WEBlue

Quick question to solve a big argument here. The husband & I are helping clear out a house of a relative who's passed away here in the US.


We've heaved out loads of expired food from ancient times. The husband found a few sealed (unopened obviously) jars of Branston pickle at the back of a cupboard, one to be sold by 2002 & one 2012. He claims pickles can survive well beyond their sell by dates. So he wants to keep (& eat) the second.

This has caused a family firestorm! Granted the sacrilege that this relative did NOT consume her Branston pickle in a timely manner.... Would you dare to eat that second BP?

Rete

No, I wouldn't if it is past the expiration date. However, since it the SELL BY DATE you are speaking of, why don't you just contact Branston Pickle Company online and ask them.

BEVS

I'd be sorely tempted.

Give it the sniff test first.

Nutmegger

If it was something pickled in vinegar, perhaps, but I would not eat Branson more than two years after its sell by date (and only if unopened and stored at an even cool temperature). You don't really know the history of these jars.

Twinkle0927

Is it vacuum sealed? The type with the circle in the top that pops up once it has been opened? If so I definitely would. Even if not then I probably would. I ate a jar of jam from the 1980s a few years ago and lived to tell the tale.

Nutmegger

But you can get Branston in any supermarket in CT (at least in my area) for around $5. Is it really worth the risk, however small, to eat something that could be tainted?

WEBlue

Thanks for your input, everyone!


It turns out the Husband misspoke--the date is a plain date stamp with neither "Use by" nor "Sell by" in front of it. Just the month & year: Dec 2012.


I have put the question to Branston's Facebook page. But won't they most likely tell me to follow the date stamp & toss it out? What's the use of a company stamping their products if they turn round & tell customers it's OK to ignore said dates?


Anyway, hubby has used this page to bolster his argument:
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/questio...7110646AAWg38T


It's supposedly about how long to keep opened BP in the fridge, but some responses say they never keep opened ones in the fridge & eat them long after the date stamp, so he thinks he's justified in saying it's safe to eat lol.

Nutmegger

LOL -- I hope he's not going by the dates on that page as it seems to indicate the posts were made a decade ago!

WEBlue

Ha, you've made my husband happy, BEVS!

Hmmm, vinegar is the third ingredient, after chopped vegetables and sugar....

Yes! Both have the properly depressed (sealed) central circles on their tops. (Not that even the H is wanting to try the 2002 one thank goodness.)


Lol at your jar of jam, Twinkle. I too have eaten--with no ill effects--fairly out-of-date condiments....

It's not that easy to find in my area, actually, but the small jars are intermittently available. This is a huge jar, 620 gms. Hard to resist, says my frugal husband....

WEBlue

Yes, he is! He doesn't care how old the thread is, says the principle is sound.

Now he's almost talked another relative into sharing a few cheese & pickle sarnies... IF it passes the sniff test!

Nutmegger

Ah well... ensure the will is up to date, get 911 on speed dial, and over the top!

Weeze

Hilariously this used to be part of my job, keeping the products for a few years and then tasting or testing them as required. You store a few jars of every production batch for a few years after their sell by date. Mostly it's to ensure product safety. Say someone eats a jar and it's in date and says it tastes funny, you want to be able to taste test and microbiological test that particular batch. Same goes for the out of date ones. Just because someone ate it after the date doesn't mean you don't have to test it. It will probably be fine. It wasn't usually for microbiological reasons that the use by date was that. Just the flavor or texture may deteriorate. Saying that though, you can get it everywhere round here now so I wouldn't eat it.

As a side line these are genuinely some of the customer complaints we received;
Your product made my husband divorce me after preparation. (Gave voucher. Said sorry she didn't like product)
I became violently ill after eating a jar of your product on chips (it was an extremely strong marinade. Directions were a jar would make 10 portions and it was supposed to be cooked)
Your product contains mold bits (that would be herbs. It has in chopped herbs)

zzrmark

Sounds like the perfect accompaniment to a nice chunk of 'Stinking Bishop'.

Definitely give it the 'sniff' test first and then the 'tentative finger dip' test before slathering on a good chunk of bread and cheese.

Dorothy

First rule of grade 7 Home Economics: If in doubt, throw it out.

(However I personally would eat it)

mrken30

I have eaten Branston way past its date and still here to tell the tale. I used to eat Army rations that had no date on and I survived. Some of those were 10 years old probably. It it is just month and year, it is a best by date. I just finished a bag of jerky that was 3 years past its date and it tasted fine. I would have been more concerned about that.

Smell, taste a little, if it tastes fine it is probably safe, especially if its unopened.

Sell by dates are just for middle class white people.

From CNN

"Use by" and "Best by": These dates are intended for consumer use, but are typically the date the manufacturer deems the product reaches peak freshness. It's not a date to indicate spoilage, nor does it necessarily signal that the food is no longer safe to eat.

"Sell by": This date is only intended to help manufacturers and retailers, not consumers. It's a stocking and marketing tool provided by food makers to ensure proper turnover of the products in the store so they still have a long shelf life after consumers buy them. Consumers, however, are misinterpreting it as a date to guide their buying decisions. The report authors say that "sell by" dates should be made invisible to the consumer.