Best If Used By

Here’s a question I’m often asked about dietary supplements as well as food: What should we do with a food or supplement once it’s past the expiration date? One of my health newsfeeds had a title that mentioned milk going bad, so my mind was off and running! What does “Best If Used By” actually mean? Do we have to toss the food or not? We’ll get to that.

Americans discard about one-third of the food they purchase. Fresh food is discarded because it spoils, but a significant contributor to the total foods that are thrown away is those that have reached their “date.” That can include fresh foods as well as foods that are boxed or canned. Is it necessary? In a word, no. I’ll explain why not in Saturday’s Memo.

Until then, here’s a challenge for you. Go into your pantry or wherever you store your dry and canned goods. Search around until you find the box, bottle, or can with the oldest “Best If Used By” date you can find. I did a quick search and found one from 2015. Then let me know what you find. Is it still good? I’ll let you know on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Food Product Dating. USDA. https://bit.ly/3twQxUt