What do you think????

[momof2joys]

I was just helping a friend clean her house and we were going through her cupboards and found that there were several things that were expired (within a year), so she asked if I wanted them I said sure. She gave me like 4 boxes of Rice a Roni, some instant potatoes, fruits snacks, granola bars, a box of cereal, some instant puddings and jello, some Crystal Lite, Alfredo sauce (this is actually good until sometime in 2009), pancake mix, popcorn, Capri Sun juice pouches, cake mix, peanut butter, a box of instant rice, and a few other odds and ends. Plus she gave me some lotions and perfumes, and body sprays (the little travel size) from Victoria Sercret and bath and body works. I also got some hair spray, mouth wash (brand new and unopened), brand new baby body wash, and a few other HBA items. She has very sensitive skin and can't use the mouth wash because of the alcohol in it makes her swell up.

So my question is with the food, it should all be okay to eat right?? None of it has been over a year expired and everything is unopened, brand new, and in boxes or cans. I was thinking it should be fine, but I wasn't sure, what do you think, it's okay to eat or not?? I would hate to throw out all this food if it's still okay to eat.

[Luv2BeFrugal]

Don't eat expired pancake mix. It can be very dangerous.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

[Momto2Boyz]

Here is a site that might guide you on what is safe to still eat and what isn't!

http://www.expiredfoods.net/guidetoallexpired.html

[joyofsix]

I would probably eat anything 'dry' and unopened. I wouldn't want it to have been sitting around open. You'll note on the pancake mix story, it was an allergy that killed the guy, not the mix itself and it was open letting moisture in. Just my $.02. YMMV

[TexasPeanut]

The rice a roni, instant potatoes and rice should be fine since they are "dried" type of foods, I've eaten things like that, that were in my pantry for almost a year and a half. The granola bars and cereal will probably be a bit stale tasting really. And I have found out by experience that jello, pudding mixes, cakes mixes and such tend to sometimes not rise well or set well when older. (pudding will tend to get watery quickly) Everything else should be okay I would think unless you have an allergy to mold to let moisture get into the pancake mix. But I personally wouldn't touch the juice pouches after expiration.

[justpeachy92]

For me it would depend on wording on the packaging. If it says best if used by whatever date, I would try it. If it says expired on whatever date I would toss it.

[momof2joys]

Thanks everyone, the juice is actually only expired by a few weeks. Thanks for the websites, I am going to check it out!!

[Edna_E]

Use your nose. Anything that has oils in it might get rancid, but you should be able to smell that. Also, check the condition of cans. If the metal is deteriorating, don't use it.

[Darlene]

Call me an adventurer, I'd eat anything on that list.

[RetiredVeryEarly]

I checked out the website on expired foods, found it unhelpful. Their advice, for those who didn't look, is that if it says the food is past the expired date you should throw it out. Unless there is something wrong with the can itself, anything canned is edible for years past that date. Now it is possible that the texture or appearance will deteriorate, but if it was safe to eat in the first place, i.e., processed properly and not full of some chemical from China, it will still be safe. Packaged goods should be fine if it is not long after the expired date, they come up with that date for the food to still be in great condition, but it should be edible for a long time afterwards. Things with oil can go rancid and some things can get stale (I think a bag of potato chips would be ucky a year after the expired date) but still it wouldn't be unsafe. You just might not want to eat it.

[brainyblonde]

Check the dry goods for weevils before you cook them, especially the Rice A Roni that is loose in the box. I just tossed a pkg of skillet potatoes when I saw weevils in the sealed bag. Yuck-o!