# Was this chicken toxic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2019, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468 "2019-06-13T10:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/1 "2019-06-13T10:38:27Z")
I recently bought a pre-cooked chicken product from a reputable supermarket. (I’ve eaten it many times before.) As usual, it came in a sealed container and I stored it in the fridge. I left it for one day after its ‘eat by…’ date. When I took it out, the plastic top had swollen (presumably due to some gas being emitted internally.) I didn’t want to risk anything, so I threw it away. What was the likely problem? Would it have been unsafe to eat? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/2 "2019-06-13T11:27:35Z")
The likely cause of the swelling was gasses produced by bacteria, which may or may not be harmful. Better safe than sorry I think. As for the date; without the swelling, I would have eaten it at one or two days over, but made very sure that it was thoroughly heated. Even if the supermarket and their suppliers are fully compliant with all the rules on temperature, and your fridge is keeping the contents below 39F there are still some unknowns. In particular, the journey between the store and your fridge. It’s also possible that the packaging was compromised in some way. It may be worth buying a fridge thermometer and checking the internal temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/3 "2019-06-13T18:38:49Z")
Yes, if the container is bulging, out it goes. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/4 "2019-06-14T08:06:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, if the container is bulging, out it goes. > > Regards, > Shodan That’s my rule of thumb, too. I’ve pretty much stopped buying bags of potato chips altogether… ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/5 "2019-06-14T11:22:10Z")
This is what separates the people who have had food poisoning from those who haven’t! ☹ Throwing out some “iffy” chicken is a small sacrifice to the possible death throes that could ensue from eating it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/6 "2019-06-14T13:31:13Z")
God, yes. You did right. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-chicken-toxic/835468/7 "2019-06-14T13:46:26Z")
I throw out food well before the arbitrary ‘eat by’ date, and mainly avoid packaged foods that could spoil. It’s not worth taking a chance. With the kids gone it’s harder to shop for just the two of us though, the kids were massive consumers of leftovers, i didn’t need to work out how much of anything we’d consume in a short time, nothing lasted a long time.