Consensus on expiration dates?

[internet troll]

Growing up in a household with two parents who lived through the Great Depression I’ve alway tried to have a store of food in case and emergency situation arises. Some canned food like soups, fruit, chili etc..... comes with an expiration date. I often find myself using up the stored food as I near the expiration date and have thrown some away in the past.

What do you all think? How long past the expiration date is canned soup, fruit, chili etc..... good for? Are expiration dates a marketing ploy to get people to throw out perfectly good food? Does the food last months or years beyond the expiration date?

I have a couple of cans that expired in 2015 in my basement. Are they still good? I will open them later this month to check them out but probably won’t eat them.

What say you? What are your experiences with canned food past the expiration date?

[Hodgie]

My wife is always throwing canned food out because of past expiration dates and I'm always taking them out of the trash opening them up and eating them with no issues. I ate a can of chunked chicken breast a few weeks back that was about 16 months past it's time. Tasted fine with some mayo, salt, pepper garlic and onion on whole wheat.

I have a few cases of ramen noodles that just went out of date and while they are cheap enough to discard and replace I have and will probably just slowly work a couple into my weekly diet. Ate one the other day, added some soy sauce, green onion, and a squirt of sriracha and it was good.

I look at expiration date on canned and vacuum seals foods as suggestions more then anything else.

Quick Google search found this.

https://www.foodnetwork.ca/kitchen-b...d-tomato-sauce

The expiry date of canned foods usually indicates three years from when it's been shelved, but you can consume them past the date for up to four more years. Make sure to keep your canned goods in a cool, dry spot, and if there are any dents, rust or leaking, that's when it's time to ditch the goods.Jun 18, 2019

[Justin///M]

No swell, no smell, good to go.

[Delkal]

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[Daycrawler]

Those dates are a joke. People eat canned food that has been years old and it wasn't bad. IMO its a way to get house wives to go buy more food, and it works.

[Hodgie]

Those dates are a joke. People eat canned food that has been years old and it wasn't bad. IMO its a way to get house wives to go buy more food, and it works.

There's a few YouTube channels where guys eat MRE's from all over the world and some of them pre date WWII. I've only seen a handful of them but no one's ever gotten sick and most of the meals are liked.

[Walleye Hunter]

No swell, no smell, good to go.

I second this, check it out before diving in full fork. I've eaten canned foods, barbecue sauce etc that was a couple of years out.

[free]

No swell, no smell, good to go.

No swell, no smell, what the hell, might as well.

[DukeConnor]

in 1983 i was fed c rats made in the early 50's.
they sucked. i am sure they sucked in the 50's also.

[God's Country]

I never look at the dates on cans. Pay attention to tomato products as they are apt to eat the seal over time, but other than that it's mostly meaningless except for rotation.