Sell by dates

[Vinpetrol]

I’ve been mumbling about sell by dates for years . I hate throwing food away but Mrs P has a habit of throwing stuff out just a couple of days out of date whereas I will always sniff at it and if it’s not too bad I then get wired in about it ! This amuses my brother in law no end who treats me like a human dustbin bringing all sorts of stuff over just out of date to see if I will go for it.
However Missus P took it all to a new level this week . We are about to move house and she’s been cleaning out the cupboards and packing stuff away . Whilst doing so she must of seen some crisps in the wrong place and moved them to where the crisps should be .
Later that night she was making my pieces for the next day. She put them in my box with a pack of crisps and a yoghurt .
Tea time the following morning I’ve nailed the cheese and tomato piece and then got wired into the crisps . I’d nearly polished off the whole bag when I thought they are maybe not quite perfect . I didn’t have the binocs on so I couldn’t see the sell by date so I ate the last few and thought no more off it .
Lunch time came and I had my binocs on to look at the site drawing . I’d left the crisp packet on the table so I had a look at the date .

Just shy of 2 years out of date !
I’ve got to say though the after effects were no worse than after a night out at the Taj Mahal.
This has made me wonder what is the longest past sell by date anyone has consumed the goods .
I have a few bottles of Budweiser in the garage just over the year out that my brother in law left and even though I’m more of a Guinness drinker as a rule It would be a shame to see them go to waste !

 

[Jimbo69]

When I was younger I was at a mates house with a few other lads and my mate Chas decided he was hungry and would cook some turkey burgers he found in the freezer in the milk house. I thought they looked suspect so didn’t bother with them but Chas and another lad did. Needless to say they spent a lot of time over the next couple of days on the toilet It turns out the freezer hadn’t been touched in over 15 years and the packet didn’t even have a use by date on it

 

[Vinpetrol]

When I was younger I was at a mates house with a few other lads and my mate Chas decided he was hungry and would cook some turkey burgers he found in the freezer in the milk house. I thought they looked suspect so didn’t bother with them but Chas and another lad did. Needless to say they spent a lot of time over the next couple of days on the toilet It turns out the freezer hadn’t been touched in over 15 years and the packet didn’t even have a use by date on it

Well my two years record didn’t last long !

 

[diggerjones]

I don't think i ever look at use by dates. If it looks and smells ok it is

 

[Canal Navvy]

My worst use by disaster was when a café owned by a relative of a friend shut and in the clearout they found a huge stash of Lea & Perrins sauce in gallon tubs that was five years out of date. Hearing it was on offer I "only" took a single two litre bottle from the bulk supply so that others could get a chance. When I checked back a while later to see if second helpings were available to lay down I was told that it was poured down the drain

 

[pettsy]

My sister has a neighbour who works at a local supermarket, the amount of stuff that is thrown away because of dates is mad. Some may or may not escape

 

[Grahams]

My worst use by disaster was when a café owned by a relative of a friend shut and in the clearout they found a huge stash of Lea & Perrins sauce in gallon tubs that was five years out of date. Hearing it was on offer I "only" took a single two litre bottle from the bulk supply so that others could get a chance. When I checked back a while later to see if second helpings were available to lay down I was told that it was poured down the drain

You missed out there. Lee and Perrin’s only improves with age. I don’t think it comes to full flavour until it is at least a couple of years out of date.

 

[DaveDCB]

Do you have to have consumed the said items to participate? 16 year out of date horse radish sauce from my grandparents cupboard was a good one… (not consumed, probably been fine)

 

[6feetdown]

I’ve been mumbling about sell by dates for years . I hate throwing food away but Mrs P has a habit of throwing stuff out just a couple of days out of date whereas I will always sniff at it and if it’s not too bad I then get wired in about it ! This amuses my brother in law no end who treats me like a human dustbin bringing all sorts of stuff over just out of date to see if I will go for it.
However Missus P took it all to a new level this week . We are about to move house and she’s been cleaning out the cupboards and packing stuff away . Whilst doing so she must of seen some crisps in the wrong place and moved them to where the crisps should be .
Later that night she was making my pieces for the next day. She put them in my box with a pack of crisps and a yoghurt .
Tea time the following morning I’ve nailed the cheese and tomato piece and then got wired into the crisps . I’d nearly polished off the whole bag when I thought they are maybe not quite perfect . I didn’t have the binocs on so I couldn’t see the sell by date so I ate the last few and thought no more off it .
Lunch time came and I had my binocs on to look at the site drawing . I’d left the crisp packet on the table so I had a look at the date .
View attachment 42021
Just shy of 2 years out of date !
I’ve got to say though the after effects were no worse than after a night out at the Taj Mahal.
This has made me wonder what is the longest past sell by date anyone has consumed the goods .
I have a few bottles of Budweiser in the garage just over the year out that my brother in law left and even though I’m more of a Guinness drinker as a rule It would be a shame to see them go to waste !

Tbf I've had stuff 12 months out of date and been fine.
I wish they would put bottled bagged etc on the product would be much better

 

[AHPP]

They're f****ng crisps. I'd maybe take note if they were best before 09 01 1921 but I'd probably still eat them. Sell by dates etc are a tax on the profligate and stupid.

 

[AHPP]

I audit mum and dad's freezers whenever I visit. This made it into a fish pie in 2018 ish.

 

[V8Druid]

seem to recall hearing they're going to do away with the sell by dates BECAUSE of all the supermarket waste .... same as Dylan smell it, taste it, if ok it gets scoffed .... a lot of us grew up long before they were invented to fleece us ... and survived .... a packing date would be far more useful.

 

[AHPP]

seem to recall hearing they're going to do away with the sell by dates BECAUSE of all the supermarket waste .... same as Dylan smell it, taste it, if ok it gets scoffed .... a lot of us grew up long before they were invented to fleece us ... and survived .... a packing date would be far more horrifying.

^

 

[LKSF]

A lot of 'sell by' or 'use by dates' are for the best taste, if you cook the f**k out of it it's safe, it just doesn't taste as good as it should.
Also you'll find in Winter stuff goes much further than in Summer.
Things that don't require cooking, they're the things to be wary of, apply your senses to those.

 

[6feetdown]

seem to recall hearing they're going to do away with the sell by dates BECAUSE of all the supermarket waste .... same as Dylan smell it, taste it, if ok it gets scoffed .... a lot of us grew up long before they were invented to fleece us ... and survived .... a packing date would be far more useful.

Already have i think

 

[Gecko]

I swing both ways on this one - Certainly in the "sniff first" camp, but I recently mixed a Bloody Mary and it tasted NQR.
I checked each of the ingredients in turn only to discover the tabasco had gone off (wtf?)

Living in the tropics does have it's down sides as it's not unusual for products not to make it to the Use By Date.
I've lost count of the number of tins that have exploded (some fresh, some old)
One day I went to mix a G&T and discovered 22 of 24 (schweppes) cans had burst from the heat (not that it's limited to schweppes)

 

[Grahams]

I swing both ways on this one - Certainly in the "sniff first" camp, but I recently mixed a Bloody Mary and it tasted NQR.
I checked each of the ingredients in turn only to discover the tabasco had gone off (wtf?)

Living in the tropics does have it's down sides as it's not unusual for products not to make it to the Use By Date.
I've lost count of the number of tins that have exploded (some fresh, some old)
One day I went to mix a G&T and discovered 22 of 24 (schweppes) cans had burst from the heat (not that it's limited to schweppes)


View attachment 42050

It could have been worse, the gin could have evaporated.

 

[Grahams]

View attachment 42037

I audit mum and dad's freezers whenever I visit. This made it into a fish pie in 2018 ish.

I think frozen and tinned last just about for ever. I'm sure I remember tests being done on food stashes that were left for arctic expeditions that had been left decades before.
Just googled it and the first answer was eating stuff from the 60's https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/arctic-explorers-uncover-60-year-old-food-stash-180956936/

 

[V8Druid]

can remember as a kid, moving house in '69 .... mother pulled out a can of butter from '51, off the top shelf, from the stone shelfed pantry ... was perfect on opening

 

[Smiffy]

I think frozen and tinned last just about for ever. I'm sure I remember tests being done on food stashes that were left for arctic expeditions that had been left decades before.
Just googled it and the first answer was eating stuff from the 60's https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/arctic-explorers-uncover-60-year-old-food-stash-180956936/

I think I recall in the news some scientist eating jarred fruit found in am Egyptian archeological dig