So, I have this can of fruit cocktail, which I inherited from a former roommate. I do not like and will not eat canned fruit cocktail, so it’s been sitting around for some time. The “Best By” date is this month. At work, there is a food donation bin for a local food bank.
Should I donate this can? On the one hand, it feels kind of like donating stained clothing to the Salvation Army. On the other hand, it’s not bad yet. Seems like a waste to throw it away, and it seems… cheap to give it.
It could be a month or two before it finds its way to a needy family. Dump it.
Or send it my way.
Are you kidding?
Somewhere, (even if not so much right here in the USA) there are hundreds of thousands, even millions of people who would be thrilled to have that can of fruit cocktail, and throwing away perfectly good food is NEVER a good thing…
If you promise me you will donate it, I will donate 5 extra cans of food, on your behalf, to my local food drive later this afternoon. (seriously)
It’s probably a “best by” date, which means it can still be edible for several months. If the food bank doesn’t want it, they can discard it.
Some people aren’t picky about taste… I’ve seen my brothers – or for that matter, my husband – eat things that I wouldn’t want in my house. 
It could also be used in a fruit cake or something like that.
As someone who has had to rely on food donations in the past, I can say it’s not that unusual to receive canned goods that are a month or two out of date. On some occasions I’ve gotten food as old as 6 months past the best buy date.
As long as the can isn’t dented or bulging, it should be ok to eat, so I say donate it.
That is very generous of you, but totally not necessary (to convince me, that is).
I think I just wanted a few people to tell me I was being silly. It’s getting donated (along with some other stuff).
Expiration dates on processed foods (including canned goods) are more about marketing than food quality.
Donate it. Or consume it, buy a new can and donate the new can.
Happy to do it; Our family has been meaning to take some food down to one of our collection centers anyway, and I will just put in some extras, as apparently there is plenty of need around here…
I used to think so, until I opened a can of cream-based soup that had gone bad. No dents or bulges and it still had a month to go.
I wouldn’t donate it. Canned fruit cocktail is mostly sugar anyway, isn’t it?
My guess is that the food bank will dump it. When I’ve volunteered at our local ones, the rule of thumb was to err on the side of caution. If they end up dumping it anyway, all you’ve done is created a little more work for them.
In a NZ context, “Best Before” indicates when the quality may begin to change. It is not a safety issue. Food can be sold beyond its “Best Before” date provided it is still fit for consumption. Reference from NZ MAF site. So the can isn’t expiring, it is just after the Best before date. With canned fruit it would usually be things like the colour or texture starting to fade or deteriorate.
Mostly. There’s a bit of fiber and non-sugar carbohydrates as well (nutrition info says the can has 3.5 servings of: 5% of daily carb intake, 4% of daily fiber). It’s packed in fruit juice, rather than syrup, so it’s somewhat less than normal. It’s a dessert, but it’s probably one that’s healthier than a candy bar or ice cream.
I just absent-mindedly ate a bag of chips with a best by October 2011 date. They were delicious. I would donate it.
Doesn’t it feel cheap to donate near-expired (or best buy) food?
I’ve helped volunteer at a local food bank here, and their policy is to throw away anything past the date stamped on the can, whether it’s “best by” or “expires on” or what. But it’s really not creating that much extra work to donate one can just in case they can use it, so I’d probably go ahead. If it was a couple of crates of expired food, I’d say to call the food bank first to see if they’d take it.
While I would personally have no qualms about eating recently-past-the-best-by-date canned goods, I would not donate them. Assuming that it would actually be distributed and not merely discarded at cost, depending on the food bank can depressing enough without finding a tin that’s a discard - and many people think that a can that’s past its expiry date is going to be deadly poison or something.
Donate. Worst that happens is that some food bank employee/volunteer will toss it. It won’t become toxic in January. If you’re concerned, you can ask an employee if it matters.