12 ingredients that last longer than you think

Did you know that an average Swedish family with children throws away food worth between 50€ and 100€ every month? One of the main reasons is that they think the food is no longer suitable to eat since the “best before”, “sell by”, “enjoy by” or expiration date has passed.

The EU is now considering dismantling the “best before” date labeling for certain food items. Currently the “best before” date is determined by the food manufacturer and they are reluctant to push the date forward to something that is more aligned with the reality. One of the reasons is that we, as consumers, consider products with longer dates as “unfresh”.

Another reason is that a shorter date will result in more products sold due to more products thrown away by the grocery stores or by us, consumers. There is a lot we, as consumers, can do to reduce this unnecessary food waste and at the same time, save money. For example having knowledge of what is safe to eat and how to know when it is really time to throw food away.

I have always considered myself and my family very good at not wasting food and using up all the food we have, but I was still impressed to find out about these 12 simple facts.

Check out how long these 12 ingredients actually last. All you need to know is listed here: 

Jam, marmalade, jelly The only thing that could happen after the best before date is that sugar can crystallize. Sometimes jam can go moldy but if it is a jam with normal sugar content, then mold can be poked away with some space around it and the rest is perfectly safe to eat. Lightly sugared or sugar-free jams that turn moldy must be discarded.
Cereals, muesli The rule of thumb is that dried foods, such as cereals, last for a very long time. Since there is no water, there is no friendly environment for microorganisms such as mold or bacteria. When the flakes taste more like dust than flake, it's time for the trash.
Mustard Mustard lasts year after year even if the packaging says otherwise. However, mustard left lying around dries out slowly. It can be fixed by stirring in a little water when you think that consistency needs it.
Bottled water Keeping carbonated water for a long time can reduce the carbon dioxide in the bottle but there is no bacterial growth in a sealed bottle.
Eggs In Sweden all eggs are stamped with the “best before” date 28 days after laying. But they will last at least another month and if an egg has gone bad then you will know when you crack the egg.
Milk If the milk is kept cold and unopened it can survive for several weeks after the “best before” date. If it is opened in the fridge, it still has several days longer than the date indicates. Old milk is not dangerous to drink but tastes sour.
Coffee Coffee manufacturers usually put expiration date after one year without any reason. According to coffee wholesaler Arvid Nordquist not even the most critical coffee connoisseurs can find any flavor change after two years.
Hams Ham is not dangerous to eat after the “best before” date. It will start to taste bad once lactic acid bacteria start to grow. It is clear from the smell when food has gone sour.
Yoghurt and soured milk It's almost impossible for yogurt or soured milk to be too old, no matter what it says on the package. It is the lactic acid bacteria that help with the preservation. However, yoghurt with fruits may become moldy eventually.
Bread Fresh bread certainly taste the best but nothing dangerous happens to older bread other than that it can get moldy and you can obviously see that. Then you know it’s time to throw it away.
Cheese Cheese just gets better the older it gets, and there's no reason to worry about a cheese that has been stored in the fridge for a while. If it happens to mold then it is fine to cut away the mold with good margin and continue eating the rest.
Juice The only thing that can happen with juice over time is that it begins to ferment. It is not dangerous, and whether you like it or not is a matter of taste.

 

Another 3 ingredients:

Chocolate:

There’s almost no water in chocolate, and there’s sugar that conserves it. If your chocolate gets a whitish surface it is nothing dangerous, it is just a sign that it is not fresh anymore

Canned food:

In case the canned food is kept unopened and undamaged, it can last for several years. In case it did turn bad then you will know by smelling it.

Butter:

Since there’s hardly no water in butter it is hard for bacteria to grow. However if the butter is kept outside of the fridge and in contact with air a lot, then it will turn rancid easier.

 

Here’s a site called “Eat by date” where you can find more detailed information on a lot of other ingredients

Read our blog post on “5 ways to reduce your food waste”

Sources: Mats Lindblad, microbiologist at the Swedish National Food Administration (Livsmedelsverket) and Karin Ahlborg, journalist at Aftonbladet (Swedish newspaper)