Our Readers Reveal Their Expiration Date Rules

There’s been a lot of talk about expiration dates lately. Here in California, in an effort to curb food waste, lawmakers are standardizing the language in favor of “use by” or “best if used by,” both of which leave a little more wiggle room for people who don’t think a random date should necessarily dictate whether a food is “fresh” or “expired.” Groceries are expensive! No one wants to toss perfectly good food in this economy. 

But even in the absence of state legislation that encourages folks to give the eggs a couple more days before they land in the compost heap, everyone seems to have their own vibes-based system to dictate when food gets tossed and when it gets a few more days (or months or years) in the pantry. We recently did a little expiration date exercise amongst ourselves, but we also wanted to know how closely you abide by sell-by dates. More than 500 readers responded to our survey, and here’s what they had to say about keeping, tossing, and everything in between. 

Question: How long do you keep ketchup after its expiration date?

Most readers responded: Keep as long as it isn’t moldy. 

Question: How long do you keep mayonnaise after its expiration date? 

Most readers responded: Keep as long as it smells and tastes okay (although the response “toss on its expiration date” was a VERY close second). 

Question: How long do you keep eggs after their expiration date? 

Most readers responded: Do the egg test to see if they float or sink in water (if the egg sinks and lies flat, it’s probably fresh; if it floats or stands upright, it might be less than fresh). 

Question: How long do you keep garlic powder after its expiration date?

Most readers responded: Keep it indefinitely, clumps and all! 

Question: How long do you keep dried oregano after its expiration date? 

Most readers responded: Keep it indefinitely—herbs don’t go bad!

Question: How long do you keep maple syrup after its expiration date?

Most readers responded: Keep it indefinitely. 

Question: How long do you keep deli turkey after its expiration date? 

Most readers responded: Toss if it fails the smell test (but “toss on expiration date” was a close second). 

Oh hey, speaking of expiration dates, remember the time me, Justine, and Emily accidentally consumed an expired country fried steak? Watch below!