# Today I ate pancake syrup that expired 06/08/10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948 "2010-07-25T15:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/21 "2010-07-25T19:10:59Z")
My actual maple syrup says to refrigerate after opening, although I know that not all things that say that require it. The fake stuff I think outlasts the cockroaches. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/22 "2010-07-25T19:12:34Z")
I drank a Diet Pepsi that had expired for about a decade once. I think I’m still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/23 "2010-07-25T19:14:16Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Mom also said we can’t get real maple syrup for it is $5 for a little bottle If you’re not using real maple syrup then it doesn’t matter. “Pancake syrup” is just poorly flavored Karo. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/24 "2010-07-25T22:32:37Z")
This weekend I am mad at Costco as I just realized that two things I bought from their chilled fresh food case (some queso and another dip) on 6/19 had a **use by** (not sell by) date of 6/27. Caveat emptor, and all, but who keeps stuff in stock that has only a one day remaining window to use? Because of the possibly-perishable ingredients, I don’t think I’m going to risk salvaging/eating them. I got through the ham with a 7/30 sell-by date last night, and will go to work on the Indian food that’s good for another month or two in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/25 "2010-07-25T22:35:50Z")
You magnificent beast, you. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [July 25, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/26 "2010-07-25T23:22:09Z")
> [@](#): > > This weekend I am mad at Costco as I just realized that two things I bought from their chilled fresh food case (some queso and another dip) on 6/19 had a use by (not sell by) date of 6/27. Caveat emptor, and all, but who keeps stuff in stock that has only a one day remaining window to use? I fail to see how 6/27 minus 6/19 is a one-day window. To the OP, the only way I can conceive of any syrup (genuine maple or otherwise) going bad is if it’s moldy, and mold is visible. If you didn’t see any mold, it was all right, no matter what it said on the datestamp. It’s too high a concentration for anything to survive actually in it, so it’s only the surface you need to worry about. Now, it’s conceivable that the complex compounds (natural or artificial) that give it the maple flavor might break down (on their own, not as a result of biological action). But that’s still safe, it just won’t taste as mapley. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/27 "2010-07-26T00:31:06Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I store mine in the fridge because I found white mold on it one time. (This is for real maple syrup, not the fake stuff, which probably never goes bad.) I guess I don’t use it up quickly enough. Except for the mold, I doubt real maple syrup actually goes bad. Probably a silly question, but are you sure it was mold, and not just dehydrated a little, creating maple sugar? ---
**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:** [July 26, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/28 "2010-07-26T01:11:52Z")
I’ve seen mold in maple syrup kept in the cupboard, but it was sort of a bunch of green specs floating in it. In general, though, mold is unusual – sugar is, after all, a preservative. In this case it may have been more watery than usual. The [expiration date is meaningless](http://www.slate.com/id/2244249/): > [@Slate](#): > > Expiration dates are intended to inspire confidence, but they only invest us with a false sense of security. The reality is that the onus lies with consumers to judge and maintain the freshness and edibility of their food—by checking for offensive slime, rank smells, and off colors. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/29 "2010-07-26T01:16:41Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I drank a Diet Pepsi that had expired for about a decade once. I think I’m still alive. You’re only mostly dead… ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/30 "2010-07-26T01:42:34Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > It had been in the fridge > > am I going to die August 6th is still about two weeks away. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/31 "2010-07-26T01:48:05Z")
you know what i am tired as heck of you day/month/year guys always hijacking my topics. If you don’t have anything constructive to add you don’t have to be a jerk about my dating convention of choice. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/32 "2010-07-26T01:51:31Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > you know what i am tired as heck of you day/month/year guys always hijacking my topics. If you don’t have anything constructive to add you don’t have to be a jerk about my dating convention of choice. Lighten up, Francis. It’s all in good fun. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/33 "2010-07-26T01:53:17Z")
It’s not fun for me ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/34 "2010-07-26T02:07:14Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > It’s not fun for me Sorry, mate, didnae mean to piss you off. Did it taste okay? I’ve never had it go off on me, but we usually finish it in less than a month. My Father in Law used to make it - I’ll ask if he’s ever seen a bad bottle… ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/35 "2010-07-26T02:11:18Z")
It tasted fine. It wasn’t real maple syrup. It was high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavorings (which I assume is not what your Father in Law used to make). edit: my fault I am too easily offended by things ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/36 "2010-07-26T03:14:57Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > It had been in the fridge > > am I going to die If you had previously opened the syrup, then it went bad long before 06/08/10. It was “good” until 06/08/10 only if it was unopened until 06/08/10. Once you open a bottle of food and break the seal, and contaminate it, and expose it to air and water and pancake crumbs and who knows what else, then it doesnt last that long in an opened condition. For example, if I buy a can of evaporated milk with an expiration date of 06/08/12 and if I open it today, it is not going to last for the next 2 years. And Yes, as the other poster said, you **are** going to die. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/37 "2010-07-26T03:32:23Z")
For lunch today, I made a sandwich from the last 2 slices of this $5 sourdough loaf which I accidentially bought a couple days ago. There was some black substance on it, which was getting all over the plate. I didn’t think too much of it, until I took a bite and tasted one of the most horrid things of my life. Upon further inspection, there was also a tiny bit of green mold on the slice, which was enough to convince me not to eat it. What the hell was that black stuff though??? I’m not dead yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/38 "2010-07-26T03:37:19Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > No. But you are now Canadian. So it’s worse than death. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/39 "2010-07-26T03:39:18Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > What the hell was that black stuff though??? > > I’m not dead yet. Mold spores. Oh, and - There’s plenty of time… ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948/40 "2010-07-26T04:44:34Z")
Pure maple syrup is supposed to be refrigerated. That “stuff” they sell as maple-flavored-syrup can stay in the cabinet just fine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-i-ate-pancake-syrup-that-expired-06-08-10/547948.md?page=3)