Do you check expiration dates?

I always check with dairy products like you say, and also whenever something is on sale.
Sometimes stores put on sales with things that are about to expire which can be a hassle when you get home a see that the thing thing you bought in bulk is expiring the next day.

Besides the dairy products and sales, I generally don't bother checking every single item.

 

I always check the expiry date on every single product that I buy. I have lived in some remote places where there isn't a fast turnover in food stores, especially in health food stores, and came across weevils and other signs of deterioration in products that were not even out of date. This has made me cautious. When I look at shelves in a store, I don't reach for the package that is in front of all the others, but for the third or fourth one in the row. Usually there is a difference of several months between the expiry date on the first and the last item.

 

I'm super OCD about expiration dates for any kind of food, even well preserved stuff. I just feel sick eating anything that's gone over the date, which I know is silly for stuff outside of milk and meats. Its just one of my weird hang ups.

 

I've never had to. Most of the foodstuff we buy in the small town I live in is 'fresh' meaning that they get it straight from a farm. If it's milk, you get it raw [but very cheap]. I shop for the groceries I need on a day to day basis so that always leaves nothing in the pantry to go bad. But if I were to move into a city [which I won't do], I think I'd have to start checking the expiration dates.

 

Just for meats and dairy products, the rest is fair game. Most times the food I buy is close to the expiration date since it's cheaper to buy then and up to this point I had no health issues. This habit of mine, to purchase foods close to the expiration date, started when growing up. My parents had a little store where they sold all kinds of sweets and we used to eat those that came close to expiration

 

Of course I do! I mean dude, its the date that predicts your future tummy ache, it's like the date of the end of the world, in food terms at least. Dairy products, I always check the dates, and even I missed it, just the look and smell of it will help you determine the age of the thing. For dry food products like cereal treats and cookies, I just eat them without taking a peek at the dates, most of them tastes the same 2-3 months after the date of expiration, but if I were you, I'd always check the dates, believe me, having diarrhea isn't easy.

 

I do, but only to make sure it's not way past it's expiration date. Otherwise, I don't really mind buying something that's not the freshest of all the other ones on the shelf. My folks would make it a point to dig all the way to the back of the milk cartons to get the freshest ones, but I feel like that is wasteful if everyone does that, because the older ones will have to be discarded. As long as I know I will use it up by the expiration date, I will get the ones up front that might be a little older.

I will also sometimes try to take advantage of specials on stuff like meat, if it's marked down a dollar or two to sell it that day, and I know I am going to be cooking it that day. I look at it this way, I often do the same thing at home with frozen meat in my freezer. I will buy a bunch of meats, portion and freeze them, and many of them will sit in there for weeks before I use them. Then I might take a few packs out to thaw but change my mind and not end up using them for another day or two, so those are way older than the marked down meats at the grocery store. Might as well save a few bucks whenever I can, and it's perfectly fine to eat. Most of the reason the fresher meat looks a brighter red is because they artificially inject gas into the packaging to make it look redder and brighter. They also use specially colored lights in the display windows to make the meat appear fresher.

 

Yes. I definitely check expiration dates.

I think checking expiration dates is essential when you are grocery shopping. Those items can sit on those shelves for months. It is quite easy to buy expired food these days. I make it my priority to check expiration dates so that does not happen.

I do not want to bring anything home that is going to make my family sick. The best way to do that is by checking expiration dates.

 

I only check on perishables really. So I check on meat, milk, dairy products, etc, but I pretty much never check on canned goods, box foods, etc.

Does that mean I've eaten expired food without knowing it? Probably. But I don't really care so long as the food still appears and tastes okay.

 

I always check, but I don't necessarily adhere to them if they won't make me sick. Of course with dairy products and the like I am very strict, but with biscuits and such I just go by taste. They usually have a very long shelf life even to begin with, so it would be very unlikely that I let them go out of date.

 

I can be OCD about expiration dates sometimes so I try not to look at them otherwise my paranoid self will waste stuff that is perfectly good. Yes with dairy products and such maybe it's a good idea to check but for the most part you trust your taste buds and nose. I read that expiration dates can be inaccurate. It also depends on the particular date too. Sell by for example is different than used by. Some products don't have the used by.

 

I usually do!! I'm really scared of food poisoning and ulcers, so I'm always attentive to expiration dates, specially in milk, yogurt, cheese, and stuff they go bad easily. I think it's so important to always look at expiration dates, and not always in your pantry, but also at the supermarket!!It's crazy how supermarkets sometimes have expired products for sale and people buy and don't even notice.

 

This is very true^^

Our grocery store marks everything down the morning of the expiration date. Milk is good for up to 5 days after the expiration date. You can also freeze milk. I will only buy marked down fish if I am going to cook it that day. I'll freeze meat and poultry.

You have to use common sense.

When stores stock shelves, they are supposed to go by FIFO. First in, first out. They put new stock behind the "old". So, yes, the cans in the back usually have a later exp. date. I say usually because there is always the possibility of lazy employees and managers.

 

Yes I do. It's important that we know what we are consuming serves our purposes. And for me, it is important that what I am eating is edible and what I am buying is valuable. I don't want to waste my money. Besides, I don't have much.

 

I do, it's the first thing I check. I think it's one of the most important rules when buying in groceries, since you'd be getting less of the value you paid for if you can't keep it as long as possible. I also check it especially for the products that are already in our fridge, because I don't want to risk ingesting any spoiled products accidentally. I read an article once saying that expiry dates aren't made to be accurate, though, and the food usually is still good even when past it - aside from maybe a few easily spoiled product types.