Shocking Number of Upstate New Yorkers Would Eat Expired Food

Would you eat food past the sell by/use by date?

We've all had a moment where we looked at the expiration date on one of our favorite (or possibly essential) food items and weighed our options. Do you, or don't you?

That's the dilemma. Is that date trustworthy or not?

My main question is, can you eat expired food? Is that sell by date just a suggestion or could there be very real consequences for shoving that down your gullet? Turns out yes, there could be some seriously bad side affects from eating certain expired foods.

One thing I found said this:

After that date, the food may have poorer quality due to deteriorating properties of the food, grow harmful bacteria, or lose its nutritional value.Consuming expired food can lead to food poisoning, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

Well that's gross and not at all what I want to experience. It makes it all the more concerning that so many of you said that you'd got to town on some expired items.

"As long as it smells and looks fine, yes. Just ate yogurt that had a sell by date of April 16 and it was fine. Sell by, best by and expired by are all different levels of caution." - Chelsea

"Depends on what it is, but probably". - Wade

"Yea its a known fact that they are sell by or best by dates. Not some magic number that makes the food rotten." Frank

We had one listener chime in and say that you should absolutely NEVER do this.

"I use to be a quality manager in a food plant. Do NOT eat it once it’s expired especially dairy products. Period!" - Mary

Thank you, Mary, for being a voice of reason.

Now the USDA says that things in your pantry are good for a long long time but the quality can deteriorate over time affecting the taste and such, but still ok. They also said items that you've kept in the freezer for a long time are safe to eat as well. So happy eating I guess?