Can you eat food past its expiration date?

For almost everything in your kitchen, the answer is yes, you can eat it past the printed date. USDA is clear that date labels are about quality, not safety, and federal law does not even require them (infant formula, and some baby food, are the exception). A sell-by or best-by date that has passed does not mean the food is unsafe. It means the maker thinks the flavor or texture is past its peak. The real test is how the food was stored and whether it shows signs of spoilage.

The three date labels and what they mean

The labels look official, but they are mostly voluntary and unstandardized. USDA FSIS breaks them down like this:

• Sell-By: a date for the store, not for you. It tells the retailer how long to display the item for inventory rotation. Food is normally fine to use after a sell-by date. Eggs, for example, are good for weeks past the sell-by date when refrigerated.
• Use-By: the maker's estimate of the last day the product is at peak quality. Except on infant formula, it is not a safety date. Food is generally safe after it if stored properly.
• Best if Used By (or Best Before): the label USDA actually recommends, because research shows people read it correctly as a quality date, not a safety one. It marks when flavor or texture may start to decline.

None of these three tell you the food has become dangerous. They are the manufacturer's quality estimate, written before the product ever left the factory.

Why a date can't tell you if food is safe

A printed date is a guess made in advance. It cannot know how the food was actually handled after it left the plant. Two cartons with the same use-by date can be in completely different shape depending on storage:

• A gallon of milk kept at a steady 38°F (3°C) can be fine days past its date.
• The same milk left in a warm car for an afternoon can spoil before the date arrives.

Bacteria grow based on time and temperature, not on the calendar printed on the package. That is why USDA says, except for infant formula, a food does not need to be thrown out on its date; it should be used until spoilage actually shows. The date is a starting point for quality, not a safety deadline.

The real exception: infant formula

The one date on a U.S. grocery shelf that is a true must-follow is the use-by date on infant formula. The FDA requires it by law, and it is one of the very few food dates that federal regulation mandates at all (USDA notes the same goes for some baby food). Past that date, the formula may no longer contain the nutrient levels printed on the label, which matters because it may be a baby's sole source of nutrition.

So the rule splits cleanly. For infant formula, the date is non-negotiable. For everything else, the date is a quality guide and your judgment takes over.

How to tell if food is actually bad

1. 1

   Check how it was stored first

   Was it kept cold and sealed, or left warm and open? Proper storage is what actually extends a food past its date. A perishable item that spent hours in the danger zone is suspect no matter what the date says.

2. 2

   Look for mold or discoloration

   Fuzzy spots, slime, or off colors mean discard. On hard cheese you can cut an inch around a small mold spot; on soft or liquid foods, mold means the whole thing goes.

3. 3

   Smell it

   A sour, sharp, or fermented smell on something that should smell mild is the most reliable single sign of spoilage. Trust it.

4. 4

   Check the texture

   Sliminess on meat or deli items, separation that won't stir back together, or a fizzy feel means stop. These are bacterial signs, not quality decline.

5. 5

   When in doubt, throw it out

   Senses are good but not perfect. Some bacteria leave no smell or visible sign. If a perishable food was mishandled or you simply cannot tell, discard it. The same caution applies to leftovers regardless of any date.

Where people slip up

• Tossing food the moment the date passes. For almost everything but infant formula, the date is quality, not safety. Check it before you trash it.
• Trusting the date over a smell or slime test. Storage decides spoilage, not the calendar. A bad-smelling item before its date is still bad.
• Ignoring the infant formula date. This is the one date that is a hard rule. Do not push it.
• Assuming a sell-by date is for you. It is for the store. Most food has real life left after it.
• Treating dry-pantry and perishable items the same. Canned goods and dry pasta last long past their dates; raw meat and dairy depend entirely on cold storage.

What this comes down to

With few exceptions, food date labels are about quality, not safety, and they are not even required by federal law. Sell-by is for the store, use-by and best-if-used-by are the maker's quality estimates, and none of them mean the food is unsafe the next morning. The main exception is infant formula (and some baby food), where the use-by date is mandatory and final. For everything else, judge the food by how it was stored and what your eyes and nose tell you, and use the date as a hint, not a verdict.