it is better to respect the expiry date if you do not want to be exposed to germs potentially pathogenic.