In terms of food safety, certain food items in your kitchen can pose serious health risks if you eat them after they’ve expired. While some foods are safe to eat a little while after the expiration date on their packaging suggests, others should be thrown out immediately to avoid potential health hazards.
Getting rid of these foods as soon as they expire will ensure your meals remain both safe and delicious. Don’t put your health at risk; throw these 18 food items away straight after they expire.
Uncooked Chicken
There’s a risk of bacterial contamination with expired uncooked chicken that can give you food poisoning. People often do a smell test to check if their raw chicken is safe to use; however, The New York Times explains that “it’s pathogens like salmonella, norovirus, listeria and others [… that] make you sick [and] they generally can’t be seen, smelled or tasted.” Freezing uncooked chicken can extend its shelf life, but once thawed, it should be cooked within one to two days.
Bread
It can take a while to get through a loaf of bread if you live by yourself or in a couple, so always check that your bread is safe to eat. It’s common for mold to grow on old expired bread, and this can be extremely harmful if it’s ingested. Bread that’s getting old can also become stale and lose its texture and taste. Store bread in a cool, dry place or freeze it to get the most out of its freshness.
Fresh Berries
Fresh berries are delicious and somewhat pricey, so you don’t want to let them go to waste! However, they’re highly perishable and prone to mold. They can begin to spoil quickly, becoming mushy and losing their flavor. Soon after this, the berries will start to grow mold. If you see furry mold on your berries, simply throw them out, as it’s not worth the risk. Also, remember to rinse your fresh berries before eating them to avoid excess moisture and spoilage.
Milk
This might seem like a no-brainer, but don’t drink expired milk! Milk spoils quickly after the expiration date, even when it’s refrigerated, so continuing to use your milk after it’s expired can be risky. Milk develops a sour smell and curdled appearance when it’s spoiled, so it’s pretty easy to notice when it’s gone bad. Stick to using your milk before its expiration date to ensure quality and safety.
Sausages
Expired sausages have a high risk of listeria and other bacterial growth, which can make you extremely sick, so it’s best to throw your sausages away as soon as they expire. You can easily tell when sausages are spoiled, as they typically develop an off smell and slimy texture. To avoid food waste, you should freeze your sausages if you haven’t used them within a few days after buying them.
Pre-packaged Salads
While you wouldn’t usually be too concerned about salads expiring, pre-packaged salads can become contaminated with bacteria like E. coli and listeria and potentially harmful to your health after their expiration date. The high moisture content in pre-packaged salads can also lead to them spoiling quickly. Be on the lookout for wilted leaves and a slimy texture in your pre-packaged salads, as this can indicate that it’s spoiled.
Yogurt
Business Insider reports that “eating expired foods or foods that are past their best-by date can expose your body to harmful bacteria that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever.” Yogurts can be particularly dangerous after their expiry date, as they often spoil quickly due to them containing live bacteria cultures. Expired yogurts will develop a sour smell and watery separation that’s hard to miss, so if you notice this, throw out your yogurt!
Canned Foods
Canned foods tend to last a really long time; however, they’ll eventually expire at some point! They can lose their nutrients over time too and their flavor can slowly degrade. There’s also a potential chance of botulism if cans are damaged or bulging, which is toxic and can cause serious illness and even death! You should store canned foods in a cool, dry place and check on the condition of the cans and their expiration dates regularly to be safe.
Eggs
People often keep their eggs quite a while past the date on their packaging, and this can be perfectly safe as long as you’re careful and can tell when the eggs have actually spoiled. You can use the float test to check the freshness of your eggs; if the eggs are still fresh, they’ll sink and if they’re spoiled, they’ll float. It’s vital to do these checks, as the risk of salmonella increases after eggs begin to expire.
Sour Cream
It can be difficult to tell when sour cream expires, as it already tastes sour (it’s in the name!). However, sour cream can develop mold and an off smell when it’s spoiled, and it can also separate and become watery. So, it’s best to use your eyes and nose to figure out if sour cream has expired instead of your taste. Always use sour cream within a week of its expiration date for the best quality.
Seafood
You really shouldn’t mess around with seafood after it has expired, as it’s extremely perishable and has a very high risk for bacterial contamination! As dangerous as seafood can be when it has gone off, it’s just as easy to tell when it’s spoiled. Seafood will typically develop a strong fishy smell and slimy texture when it’s spoiled. The best idea is to eat fresh seafood within two days of buying it or freeze it immediately.
Butter
Butter has a pretty long shelf life, but you should still keep it refrigerated and use it within one month after opening. It’s really easy to tell when it’s time to throw out your butter, as it develops a rancid smell and taste due to oxidation when it eventually spoils. If your butter isn’t stored properly, it may also grow mold, at which point you should definitely put it in the trash!
Deli Meats
According to the WHO, “each year worldwide, unsafe food causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420 000 deaths.” Deli meats are a big contributor to this figure, as they carry a high risk of listeria and other bacterial growth that can lead to food poisoning and even more serious problems. Most deli meats will develop a slimy texture and off smell when they’re spoiled, and you should consume these meats within three to five days of opening.
Juice
A staple in many fridges, juice is often kept longer than it should be. Due to the high sugar content in juice and the potential for fermentation, it can spoil quite quickly. The general advice is to refrigerate your juice after opening it and then consume it within a week. Juice will develop a sour smell and off taste when it’s expired, so throw it out once you notice this.
Mayonnaise
Many of us rarely reach for the mayonnaise and it ends up sitting in our fridges for months and months. However, mayonnaise has a high risk of bacterial growth, especially once opened, so it’s best to keep it refrigerated and use it within two months of it being opened. Luckily, it’s simple enough to tell when mayonnaise has expired, as it will have an off smell and the color will change, so we should easily be able to tell when to toss it!
Soft Cheeses
Hard cheeses may be able to last a while, but don’t let this confuse you, as soft cheeses should be eaten within a week of the expiration date! Soft cheeses have a much higher moisture content, which can quickly lead to spoilage and mold growth (ew!). You shouldn’t be easily caught out by expired soft cheese though, as there are obvious signs to look for, such as an off smell and changes in texture.
Pasta Sauce
Pasta sauce often spoils quickly once it’s been opened because of its high moisture and sugar content. Expired pasta sauce can develop mold and can have an off smell, so look out for this to figure out if it’s spoiled. It should typically be refrigerated and used within a week of opening. If it’s been longer than that, don’t risk it, throw it out, and just treat yourself to some takeout instead!
Ground Meat
Some might find this surprising, but ground meat can be one of the worst foods to eat if it’s expired! Ground meat, particularly ground beef, has a high risk of bacterial contamination, including E. coli and salmonella. It can become sour-smelling and slimy when it’s spoiled, but these signs can sometimes be difficult to notice. If you haven’t cooked your ground meat within two days after buying it or frozen it immediately, throw it out to be on the safe side.
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