Best Buy Dates

[LoreD]

Since I buy a lot of food from salvage stores, I am pretty vigilant about keeping an eye on the dates. Close dates are in the front, and food that has more time is in the back. But sometimes I miss a few things. I found a bag of rosemary-garlic cashews that had a date from June of last year. 10 months past best buy date. I gave it a good sniff, and it smelled fine. Tasted fresh, too. I didn't get sick either.

I 'm finding that a lot of food dates can last a really long time. I watched a British tv show, and they ate potato chips that were 6 months past date, and they were still fresh.

 

[silva]

Best "By" dates! Absolutely, just a freshness indicator for many things and not a spoilage.
One of these days I'm gonna make a trip to one by me, like a 45 min drive so I'll plan things around it

 

[500channelsurfer]

The best by date is just a legal requirement for the food producer to ensure its food can stay good for that certain minimal amount of time.
As a consumer, I make sure to sniff/small taste my food. I often or maybe even usually keep food beyond that date. It is usually fine. Sometimes I question it when it is a bit off, and have learned to throw it out if it is questionable, because it would not be worth the potential stomach upset or worse.

 

[g0rph]

There is "best before" and "use by".

The first is a recommendation for something's quality, the second for potential spoiling / bacteria / safety.
Luckily plant-based eaters have far less to worry about with the second one.
I mean if a cucumber is usable, it's obvious. 2 days later it can be a mushy mess inside a film of plastic

Of course, these dates go out of the window if you freeze

And I ignore dates on many things, like oil, canned goods (I once watched a early evening show in the UK, where they opened up a war-time can of beans? and they were fine.
If you open a can and it's 5 years out of date and was compromised...it's obvious. Otherwise, it's likely fine.