# How old can that jar of salsa be and still be safe to eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323 "2001-07-13T04:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/1 "2001-07-13T04:18:55Z")
We’ve got a jar of salsa in the fridge. Damn if anyone can remember who opened it and when. I remember it sitting there for at least 6 weeks now, maybe longer. My personality is to say screw it, and throw it out. But I’m hungry for some chips & salsa, and I’m too tired (awright, lazy:rolleyes:)to go buy another jar right now. It smells ok. I don’t see any mold. It tastes ok. Is there any rule of thumb on this stuff? I figure the acid in the tomatoes will fight off food poisoning for a while. But how long? ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/2 "2001-07-13T04:48:35Z")
Dude! Just eat it. I’m sure it’s good. Only six weeks? If it’s even mildly potent stuff, it’ll still be good. Take pictures if anything bad happens. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![TexasSpur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/3 "2001-07-13T04:50:40Z")
Just eat it. I just finished eating hot sauce that was probably in the fridge for 2 months. No ill effects yet. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/4 "2001-07-13T04:56:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer \* > \*\*Take pictures if anything bad happens.–Tim \*\* Ha ha. I just remembered when it was opened. We bought it in a store when we were on vacation in Minnesota on Thursday, May 24th. We opened it in the hotel. Why my wife packed it to bring home I don’t know. So it’s not quite 2 months old. It taste ok. But there is so much crud under the lid. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/5 "2001-07-13T07:32:42Z")
The crud is just dried stuff. I always eat salsa and stuff like that as long as it’s not past the expiration date. My rule of thumb is that if I just ate something by mistake that I think has gone bad I chase it down with a vitamin C pill. That acid has gotta kill some germs. ---
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-can-that-jar-of-salsa-be-and-still-be-safe-to-eat/72323/6 "2001-07-13T07:47:16Z")
The most powerful acid you could comfortably look for to kill those germs is your stomach gastric juice.If you still get food poisoning,then only battery acid will work.😉