The fridge and freezer of shame

[Headers]

I have just opened a red top bottle of milk that was hiding in the back of my fridge. DLC 1/09 !
It tastes absolutely fine.
How do they do that? A bottle of milk lasting so long after the DLC?

It’s about to be turned into an experimental apricot ice cream with a pack of frozen apricots that I put in the freezer in 2019.

[Hotrodder]

Should be OK. When they found a Siberian mammoth defrosting a while back, it was still in good nick.

[Lori]

Same with most medications. They remain safe and effective long after the DLC.

We often eat foods that are past their use by dates. I'm careful with dairy and meats. If there is no mold and they don't smell bad, I'll eat them.

[exile]

Use by and best before dates have to have a significant margin of safety. They are likely to be quite edible and safe to eat well after the date posted.

However they are there for a purpose and while the nose and eyes are a good test of whether an out of date product is still safe or not, you will not necessarily detect every hazard.

Without wishing to scare anyone, bugs such as E coli, listeria, clostridium botulinum may be present at very low levels but may multiply over time so that post the use by date their levels could become unpleasant. They may not in themselves cause the product to look or smell off.

Having said that I also have happily and knowingly consumed goods after the' use by date. Consuming out of date "best before" is less likely to be a safety issue than "use by"

[Loup-garou]

If there is no mold and they don't smell bad, I'll eat them.

Better keep my shoes and socks on if I visit your house!

[widge]

If there is no mold and they don't smell bad, I'll eat them.

Surely that discounts some of the best cheeses

[Lori]

Surely that discounts some of the best cheeses

I have to admit, I'm not keen on some of those really smelly cheeses. I shudder to think what they must smell like by the time they go bad.