How closely do you follow food "expiration dates"?

[Gorn Captain]

Last year, a guy here in Belgium got six months (suspended sentence) for dumpster diving at a supermarket. He "stole" packets of biscuits.
You get less for punching a guy in the face...

[Tyme2tyme]

I work in the food industry and there has always been a misconception about the dates printed on packaging. It's not an "expiration date" at all, it's a sell-by date indicating at what point it should by pulled from grocery store shelves. These dates are mandated by the Federal Government (that's why water has a sell-by date) and they err on the side of caution (a lot).

[Hector]

I sell meat for a living and I get asked this all the time. I have an official answer ("Use it or freeze it by the sell-by date.") and an off-the-record answer ("Always trust your nose. If it's bad, you'll know it."). When it comes to regular meat like steaks, I'd think nothing of eating something three days past the sell-by date if it's been kept under 41°F, and lunch meat I'd feel fine about eating up to a couple weeks past date. There are so many nitrates in bologna, those dates are there to cover the manufacturers' behinds--it'll be fine a good deal longer than they suggest.

I personally come across clueless people who say they'll eat a two/three week past expiration date on a steak because it's now "aged"...I just can't help but roll up my eyes and laugh...aged my butt...that meat is spoiled. Most people don't know what a properly aged steak is...and what it takes to age it. You as a person who does this for a living, know what Im talking about. Makes you wonder what these people are smoking...if weeks old rotted meat is perfectly fine with them...I wonder myself, lol.

But yes, three days past...a steak is still good though.

[MIB41]

We plan our meals for the week and shop accordingly so most anything we're consuming is intended for that week. When it comes to Dairy product and meats I make sure they are good for that period in question. Anything else that sits for a longer duration like Miracle Whip or Barbeque sauce, I'll check periodically. But I'm very aware of expiration dates.

[jwyblejr]

The only two foods I don't worry too much about are cheese and cider.

[SentientApe]

Cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, eggs...basically everything in the dairy aisle has an expiration date.

Nope... none of them. Every one of those items is labeled either "Best if used by" or "Sell by," including milk -- so I was also wrong in that regard.

I don't have any Activated Yeast in the house right now, which is the only food item that I can imagine might actually carry an "expiration" date.

[Mikey]

..............

I don't have any Activated Yeast in the house right now, which is the only food item that I can imagine might actually carry an "expiration" date.

I've sampled possibly outdated Activated Yeast and I must say ..............

Uhhhh, I better stop right now......

Digging myself in a hole I might not be able to climb out of ..........