Expiry dates are a good gauge of whether something is more or less safe to eat, but it’s not the end-all-be-all of food freshness and safety.
It’s more of a suggestion; as long as certain foods are store correctly, many can safely be consumed past their expiry or best-before date.
Remember, there are no hard-and-fast rules here, and therefore it’s best to trust your two most valuable tools: Your eyes and nose.
Hard cheese
Even if it’s past the expiry date, don’t throw out the good, good cheddar! The way hard cheese is made and aged allows it to remain okay to eat, even if it’s past expiry. Just keep an eye out for mould, and chop off a two or three centimeters buffer zone from it before you dig in.
Canned goods
Many canned goods have long expiry dates, some up to three years after they’ve been shelved. As long as there’s no rust or damage to the cans, and they’ve been properly stored in a cool place, their safe-to-eat date can double, adding on another three to four years.
Related: What You Didn’t Know About Best-Before and Expiry Dates
Bread
Similar to cereal, bread can get a little stay past its expiration date, but it’s still good to eat! In fact, it’s the easiest way to make croutons (we’re half joking). And similar to cheese, if there’s a bit of mould on the end, just chop it off before you enjoy.
Eggs
It’s hard to polish off that entire carton of eggs before the expiry date comes, and that’s okay. You can do a quick test to ensure those eggs are still good to eat: Place the egg in a glass of water, and if it sinks, dig in; if it floats, into the bin.
Photo Credit: Nelli Syrotynska/Shutterstock.com; Artem Shadrin/Shutterstock.com
