Rolexes, Lamborghinis, a dozen eggs—these are just some of the inaccessible luxuries all Americans want these days. But one of these things is not like the other, insofar as we kind of need eggs. As much as we can skate by on vegan recipes and other forms of protein as best we can, there is no denying that sometimes eggs are a necessity, and right now they are just too gosh darn expensive. But this article is not simply a rant about egg prices (though admittedly a lot of it is that), so you may be wondering, what does any of the stuff you’ve said so far have to do with anything?
What a great, and, might I add, eloquently put question. Today, we are talking expiration dates on food. And since eggs come with an expiration date and also cost three arms and a leg right now (a set of resources most people don’t have), it has become more important than ever to know whether we should be rushing to finish eggs before the date on the carton, or if we can safely draw our egg usage out over the course of a month or two and slowly and sparingly use our prized poss-egg-sions only when absolutely n-egg-ccessary. Basically, can we milk our eggs for all they’re worth?
We had questions about not just eggs but other perishable foods as well, so we turned to Edward Spang, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Food Science department at UC Davis. He specializes in food waste and the environmental impact of food waste at all stages of the food system, so we asked him our burning questions about all things perishable in order to better understand when exactly we should put that milk in our cereal and when we should pour it down the drain. So let’s make like an $0.85 egg and crack in!
California has some new legislation to make expiration dates on food more cut and dry—will that make things easier for us, the buyers of things?
Next summer, things are going to get (at least a little bit) less confusing in California grocery stores. Yes, marshmallows will still be in the baking aisle and not next to the s’mores supplies where they belong, and, yes, tofu will still inexplicably be next to the vegetables, but we’ll no longer have to wonder exactly what the dates on our packaging mean. Starting in July 2026, only the phrases “Use By” or “Best if Used By” will be allowed (no more ambiguous “sell by”), and each one will have a specific meaning with “Use By” being “the date by which a product’s safety can no longer be guaranteed” and “Best if Used By” meaning “the date by which a product will reach its peak quality.” Will the change lessen confusion and help reduce food waste? According to Professor Spang, “Part of the issue with expiration dates has been consumer confusion around them, and I think by having some standardized language in how we refer to dates it should help a little bit to ease that consumer confusion.”
Specifically, with language like “sell by,” which is widely used now and in non-California places might be used indefinitely, Spang points out that while those kinds of dates are generally for helping the retailer rotate inventory, people often see that date and make the judgement that the food has gone bad if that date has passed. In reality, Spang says, the sell-by date is more like an “estimate of quality that [the manufacturer] can guarantee” rather than the date when the food will suddenly make you sick. Because of this misconception, he says, “consumers generally have thrown out things well before they actually expired.”
Okay, but are some expiration dates helpful? And, here’s the literal million-dollar question: Do the dates on egg cartons mean anything or can I hoard eggs like the little omelet gremlin I am?
Luckily, and this made my day, he says, “Eggs are pretty resilient as long as you are keeping them refrigerated.” YESSSSSSS. Thank you, Professor Spang, for the eggcelent news. He says to use the spoiled milk approach, where if “it looks different than usual or smells different, then I would say beware, but if it looks totally fine and there’s no smell, I think you’re good to go.” So, for all my fellow omelet gremlins out there, let us rejoice (and eat a million-dollar omelet).
Are there any foods where we ABSOLUTELY need to follow the expiration date to a T?
Yes, as it turns out, there’s one main example here, according to Professor Spang. He says, “The only one that is rather strict and the date actually means ‘don’t eat after this date’ is infant formula.” Which makes total sense.
Are there any general rules of thumb for expiration dates on food?
According to Professor Spang, it is tough to set hard-and-fast rules here because, if I can paraphrase a little, life is complicated. He gave the example that if someone let milk sit in their hot car for four hours before getting their groceries home, that milk may no longer be safe to drink even if the expiration date is weeks away. Conversely, if the milk has been properly refrigerated the whole time, the professor says that even a couple days after the expiration date, it is “likely just fine.”
He says as a general rule of thumb, we need to “trust our senses.” If a yogurt is visibly moldy, don’t eat it. If milk smells sour, don’t drink it. He also pointed out that estimating shelf life is a real challenge for companies and a pretty inexact science. It’s also worth noting that dry goods like crackers and cereal are…well…dry, and thus less likely to make you sick when consuming them past the expiration date because there’s less opportunity for bacterial growth (bacteria like moisture). They just might not taste as fresh.
He also mentioned that while canned food might seem like it is good forever, we should be wary of any cans that are dented or “a little bit distended showing pressure inside,” since he says that’s a mark of something that could really make you sick.
In Conclusion…
Professor Spang says we’ve learned from research that there is a lot of waste at the consumer step of the food system—that’s us, standing in front of our fridges, deciding if two weeks is too long for Greek yogurt to sit past its expiration date. He estimates that as much as a third of the food produced globally doesn’t get eaten. “Little things that we can do as consumers actually have a big impact on the food system and on the environment,” he says. He suggests basic strategies like meal planning instead of going to the grocery store and buying everything that looks good—it not only saves you money, it’s also better for the planet. Basically, wanna help the environment? Maybe plan out your meals and sniff your yogurt, milk, and eggs before just tossing them once they’ve reached the date on the container. That’s especially true if it is a sell-by date (which we’ve learned doesn’t mean a whole lot to us, the buyers of said food). Personally, I’m just jazzed I can go back to hoarding eggs in peace.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!