Best before ok after?

cormie

Hi,
Can anyone tell me is food that is labelled with a "best before" date, still ok to eat months after it's "best before" date? "Use by" foods generally have a very short shelf life, but "best before" seem to be foods with dates a few years away. So is it just best before this date, or is it unsafe after? Have some neglected pine nuts, bee pollen and cous cous that I want to rekindle!

Any feedback appreciated

cozmik

cormie wrote: »

Hi,
Can anyone tell me is food that is labelled with a "best before" date, still ok to eat months after it's "best before" date?

It probably won't do you any harm but the taste will certainly not be as good.

cormie

Yeah, hopefully the taste is the only thing that's expired, probably some nutrients have too, but there's probably some goodness left Just as long as I don't get sick or anything I don't mind

jomag45

It depends on what the food is surely. I'd have no problem with some dried foods, but would have seconds thoughts about others.

rubadub

Depends on the food. Use by normally means it will be toxic, best before stuff is different. Tinned/canned food is sterile it could be eaten decades after buying it, the reason they mainly have BB on tins is marketing, so people will not be selling really old tins of stuff. But cakes could have a BB date and be possibly toxic after the date.

I think the mentioned foods should be fine, though pine nuts are high in fat which can go rancid, should be obvious enough.

EileenG

Use your common sense. If it smells or tastes any way off, then don't eat it. This applies even if the food is nowhere near its "best by" date.

cormie

I've never had bee pollen before so don't know how it's supposed to smell. It's supposed to be really healthy, and healthy things sometimes smell rancid :P Pine nuts and cous cous generally have no smell. I'll eat them up anyway, thanks for the replies

Clytus

Like others have said..it really depends on the food.
Some nuts and seeds have a pretty long shelf life with extended BBDs...but are prone to going rancid or developing moulds.

But please remember that the USE BY dates as oppossed to BB dates are serious pieces of product information.

Always consume foods with USE BY dates on on or before the date displayed.