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A Cleveland Clinic dietitian is cutting through the confusion around food expiration dates — and her advice may surprise you.
Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, says that most expiration labels are not the final word on whether food is safe to eat. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "expiration dates are actually more about quality than they are about food safety."
Kirkpatrick explains that "sell by" dates are mainly a guide for grocery stores, while "best by" dates are about taste and texture — not safety. So a cracker that's past its best-by date might not taste as good, but it's not necessarily dangerous to eat.
Instead of relying on the label, Kirkpatrick says your eyes and nose are your best tools. She advises checking food for changes in texture, color, or smell, and looking for any signs of mold. "If any of that seems unusual, it's time to toss," she said.
Perishable items — like meat, eggs, and dairy — deserve the closest attention. As reported by WKBN, Kirkpatrick warned, "Any place where you have an environment where bacteria can grow leads to the most probability that you could become ill after having that product. Typically, when bacteria has grown, we will see it or we might smell it."
Not all expiration dates are created equal, though. Kirkpatrick says some products carry strict expiration guidelines that should always be followed — no exceptions. Infant formula is one of them. Even if it looks and smells fine after its expiration date, it should be thrown away immediately. The Cleveland Clinic notes that baby formula is one of the only products where federal guidelines treat expiration dates as a true safety concern, not just a quality marker.
For most other foods, the general rule is simple: if it looks off, smells off, or feels off, throw it out. When in doubt, don't eat it.