Expired Food

>be NEET living with mom
>be hungry
>want to try to cook something
>look for ingredients
>half of the things in the pantry are months or years past expiration dates
>she won't let me throw them out
>they're "still good"
She only ever trashes the stuff that outwardly smells or looks bad like pic related.
Are expiration dates a hard "do not eat past this date" or are they merely a suggestion?

...

>She only ever trashes the stuff that outwardly smells or looks bad like pic related.
That's exactly what you're supposed to do. Just because something has past the date on the package doesn't necessarily mean it's gone bad, likewise just because something hasn't past it yet doesn't mean it's still good. Use your brain and common sense.

She sounds like she has a mental problem.

>Are expiration dates a hard "do not eat past this date" or are they merely a suggestion?
Should've stayed in school, you massive retard.

>or are they merely a suggestion?

That. It's impossible to create an accurate "use by" date because the storage conditions and handling affect it.

Ignore the dates, use your senses to determine if the food is bad or not.

This happens for me too, everyone I live with refuses to throw out bad food, also they love to buy stuff, then just do nothing with it until it goes bad. I'm the only one who buys food with a purpose in-mind.

Ever heard of "Bargain Market?"

All they sell is food nearing expiration dates for, like 75% off...

It's ridiculous. I've gotten giant chunks of gorgonzola and other cheeses for like, $2...

and who minds a cheese aged for a few extra days?

Also, super deals on canned & frozen, near expire foods.

It really depends on the product. Eggs can last for several months if kept in the fridge.

Many things are fine long after that date. It's just a "we legally guarantee our product has the described taste/texture until this date" thing. Eggs often last like 4 weeks longer, at least I've never had to throw one away.

Had that problem til I moved out "Oh don't use that even though its literally going to be bad in a day or 2" I would just buy literally everything I needed for a meal and got a mini fridge for my stuff. Had about 30 eggs that were already like 3 weeks past the date so I tested them and threw out the ones that were iffy and made deviled eggs and got bitched at for it. Next time just let them all rot and only cooked for my self with my own ingredients, fuck those assholes "oh but we already have that" but then they buy new shit instead of finishing the old shit.

Some things can legitimately be used with no ill effects months or years beyond the date printed on the package. There are regulations in place that limit the window in which food can be sold. Check a jar of honey and you will still see an expiration date.

>be NEET living with mom

Accept your mother's hospitality graciously. She doesn't owe you anything anymore.

Fuck that shit. I don't have an iron stomach and can't eat a bunch of bullshit like a stoner. As soon as the clock strikes 12:00 AM on the expiration date, into the trash it goes.

Reminder that these are usually "sell by" dates as opposed to "use by"

You mean best-before dates.

I have a scratch and dent store near me where it's things that are close to the expiration or with torn Packaging.

Things such as cereal where the cardboard is ripped or dented and the sealed part of the package is completely unaffected. Unlike you mentioned you can get things like this up to 75% off.

The only bad thing about the place is they are almost an hour away from me and the stock fairies all the time. So you don't know if you're going to find the items you want it's almost at complete random whatever they happen to get their hands on.

Expiration dates help keep shopowners decent. They also typically have fat margins to compensate for variations in production and storage conditions, and also because it makes rubes throw perfectly good food away.
Don't be a rube, only throw something away if your actual senses detect spoilage or unacceptable deterioration.

>eat 3 year expired cocoa mix
>get awful dhiarrea

How does fucking powder go bad?

My gf's grandparents gave her a box of food when she moved out about 3 years ago.

In there was a can of refried beans from a company that went out of business in 98, a pack of jello crystals from the '70s, and a few other assorted foods with best before dates from the early 2000s.

Move out and buy your own food, or deal with it. NEETs should never complain about anything, because they haven't earned that right. They haven't earned anything.

lots of milk powder and fats in there user. Also possible insect infestations

>How does fucking powder go bad?

It doesn't. The diarrhea probably came from something entirely different. Most people have no actual knowledge of what caused their "food poisoning" but are happy to blame the most recent thing they ate. Statistically the most likely cause is lack of hand washing.

Your mom has a hoarding problem. Get her and yourself some help if that's possible. It's probably you and the father that left her (be it deserting or died).

Depends on product but some things are good for years past the sell/use by date. Usually dry goods like beans and legumes.

>Are expiration dates a hard "do not eat past this date" or are they merely a suggestion?
In the UK at least, they're a suggestion for the consumer. It's also the "sell-by date" in stores, by which point the item is removed from sale.

Lol no.

>Open up an expired packet of Mac and cheese sauce mix from 6 years ago
>It's brown and rancid.

Powders CAN go off

>Check a jar of high fructose corn syrup and you will still see an expiration date.
hmmmm

I just heated some jarred 2 year 9ld spaghetti sauce and it was delicious and fine. The date is just there for the grocery store and to cover their asses I believe.