# Drinking milk past 'use buy' date - is it safe? (Fast answers appreciated!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060 "2020-05-03T11:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/41 "2020-05-04T22:35:50Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > If I buy my milk as soon as it hit the shelves (over 10 days before the stamped date) and store in in my very cold fridge ( I usually keep mine right above freezing, at 34F or so), it lasts WAY longer than the stamped date. > Storage temperatures make a huge difference. As does buying the freshest carton on the shelf. Pre-pandemic, I always checked the expiration date of several cartons before picking the freshest one, which was usually way in the back. It’s a habit I’ve recently broken. I do that. I also leave the milk as the very last thing to get when I’m in the supermarket and then I go directly to the register. No wandering all over the store with a milk carton in the cart. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/42 "2020-05-06T04:24:22Z")
The date on the milk is probably not the use by date but the pull date. If the container on the store has reached it pull date it should be moved off the shelf and returned to the supplier. It should not go bad the day after the pull date, but should be good for at least 7 days. Now if the milk has been left out and warmed up then put back in the refer the the go bad date will be sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/43 "2020-05-06T15:46:18Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > The date on the milk is probably not the use by date but the pull date. If the container on the store has reached it pull date it should be moved off the shelf and returned to the supplier. That’s true of some things (that have “sell by” dates), but it doesn’t seem to be true of milk, at least in my area. In my experience, the milk I buy in the store typically has around 2 weeks until it reaches the “best by” date stamped on the jug. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/44 "2020-05-07T06:06:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That’s true of some things (that have “sell by” dates), but it doesn’t seem to be true of milk, at least in my area. > > In my experience, the milk I buy in the store typically has around 2 weeks until it reaches the “best by” date stamped on the jug. That is as it should be. If the store is not moving the milk fast enough it might approach the pull date. But when it 1srt arrives at the store the pull date should be at least 2 weeks. That is why you are seeing the pull date around 2 weeks. That milk should still good for over a week after the pull date. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/45 "2020-05-08T18:13:26Z")
…in no small part due to these “\ by” dates that folks take as meaningful. Homeless shelters won’t even take canned goods past their “best by” dates, which is insane. I’ve seen “Best by” dates on HONEY–the food that never spoils, and expiration dates on calcium carbonate tablets: what are they gonna do, turn back into oysters!!! I often find a container of yogurt in the back of the fridge that’s gone hiding. Six months past “best by” date, it’s always fine unless, of course, the container was breached earlier. \ ---
**Author:** ![japastor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@japastor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japastor)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/46 "2020-05-08T19:36:47Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Do you like milk that much? I can’t remember the last time I drank milk. It’s been years. I think I really only ever consumed it when having cereal, but since I don’t ever buy cereal, I never get milk. It’s not that I hate it or anything. It’s just not something I ever think to buy. And I don’t miss it. Is it worth it to you to make special trips to the store just for milk? Have you ever considered not buying milk? Do you get it because you like it that much, or because it’s just a habit and something that you’ve always had in the fridge? Just curious. This is very off-topic and pretty irrelevant. If I were the moderator, I’d kill it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/47 "2020-05-08T23:11:58Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > …in no small part due to these “\ by” dates that folks take as meaningful. Homeless shelters won’t even take canned goods past their “best by” dates, which is insane. I’ve seen “Best by” dates on HONEY–the food that never spoils, and expiration dates on calcium carbonate tablets: what are they gonna do, turn back into oysters!!! > > I often find a container of yogurt in the back of the fridge that’s gone hiding. Six months past “best by” date, it’s always fine unless, of course, the container was breached earlier. > > \ Because there IS some food out there that can make you sick if it’s expired. Then it’s not a waste, it’s a health hazard. You generally can’t eat moldy food. Bread mold can make you very sick. I once opened a can of cat food that I didn’t realize was outdated and it was covered in mold. No way I was giving that to my poor cat. Yes, there ARE exceptions. But there is often a reason for those dates. -[Is ‘Expired’ Milk Safe to Drink? Here’s How to Know When to Throw Away Food](https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/is-expired-milk-safe-to-drink-heres-how-to-know-when-to-throw-away-food) -[How Long Can You Leave Milk Out of the Fridge?](https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/uh-oh-who-left-the-milk-out/) -[Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/do-food-expiration-dates-matter#) -[13 Foods You Should Never Eat Past the Expiration Date](https://www.thehealthy.com/food/food-expiration-date/) And while I can see your point about honey, I don’t see why homeless shelters should take food that’s old or expired. A lot of people seem to think of homeless shelters and food banks as places to dump all their unwanted crap, so they don’t feel guilty for throwing it out. Just because they’re poor doesn’t mean they deserve stuff that’s stale and moldy, even if it is safe. If YOU wouldn’t eat it, why should they? Because they’re homeless, they should be grateful for what they should get? That’s a pretty shitty attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/48 "2020-05-08T23:13:44Z")
Yes, food can go bad, and you shouldn’t eat food that’s gone bad. But what does that have to do with the dates printed on the package? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/49 "2020-05-09T00:47:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, food can go bad, and you shouldn’t eat food that’s gone bad. But what does that have to do with the dates printed on the package? Will a child who is 17 years and 364 days old be significantly more traumatized by being abused than one who is 18 years and 1 day old? But you’ve got to draw the line somewhere. Food banks can’t afford to have every donated can or box analyzed by a laboratory to determine if it’s safe, so they have to have some sort of rule to go by. And you know that if a can of food one day past its marked expiration date hurts someone, there will be a lawyer telling a jury how irresponsible they were for using food they had notice was past date. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060/50 "2020-05-09T21:16:14Z")
Regarding milk, I read somewhere that a lot of the determining factor on milk going bad is the highest temperature reached and duration. Oh heck, just check the link from before: > [@](#): > > Keeping milk cold is essential to extending its shelf life. You can help_keep milk fresh longer_by keeping it away from light and by placing it back into your refrigerator immediately after each use. Store milk on an interior refrigerator shelf rather than in the door, where the temperature fluctuates with frequent opening. In addition, opened milk should be stored tightly in its original container as the containers were specifically designed for this purpose. The longer it sits out on the counter or table while you are using it, that is bleeding off life. Also, duration in your buggy at the store and in your car going home. Hot day versus cold day. Milk is intended to be of good quality for 5 to 7 days past the date. Typically it is stamped as a sell by date. > [@Senegoid](#): > > What about the date stamped on meat like ground beef? Is that the date it was packaged? Or the sell-by date? Or the best-used-by date? (Sometimes the label says.) The label needs to say which it is. Otherwise, you’re seeing a packaged date and think it’s a sell by date and it’s already past. > [@](#): > > I saw this :eek: happening at a supermarket once: > > Ground beef was looking a bit old-ish. You can tell it’s been sitting there for a few days because of the juice (a.k.a. blood) that oozed out and sitting all around the corners of the package. It looks kinda gross. > > So there was the meat counter employee, collecting all this old-ish ground beef. One by one, he unwrapped them, put the hunk of ground beef into a new styrofoam pallet, and re-wrapped it with fresh shrink-wrap, and put a brand new label on it with a new date. > > I called him out in that and asked what he was doing. He said the date simply meant the date it was packaged. So if it got a few days old sitting on the shelf, it sufficed to re-package it and put a new label with a new date on it. :smack: Yes, that is inappropriate. That is a money-saving ploy by skanky stores. He may have at it’s root a valid claim. I think stores are supposed to put a “packaged” date to help you see how fresh it is. But the key is that has to be the first packaged date. If it is repackaged for any reason, it should still retain the original date. One time the news did a story where they used hidden cameras to check out various stores. They definitely caught Food Lion doing that and other dubious practices. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-milk-past-use-buy-date-is-it-safe-fast-answers-appreciated/853060.md?page=2)