Dangerous misinformation about food safety

Written by markslove

Savant6: If the best before date hasn't been reached, it is supposed to still be in an edible condition.

The best-before date is a rough and sometimes arbitrary guideline that is most related to shelf-life. If it is to be used for deciding if a product is okay, it is over-ruled by:

1. how a product is stored (for example, if it was stored at room temperature when it was supposed to be refrigerated, or without a lid placed well, it might be spoiled)

2. how long it has been open for (for example, products like tetrapak soy milk (I don't use it) should be discarded after being open for 10 days under ideal storage)

3. contamination reduces the time it takes for a product to go off

In the case of yoghurt with pink mould before its best-before date, it sounds like it has either been open for a long time, or it has been contaminated, or both. I would be wondering if the source fridge and general kitchen environment were clean.

Stupid me for assuming this was common sense. Since it isn't, I think many manufacturers are negligent for not recommending how long a product can be stored once opened (assuming correct storage).

I would still eat it.

I would gamble my chances with a 'best before' item but I would certainly not eat anything past its expiry date.