Public service for expiration dates

The HuffingtonPost has an article giving the amount of time past the "best by" (or"Sell by") dates on food that they should still be safe to eat.  This at times has been  a point of contention in my household.

As a public service, I'm putting all 23 foods in an easy-to-read list, so it can be seen here rather than having to click through each picture. 

The article provides links to other sites that provide information on more foods.  EatByDate appears to be pretty good.


Ketchup:  Six months, refrigerated

Olive oil:  18-24 months, refrigerated or not

Eggs, Raw, in-shell:   3-5 weeks

Milk:  1 week.  In my experience, skim goes bad before whole.

Yogurt:  7-10 days past Sell By date - refrigeration expected, of course

Mayonnaise:  at least 2-3 months, refrigerated. This does not apply to picnics!

Peanut butter:  3 months pantry, 3 more months refrigerated.  About the worst that happens is oil separation.

Pickles:  1 year!  (also olives and capers in brine)

Soy or almond milk:  same as regular milk

Sour cream:  two weeks, covered in refrigerator

Vinegar:  never spoils

Honey:  never spoils

Store-bought mustard:  1-2 years

Whipped cream, 3 months;  Cool Whip, 7-10 days (after thaw)

Butter:  2 weeks.  Frozen butter:  9 months.

Liquid cream:  5-7 days.   Liquid coffee creamer (my own experience):  3-4 weeks.

Ground coffee:  3-5 months.  Whole bean coffee:  6 months.

Dry pasta: 1-2 years.

Deli meats - this is one that frequently comes up, so I'm quoting:
"Packaged lunch meats last about 7-10 days longer than the best by date,  whereas fresh meats will last around 5-6 days. Salami and pepperoni  last much longer -- around 2-3 weeks."

But the problem is:  is the date stamped on the store-bought package of  fresh deli meat a "Best by" or "Sell By" date?   Either way, it's usually the day it's bought, so I'm going with "Sell By" - which might mean a couple of more days than anything with a "Best By" date.  I.e., if I bought deli ham and the date on the package is the day of purchase, I would figure that the Best By date is at least two days after that, so that gives me 7-8 days from date of purchase on the fresh deli ham.  NOW, ham is made to be less perishable than, say, roast beef or chicken, so I'd be more forgiving toward deli ham than deli roast beef or chicken.

Syrup:  never spoils, according to the article.  (But mold sometimes forms on top -- and can be skimmed off).

Tea:  6 months to a year

Spices:  2-3 years.  But in my experience, an opened half-used container of just about any spice is not as strong as something just opened.


I hope that this helps reduce some contention in YOUR household.