New Grocery Store to Exclusively Sell Expired Food

[Mad Cook]

I don't know yet Jenny, but I think he will be smart enough to have it where it will do the most good. It certainly will be best served on a bus line. And I hope he gets approval for accepting EBT cards. And if it becomes a big success like I think it will, we may see more of these stores out in Springfield, Chelsea, and other towns in need of such a place.

Marilyn, the woman who runs our local food bank has told me some very funny stories about some of the customers who show up every month. One comes with her grocery list. Wants only certain brands. No house brands. Goes home with half of what she is entitled to for her family. Another checks every item in her bags for "sell by" dates. No expirations dates for her. And then there is the family that has a large number of children. Thinking they wouldn't receive enough food for their whole family, decided to break up the family. The wife used her maiden name and claimed five of the kids. The father used his real name and claimed the other four kids. Both at the same address, but supposedly different apartments. Marilyn got wind of it and got the two of them together and explained how the banks works and how much food each family is entitled to. Had they claimed all of the children together as a family with two parents, they would have received more food. One old man didn't use all the food he was given and at the end of the month returned it. Wanted to know if he could get credit for it.

I am rooting for this venture. It is sorely needed in a lot of communities.

The local food banks in my area won't accept out-of-date donations, which is quite right. I accept that some people try to play the system but I still don't think it's fair that because people are poor they should be expected to accept things that the rest of us find unacceptable. On the subject of the waste of food perhaps we should be looking to stop the manufacturers pandering to the supermarkets in the matter of sell by/use by/best before dates and the supermarkets for overstocking their shelves with foods with a notional end of life date.

One of our local food banks has started offering basic cooking and meal planning courses to help mothers (and fathers) who want help to plan and produce inexpensive, nutritious food for their families. There is a long waiting list for places.

What used to be called Home Economics (cookery, food hygiene, meal planning, and other domestic skills) hasn't been taught in practical terms in British schools for many years and the powers that be are beginning to wake up to the idea that they made a big mistake in the past.

 

[jennyema]

I find that half and half will start to curdle the minute it hits its expiration date.

My boss uses half and half until we throw it away 3 months after the use by date!! And he gets mad at us!!

 

[taxlady]

I find that half and half will start to curdle the minute it hits its expiration date.

The 10% cream that we buy at Costco usually has a date a bit more than 2 months in the future. We have never gotten to that date without using it up first.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Oh, it's too vile to consider, even if there were no risk.

There is a difference between "just sour" and "vile". I've baked with spoiled milk for ages, as recently as within the last six months. The end product is always yummy, the fact that the milk was sour is never detectable, and we've never so much as gotten a funny taste in our mouths or an upset stomach. After all, that <cup of milk and other ingredients baked in the oven on 350 + degrees for at least 20 minutes.

 

[taxlady]

There is a difference between "just sour" and "vile". I've baked with spoiled milk for ages, as recently as within the last six months. The end product is always yummy, the fact that the milk was sour is never detectable, and we've never so much as gotten a funny taste in our mouths or an upset stomach. After all, that <cup of milk and other ingredients baked in the oven on 350 + degrees for at least 20 minutes.

I think your milk must actually sour. My mum used to eat sour milk when I was a kid. But, what the milk we buy nowadays does isn't the same thing. Okay, it's been a long time since any milk has gone off at my house. We go through it awfully fast. But, I remember seeing/smelling milk that had gone off that was absolutely vile. It was NOT sour milk.

 

[GotGarlic]

The local food banks in my area won't accept out-of-date donations, which is quite right. I accept that some people try to play the system but I still don't think it's fair that because people are poor they should be expected to accept things that the rest of us find unacceptable.

I wouldn't say that the rest of us find this food unacceptable. I think people who are knowledgeable about food safety don't find it a problem at all. I know I don't. I also know that life is not fair and it doesn't help to expect that it should be.

On the subject of the waste of food perhaps we should be looking to stop the manufacturers pandering to the supermarkets in the matter of sell by/use by/best before dates and the supermarkets for overstocking their shelves with foods with a notional end of life date.

Pandering to the supermarkets, or to the consumers?

One of our local food banks has started offering basic cooking and meal planning courses to help mothers (and fathers) who want help to plan and produce inexpensive, nutritious food for their families. There is a long waiting list for places.

We have lots of agencies that try to do this.

What used to be called Home Economics (cookery, food hygiene, meal planning, and other domestic skills) hasn't been taught in practical terms in British schools for many years and the powers that be are beginning to wake up to the idea that they made a big mistake in the past.

We used to have that, too. I remember sewing a hem on a skirt in study hall because that was the only homework I had I think some areas have Life Skills or some such classes, but the U.S. is a large country and education is pretty much up to states and localities, so requirements and curricula aren't very consistent from one area to another.

 

[Somebunny]

I think I may have the answer to why CG's milk sours and Taxlady's as well as mine become "vile" (I just call it rotten) it may be that CG uses milk with a higher fat content. It is my experience that foods with higher fat content last much longer than their "best by" or expiry date. I find that sour cream, 1/2 & 1/2 and whipping/heavy cream last well beyond their printed dates. We use 1% milk and it's lucky IMO to make it to its expiry date (personally I won't drink it, if its been in the house longer than 3 or 4 days, DH will drink it just about up until it begins to get chunks Yuk!
So here is the question For Taxy and CG what's your poison, 1% , 2% or whole milk? (known as Homo in Canada, I believe)

 

[Caslon]

I just want to jump in with all this and ask...why is it years ago milk products used to last a good 5 days beyond their use date (at least milk did) ? Nowadays, a day or two past that exp date and my opened Reduced Fat milk starts to taste a little different. Does milk turn bad sooner these days?

 

[pacanis]

I just want to jump in with all this and ask...why is it years ago milk products used to last a good 5 days beyond their use date (at least milk did) ? Nowadays, a day or two past that exp date and my opened Reduced Fat milk starts to taste a little different. Does milk turn bad sooner these days?

Good point. Sometimes my milk starts to turn a day or two before the date I always give it the sniff test when it starts getting close to the date.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I look at the date as an indicator of how long an unopened container will be good to use.

For an open container I try not to go beyond five days.

One thing none of us can control is how the milk was treated before we brought it home. If it was not properly stored on its trip from the farm to the store it could go off much sooner.

IMHO milk keeps much longer and tastes much better when bottled in glass. We still have one local dairy store, Byrne Dairy, that uses glass returnable containers.

 

[taxlady]

I think I may have the answer to why CG's milk sours and Taxlady's as well as mine become "vile" (I just call it rotten) it may be that CG uses milk with a higher fat content. It is my experience that foods with higher fat content last much longer than their "best by" or expiry date. I find that sour cream, 1/2 & 1/2 and whipping/heavy cream last well beyond their printed dates. We use 1% milk and it's lucky IMO to make it to its expiry date (personally I won't drink it, if its been in the house longer than 3 or 4 days, DH will drink it just about up until it begins to get chunks Yuk!
So here is the question For Taxy and CG what's your poison, 1% , 2% or whole milk? (known as Homo in Canada, I believe)

Mostly we buy homo milk at 3.25% mf. Once in a while 2%.

I just want to jump in with all this and ask...why is it years ago milk products used to last a good 5 days beyond their use date (at least milk did) ? Nowadays, a day or two past that exp date and my opened Reduced Fat milk starts to taste a little different. Does milk turn bad sooner these days?

Maybe the companies are putting longer dates at the factory, so less perfectly good food gets thrown out.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

In one week, in separate towns and different brands, I got a pint and a quart of 1/2 & 1/2. Both of them were noticeably curdled when I opened them and the sell by date was two months in the future, they had the same date. Another quart I bought, with the same date, was fine. Bizarre, the first time this ever happened to me.

 

[Zagut]

In one week, in separate towns and different brands, I got a pint and a quart of 1/2 & 1/2. Both of them were noticeably curdled when I opened them and the sell by date was two months in the future, they had the same date. Another quart I bought, with the same date, was fine. Bizarre, the first time this ever happened to me.

Just goes to show that the dates on products are a guideline.

Common sense is still needed. (God help us all on that)

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I think I may have the answer to why CG's milk sours and Taxlady's as well as mine become "vile" (I just call it rotten) it may be that CG uses milk with a higher fat content....

Nope, 1%, a full gallon for two of us. Himself has cold cereal almost every day no matter the weather. Me? Brr, only during summer. Could it be the supplier? The farms the raw milk comes from? Could be my refrigerator is colder than yours? I never-ever-ever store my milk in the door, although I did when it was milk right from the dairy store. It is in the regular compartment.

...IMHO milk keeps much longer and tastes much better when bottled in glass. We still have one local dairy store, Byrne Dairy, that uses glass returnable containers.

True dat! We had a favorite dairy just about six miles from the house. Used to buy 2 half-gallons in glass - 1% (or 2 when I was feeling magnanimous towards Himself) and skim. When our son came to visit he would grab whichever bottle had more milk in it. The first time he got the skim he took a sip, then opened up the 'fridge and pulled out the bottle to look at it. He turned to me and said "this is skim?" Yes, is it spoiling? "Uh, no. It tastes like....?" MILK? "Yes! But it's Skim!" I had to explain that when you're petting the cow who will give you milk on the way into the store to buy it it tastes worlds better. Unfortunately, that dairy had a problem with some elderly person getting sick or dying from their milk because it was suspected to be tainted with listeria. They tore the processing plant apart, cleaned everything, had multiple inspections - and never found any evidence of listeria anywhere from udder to bottle. Nothing. However, the state wanted them to do all sorts of upgrades and steps to make sure this never happened "again" - even though there was no concrete evidence of it coming from the dairy's entire operation to begin with. Something like a million dollars of upgrades. Small family farm? No, now they send their raw milk to be processed elsewhere, where it is blended with milk from another small farm. Milk no longer tastes as "sweet" and creamy as it did when they kept it pure. Sad, but we now get our milk a the grocery store. Personally, I think someone in the older person's family wanted to get rid of them and contaminated just that one bottle.

 

[folsomjulie]

Wow very scary, besides being unsafe, this may be unlawful. Really looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. While I agree that expiration dates may be on the conservative side and shelf life can be longer that stated, with safety, always better to be on the safe side. These expiration dates are here for a reason and must be followed. Not sure why anybody would want to risk their health for a few books, as the old saying goes, buying expired food, will probably cost you more in the long run via the hospital bills that are sure to come.

 

[GotGarlic]

Actually, Julie, it's neither unsafe nor unlawful. The article says:

"The dates were never designed to indicate the microbial safety of the product, but were instead supposed to suggest when the product would be at its peak in terms of freshness and flavor."

"Emily Broad Leib, co-author of the report and director of Harvard Food Law & Policy clinic, adds: “This is about quality, not safety. You can make your own decision about whether a food still has an edible quality that’s acceptable to you.”

 

[Addie]

Actually, Julie, it's neither unsafe nor unlawful. The article says:

As far as can goods go, when they are past their freshest, you can tell without even buying the can and opening it. The can will be swollen. And that goes for any can goods. Should they go bad, they will start to swell from the bacteria that is growing like mad inside. But with proper pressure cooking at the factory, those cans are good way past the date posted on them. And they shouldn't go bad.

Bakery goods past their date of freshness is a matter of choice. Would I eat them a day or two later if I bought them fresh and ate only a few at home? Have your never bought day old bread to save a few pennies?

Produce. If they looked a bit tired, I would buy them and plan on using them that day for a meal.

I see nothing wrong with selling products past their due date of expiration.

 

[Steve Kroll]

As far as can goods go, when they are past their freshest, you can tell without even buying the can and opening it. The can will be swollen. And that goes for any can goods. Should they go bad, they will start to swell from the bacteria that is growing like mad inside. But with proper pressure cooking at the factory, those cans are good way past the date posted on them. And they shouldn't go bad.

Not quite. Bacteria won't grow in canned food, unless the can itself has been damaged. The food inside is cooked right in the cans. While the food itself isn't contaminated by spoilage organisms, it will eventually become stale over time. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing whether the contents are edible without opening the can and inspecting them.

When my dad died in 2006, my brother and I had to go through his house and clean out cupboards. We found many cans of food that were well past the date. Just out of curiosity we decided to open the cans. The oldest thing we found was a can of Chunky Potato Soup that had expired in 1998 - six years earlier. Upon opening it, it smelled and looked fine, which I thought was surprising for a cream-based soup.

The Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes (three years past the date on the can) didn't fare as well. The contents had turned a muddy brown, and had a definite stale odor. The same was true of a bottle of ketchup. Without even opening that one, you could tell it wasn't good. Mixed results on the other vegetables, including green beans, baked beans, and corn. Some were good and some were bad.

Even in the worst cases, though, I doubt the contents would kill you, or even make you sick. It just wouldn't taste very good.

I think the bottom line is you take your chances when you purchase these types of goods. You may not know if it's edible until you get home and conduct a closer inspection. In most cases, I'm sure they are perfectly fine, especially if within a year of the can date. But there really is no guarantee.

 

[Addie]

I was in a grocery store and they had this bin at the front of the store filled with can goods at a great discount price. I happened to find a can of tomatoes that were swollen and black around the outside rim. I called for the manager and showed it to him. He took the whole bin and disposed of all the cans. He wasn't taking any chances. I thought it was a wise move, but I think if he had someone wipe all the cans thoroughly with a bleach solution, he could have still sold the other cans. And I am not even sure that would have been a wise move either.

 

[GotGarlic]

I was in a grocery store and they had this bin at the front of the store filled with can goods at a great discount price. I happened to find a can of tomatoes that were swollen and black around the outside rim. I called for the manager and showed it to him. He took the whole bin and disposed of all the cans. He wasn't taking any chances. I thought it was a wise move, but I think if he had someone wipe all the cans thoroughly with a bleach solution, he could have still sold the other cans. And I am not even sure that would have been a wise move either.

Bleach solution rubbed on the outside won't kill the bacteria that are inside the can. It isn't always obvious when the top or bottom is loosened. That can must have been damaged in shipping, so bacteria got in that way.