Buying cases of food at or after the expiration date -- is this common?

[KurtNYC]

I was at non-profit's meeting last night and one of the researchers said that the biggest trends in grocery were dollar stores taking share from WalMart and people buying cases of food (canned I assume) right at or after the expiration date.

I had never heard of the second one. Anyone seen this?

[HopeHoops]

1. Yes. It isn't uncommon, but use caution.

There are different "expiration" dates. "Best by" gives you a lot of flexibility. "Use by", not much. "Expires", very little. Most non-refrigerated foods are still good well after the printed date if they've been stored properly. With refrigerated and frozen foods, pay close attention.

We've got a great place like that called Amelia's. Most of the stuff is close to but not past expiration, but they have signs up explaining pretty much what I just did. Even in regular grocery stores I still always look for the date. Sometimes simply because I know what I'm getting needs a long shelf life as opposed to the items we chew through (literally).

[LynneSin]

3. Have you been to the Smart Shopper over in Middletown

http://www.sharpshopper.net/index.html

I've bought alot of non-perishible stuff from them that were close or even past their expiration date. I'm still alive.

[pipi_k]

6. Really good explanation

that sums it up quite nicely, IMO.

The phrases attached to the dates really do mean different things.

Mr Pipi makes me crazy.

He'll keep medications long past their expiration date, yet with milk, it only has to be one day before its "sell by" date and he'll refuse to use it, claiming that it smells funny.

I have poured the milk out into a glass to show him that he's likely smelling the old milk on the spout of the bottle that's been exposed to the air, but he won't budge.

What the hell. I use it. if it smells crappy in a glass or curdles, then I'll throw it out.

[AnneD]

8. You can use milk several days after...

the expiration date with safety. What do you think cottage cheese is anyway (any whey...

I have made my own cottage cheese and cheese before. Buying milk at the expiration date is perfect for that-it is cheap and you can use it so make something delicious and inexpensive.

[HopeHoops]

9. Milk's usually good for two weeks after the sell by date if left unopened.

Even once you open it, you can still expect a week out of it.

[Tallulah]

10. LOL

I am that milk person too.

[sharp_stick]

12. I'll chuck it the day after the date on a jug

I think it all stems from an early experience with bad milk. I once grabbed the milk out of my Aunts fridge and started chugging it not realizing that it had gone bad several days earlier. I don't think my Aunt drank a lot of milk.

I can still feel the chunks hitting my uvula on the way down. I didn't feel them hitting it on the way up several seconds later.

If that date hits a milk bottle, not common with three kids, the milk is down the drain.

[nadine_mn]

15. all it takes is one experience with a glass of sour milk to scar you for life

I would rather dump it down the drain that have that taste sensation again

[CBGLuthier]

2. I shop at dollar stores but I refuse to eat anything from them

whether it is candy or canned food I would never eat anything from a dollar store.

[YankeyMCC]

4. Heard a story about this on NPR a few weeks ago

The buyers were buying crates at an auction specializing in this.

[KurtNYC]

5. Thanks for that -- found the story

(I think)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/08/23/159601015/willing-to-play-the-dating-game-with-your-food-try-a-grocery-auction

[YankeyMCC]

11. That's the one

It surprised me too, I mean I'm pretty relaxed about expire and sell by dates myself but the idea of buying crates of the stuff and that many people do it definately surprised me.

[KurtNYC]

14. The NPR artilce ties it back to WalMart

because WalMart made suppliers put dates on stuff that had never had readable dates on them before. So my suspicion is that WalMart is leveraging their supply chain and volume in a different way with this. Likely this hurts other chain grocery stores that aren't moving every single can or item before those dates come up because they have to pull the items and sell them at deep discount. The article says that the source of these items is a "trade secret" so I will have to dig a little deeper to find out.

[AnneD]

7. Yes...

I rotate my canned goods and sometimes I hit the expiration date or later (as much as 2 years). I use caution. A bulging can is never good. If the can hisses too much when I open them I toss them (microbes produce gas as a by product of metabolism, etc). Some types of canned veggies are more prone to botulism than other so be aware (base rather than acidic-green beans more than tomato sauce)