Poll: Expiry dates - do they influence you?

[manic_depressive13]

I checked the search bar and didn't find what I was looking for.

Ok, so I was talking with my friend recently and I happened to mention that I drank some milk which expired four or five days ago (can't remember exactly). She thought that was really disgusting even though I told her it smelled fine, and it got me wondering how the general community responds to expiry dates. Is it a waste of perfectly good food, or is it well advised to abide by expiry dates? Help me, escapists!

And if you think the last option is a little extreme, my mum is like that.

 

[quiet_samurai]

It depends what it is. I once ate eggs that were more then a month past their date and they tasted fine. A freezer is a wonderful thing too.

 

[Deleted]

I throw it out a few days before if I haven't finished it, guess its just me.

 

[Timotei]

I'm pretty good about eating things before they go bad. So dates don't worry me much.

 

[Last of the Chinchillas]

A weekend half-concious and vomiting every three and a half minutes due to a combination of stomach flu and food poisoning from spoiled milk has convinced me to always follow the expiration date. ALWAYS.

 

[manic_depressive13]

As Goat said. It is a guideline. It really means nothing as I have drank milk that was over a week over its due date. It still smelt and tasted perfectly fine. Other times I have had shit that was still 3 days short and it was rancid.

Yeah, I always thought of it as a guideline. However lots of people believe that 'best before' is a suggestion, but 'use by' means that you shouldn't consume it past that day.