# Is my juice bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284 "2005-02-04T00:42:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/1 "2005-02-04T00:42:46Z")
I’ve got an unopened (still sealed) quart of tangerine juice. The expiration date was 1/28. Is it going to kill me if I drink it? ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/2 "2005-02-04T00:47:34Z")
No way it’s bad yet. Of course, my GF would never drink anything even a couple days _before_ its expiration date, but then again, she’s nuts. 😛 It’s just juice, and it’s only been a week. Drink it. [sub]Jeez, I wish _I_ had some tangerine juice around. Shoot.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/3 "2005-02-04T00:51:38Z")
Ah, good. That’s what I figured. I would’ve cried if I had to throw it out - partly because it’s expensive and thus a rare treat for me, and also because it’s so tasty. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/4 "2005-02-04T00:54:24Z")
Unopened, it’s almost certainly good. And if it has gone bad, you’d notice the “off” flavor and not drink it. Definitely give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/5 "2005-02-04T01:01:20Z")
Generally speaking, the date on a product isn’t an “expiration date”, _per se_. It’s a “sell-by date”. When it reaches that date, stores aren’t supposed to sell it anymore. However, it’s not expected that people are going to use a product immediately, and it’s impossible to say that **X** product will go bad on a specific date, so the manufacturer is obviously going to err on the side of caution and give a sell-by date that is well ahead of the actual date that the product is expected to go bad. Heck, some products won’t even “go bad”. They just won’t taste as good after sitting around for a long time, and the manufacturer isn’t likely to want people’s experience with their product to be a negative one, so they get a sell-by date. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/6 "2005-02-04T01:02:39Z")
And if you add vodka, it’ll destroy any stray bacteria, right? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/7 "2005-02-04T01:45:32Z")
…and I thought this was going to be a sexually oriented thread. _Dammit._ ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/8 "2005-02-04T02:40:53Z")
> [@Queen Tonya](#): > > And if you add vodka, it’ll destroy any stray bacteria, right? 🆒 Never hurts to play it safe. I Absolutly agree. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/9 "2005-02-04T03:27:05Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Never hurts to play it safe. I Absolutly agree. 😛 Yup, and with alcohol and bacteria remember, More is Deader! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/10 "2005-02-04T05:31:32Z")
You’re all horrible, horrible people, encouraging an 18-year old to drink! And, uh, I’d never take your advice. Unless it was a safety thing, y’know? Don’t wanna get food poisoning. (On topic - I drank some of the juice. No adverse effects yet. I’m also doing what I can to kill any possible malevolant bacteria-folk by consuming an assuredly unhealthy quantity of really hot salsa.) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-juice-bad/288284/11 "2005-02-04T08:29:01Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > You’re all horrible, horrible people, encouraging an 18-year old to drink! > > And, uh, I’d never take your advice. Unless it was a safety thing, y’know? Don’t wanna get food poisoning. > > (On topic - I drank some of the juice. No adverse effects yet. I’m also doing what I can to kill any possible malevolant bacteria-folk by consuming an assuredly unhealthy quantity of really hot salsa.) Salsa and tangerine juice. Nice. Need some Tums?