General Chat

Some foods can be consumed after their Best Before day by up to three years later, including Heinz Beans, according to new government guidance released in a bid to reduce waste.
WRAP, which advises the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), says tinned goods such as Heinz Beans and soup, alongside pasta, jars of jam and meat, can be eaten up to three years after their expiration date.
It comes as increased food waste is expected from the £1.9billion worth of groceries stockpiled by panic-buyers at the start of the coronavirus crisis.
packaged cake can be eaten three months after its Best Before day and crisps, provided they are not stale, can be eaten a month after the date.
The law states that all food with a Best Before date can be sold, redistributed and consumed after that date, as long as it’s still good quality, but we appreciate that isn’t understood by all, or universally implemented

Many of us will no doubt have found some best before long-ago tins.
I have long maintained that they will be fine to eat and luckily my daughter, who lives with me agrees.
Latest finds were 2 tins of lychees... 2 ..whatever did I buy 2 for . Only I like them.
Well, I've eaten the contents of one tin so far and apart from being a little bit softer than I would like, they were absolutely fine.

We found spice that was best before 2015 we used it and we are ok, I think it is so manufacturers etc cover their arses and sell more products.
Annoyingly with the tins of custard and the like there is a lot of waste of you don’t scrape or rinse it all out.

And lived to to tell the tale......and clear the cupboard :-D :-D

The only sell-by dates that I have ever taken any notice of are those on fresh meat and fish.

Potatoes and carrots with a shelf-life of less than a week :-| Nonsense! properly stored they will keep for months.

Anybody remember when eggs were about 6 weeks old before they reached the shops?

I could go on --- and on --- but I won't! :-)

I bought a bottle of apple juice on the farm gate last summer. It stood by the cooker for a coupe of days until it went into the fridge where it was forgotten.

Took it out this morning with the intention of tipping it away because we had a free bottle of orange juice on the Sainsbury's order. I thought I might use it for vinegar if it had gone off so I tasted it and it is still perfectly drinkable. In fact most of it has been now.

Here in Oz food has one of two statements, 'Best Before' or 'Use By'

The first statement is used on things such as tins, spices and such like, and indicates that foods are perfectly safe to consume after that date although there may be some deterioration in quality.

The 'Use By' statement is just that, food should not be consumed after that date, as it could pose a significant health risk. Think packs of meats, fish etc. It is also illegal to sell food after the use by date even at reduced prices.

Regarding tins etc, when I was in the Army Reserve we often went on exercises and were supplied with 'compo' rations. Many of these packs had been produced during the 1950's.....our exercises were undertaken throughout the 1970's :-D

The stores were always looking for mugs to off-load their old stock on!

I have a liking for Pukka Pies, occasionally there are "offers "on which invariably are near purchase by dates...at about 33% off.....I buy them then install em into the freezer....

Rollo the phrase was best before date, not use by or sell by. There is a difference.

RTR, when you made your comment, people were also talking about tinned foods.

Bob - a man after my own heart! :-D
Freezers are wonderful things.
I usually buy a big pack of good mince - the large packs tend to be cheaper per kg.
This mince is then cooked in the slow cooker with onions, garlic and lentils, put into individual sized containers and frozen! About 6 half made cottage pies.
I put the mash on when they've defrosted, because I'm not too keen on frozen mash

We just split then freeze the raw mince. That way we can have cottage pie, or spag bog or whatever.

We also buy packs of smoked salmon when they are reduced because they're getting close to their use by dates and freeze them.

fwiw - baked beans are actually highly nutritious:
Baked beans are high in protein, fiber, other nutrients, and beneficial plant compounds. They may improve gut health and cholesterol levels.

...so give us some idea of 'more nutritious' things to put on toast other than baked beans and tinned fish - apart from avocado, because (fwiw) some people don't like it, or, like me, don't like it on toast.
Oh yes - don't forget we're talking about stuff in cupboards.

Stray Sorted my Pantry out last year
and found a tin of peaches dated..

1987 :-D :-D :-D


No we never ate them :-) :-)

:-D :-D :-D :-D

Not quite as bad as you, Joy, but I cleared out a cupboard under the sink, containing 'stuff' like polyfilla, shoe cleaner etc, and found a tin of dog food dated 2004.

I've never had a dog.........