One of my husband’s favorite pastimes is going through the refrigerator or pantry and brutally mocking me for the amount of food I’m keeping that is way past the expiration date. (I’m notorious for keeping secret hoards of Girl Scout Cookies only to forget they exist — thanks, ADHD — and insisting that blocks of cheese are still good despite a few fuzzy spots.)
My inability to adhere to these deadlines has more to do with forgetfulness than anything else, but I also struggle with the fact that some of the dates — which are left up to manufacturers to determine — seem so… arbitrary. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has even issued statements saying that “many dates on foods refer to quality, not safety.” For example, they insist that eggs will safely “keep” for 3-5 weeks in your fridge, making them fine to eat long past the date that’s stamped on the carton. (Unsure? You can do the float test.)
With ever-rising grocery prices, it behooves all of us to pay more attention to what we keep and what we throw away. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, which gauges food loss at the retail and consumer levels, it is estimated that 30%-40% of our food supply goes to waste. That equates to approximately 133 billion pounds of food that ends up rotting in landfills instead of feeding the nation’s hungry bellies.
In 2024, the Biden administration began efforts to revise the food date labeling systems to reduce some of this waste. A joint Request for Information (RFI) by the FDA and USDA sought to analyze the differences between “Sell By,” “Use By” and “Best By” standards, as well as how they are interpreted by consumers. In a statement announcing the RFI, then-FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones said, “It has been estimated that confusion over the multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20% of food waste in the home.” The period for collecting data and public responses ended in March 2025, and agencies are “currently reviewing this feedback,” according to the USDA’s website.
Until they reach a consensus and update the process for labeling foods, we’re left to determine the difference between unsafe and less-than-ideal on our own. If you find yourself questioning whether something in your kitchen is safe to consume, here are a few tips from the experts.
Foods That Are Generally Safe to Eat Past Their Dates
Food safety begins long before it reaches your shopping cart. How it has been handled — shipping circumstances, storage at the supermarket, refrigeration variations — has an impact on how long any food will safely keep. (Yet another reason to prioritize shopping at your local farmers markets.) That said, some foods are more likely to last past the dates printed on the package, depending on factors such as moisture content and nutritional makeup.
Packaged Foods
According to the USDA, canned goods and frozen foods are safe indefinitely, as long as the cans don’t have dents, rust or swelling, and the frozen foods stay frozen consistently. (Even if you find a package of ground beef that has been sitting in the back of the freezer, covered in frost? Yep, still safe to eat. It’s likely flavorless and probably pretty dry, but still edible!)
Pantry staples, like honey, ketchup, peanut butter and other condiments are also pretty safe to play loose-and-fast with the rules, according to experts interviewed by Prevention magazine. Likewise, jams, jellies and jarred marinara sauce stay safe to eat for long periods of time: Unopened jams and jellies can last for up to one year in the pantry, and six months in the fridge once opened; marinara’s high acidity acts as a natural antibiotic, making it fine to eat months after its expiration date (if unopened) and good for weeks once opened and refrigerated.
Other popular packaged foods such as cereals, cookies, crackers, pasta and rice are often safe to eat long past their “best by date,” according to the USDA; they might just taste stale. Similarly, bread is fine to eat past its date as well, but if you see any mold it’s time to toss it.
Dairy Products
Although people tend to stringently adhere to the dates on dairy products, it turns out their nose may be a better indicator. Many dairy products stay safe to eat for much longer than we think, and an easy way to determine whether we should keep or toss is the good old sniff test. If it smells sour or “off,” that’s a good sign to get rid of it, but otherwise experts say you’re good to go.
There aren’t any set recommendations for milk, for example, but Healthline says that most research suggests that as long as milk has been stored properly (i.e., refrigerated), unopened milk generally stays good for 5-7 days past its listed date, and opened milk lasts at least 2-3 days past the date.
Yogurt is also good for up to 1-2 weeks past its expiration date (the date on the package is usually a “best by/before” label, anyway).
And, it turns out I’m right about eating fuzzy cheese! Hard cheeses and semisoft cheeses like cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss can last six months (unopened) in the fridge, and usually about one month after opening. According to the Mayo Clinic, mold generally cannot penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, but if it does, you can simply cut it off with a knife (leaving a small margin) and enjoy the rest with a clear conscience. (If it’s shredded, crumbled or sliced, though, you should toss the whole package.)
When all else fails, rely on your senses. If food looks, smells or tastes funny, it’s best to toss it and not risk eating something that is spoiled.
Foods to Toss
Experts also say there are a few foods that we shouldn’t play fast and loose with, due to higher risks of spoilage or contamination. Here are a few:
- Soft cheese products are protein-rich and have a high moisture content, making them prime bacterial breeding grounds. Ricotta, cottage cheese and other soft cheeses should be thrown away if any signs of spoilage are noticeable.
- Head lettuce, prepackaged leafy lettuce and cabbage need to be kept dry and refrigerated, and they will still only last for about 5 days. But if your greens start to get slimy, it’s time to toss the whole lot. “Leafy greens account for about half the food safety outbreaks with produce,” Isabel Maples, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Prevention.
- Leftovers should only be kept for three or four days in the fridge. Anything past that and you’re playing roulette with food poisoning, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Deli meat should also be treated with caution. Deli-counter slices are only safe to consume for about 3-5 days, although prepackaged deli meat in airtight packaging may last longer. (And don’t wait for it to get slimy or smelly to throw it away.)
- On that note: It’s better to be safe than sorry with any kind of raw meat or seafood. Even before the date has passed, it’s wise to check raw meat for signs of spoilage and to cook everything to a safe minimum cooking temperature.
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