Would you feed your children supermarket-bought food that is past it's "sell by date"?

Answer 1

Nope. If I don't feel comfortable eating it myself, then I would definitely never give it to my children.

Edited: Hold on, I read the post too quickly. Past the "Sell By Date" may still be ok. This date does not equate to the "Expiration Date", so I revise my response to most likely I would. If there are no other reasons that would preclude me giving it to my kids (it still smells, looks, feels fine) then it should be ok. I apologize for jumping the gun. To the poster regarding cutting off the moldy part of the bread - yeah, I remember those days, lol.

Answer 2

Well yes and know it depends on the food. From what i understand the food is supposed to still be good for one week by the sell by date. It does not expire on that day.With the exception of eggs they are stil good for three weeks. I personally don't eat any dairy or meat on or past sell by date so i would not give it to my children. But bread as long as it does not look moldy, crakers or sometimes i freeze things to make them last longer so those things are still good past sell by date because they were preserved

Answer 3

There is a difference between 'best before' and 'use by' dates. Use by dates are usually on meat and easily perishable items and If it smells and looks okay then I would at the latest use it within 12 hours of it 'pinging' out of date at midnight.

With the best before dates, they are only a guide to when the food will stop being at its best (dried and long life stuff). It does not mean that the food will be harmful to you after that date. I am happy to use products like that for as long as it looks, tastes and smells okay.

Answer 4

Put it this way - I would not BUY it past the "sell by" date.

If it were already in my cupboard, I would use it if the "use by" date has not passed and if it were a sturdy product such as rice, pasta, crackers or the like.
Dairy doesn't stay in my fridge long enough to spoil. I don't even second guess meat, it goes straight into the bin.

Answer 5

Yes, I do it all the time. The food is good for another week or two after the "sell by" date. They just put that date on there to move the stuff quicker.

Answer 6

I do feed my family food that is two or three days beyond the "sell by" date. I would not do the same if it was beyond the "use by" date, though. There is a difference! But, we rarely run into any problems because we buy fresh as much as possible.

Answer 7

i put a lean cuisine in my lunch, not noticing the date and it was 2004. Dont know how it got lost in my freezer for that long or if i bought it that way.

I did heat it up to see what it would taste like. But did not eat it. Then again, all they taste like is salt anyway, and thats a preservative.

Answer 8

That depends on what it is and how far past the sell by date it is...and of course if it was properly stored. An expiration date is another story.

Answer 9

I was just checking if you were the real one in order to answer. No, I wouldn't buy any, it could be rotten and could give my children loose stools or a stomach bug or something. They put the "sell by date" for a reason.

Answer 10

No but I don't have to check my daughter I'm sure is obsessive about checking the date even stuff I freeze and I keep telling her thats not the same but she won't have it, I shop at Asda and the meat, fruit and veg is terrible there I'm sick of buying food supposedly well within date and having to throw it away next day because it's off, now you've started me Joan I could go on and on about Asda lol bx