Coleslaw 5 days past its date

If you were able to eat it and you didn't know until after the fact that it was older, didn't smell, didn't taste bad etc., that's pretty much a guarantee that you're not going to die or suffer horribly from it. Those dates on packages don't all mean the same thing and vary greatly. The food doesn't just turn poisonous when the clock strikes midnight on the date on the back. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Sell by date or use by date? Most dairy products have sell by dates, if there was sour cream in the dressing, it was probably a sell by date. So, a week after the sell by date is fine and dandy, generally speaking.

I usually eat my coleslaw out of date as I cant eat it all before the date. As long as it smells, looks and tastes ok your fine. Usually can tell straight away that its off as it tastes kind of tangy/fizzy. Also the mayo sometimes starts to separate.

Use by dates are such a supermarket scam to get you to throw perfectly good food away and buy more. I never stick to them, just use judgement on whether food is still good to eat.

Magic_Chicken wrote: »

I usually eat my coleslaw out of date as I cant eat it all before the date. As long as it smells, looks and tastes ok your fine. Usually can tell straight away that its off as it tastes kind of tangy/fizzy. Also the mayo sometimes starts to separate.

Use by dates are such a supermarket scam to get you to throw perfectly good food away and buy more. I never stick to them, just use judgement on whether food is still good to eat.

Wow, that is really cynical.

There are a lot of food-born illnesses caused by food past its good-by date. It isn't a scam, and it's dangerous for immune compromised people, the elderly or children. I do agree that with dairy and meat you can generally tell if they are too old by sight or smell, but why chance it if there is a choice?

Generally, I like the advice of "if in doubt, throw it out!"

Having said that, I usually consume dairy products well after the sell by dates.

I only pay attn to the sell by dates when I'm in the store. After the item is in my frig or pantry, it stays there and I'll eat it regardless of the date on the package as long as it looks, smells and tastes good enough to eat. Doing this has never made me sick.

This includes milk, cheese, sour cream and yogurt. When milk is bad, it's pretty obvious by the smell. An additional test is trying to boil it; spoiled milk will separate when heated as it does when poured into coffee.

For the latter 3, if there's any surface mold on them, I just remove the mold and hit the top of the remainder with scalding hot water for a couple of secs to kill off any additional surface bugs. The remaining product is usually fine to eat in terms of taste & texture. If not, then I'll throw it out.

Waste not, want not.

AnabolicMind2011 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

JennifrClaire wrote: »

Thank god. I have work in the morning. Cannot afford to be up all night kneeling at the porcelain throne.
I appreciate your feedback on this.

well you'll soon find out.....

Yep she should know very soon

She will be fine for 31 minutes. She will be dead in 32 minutes.

Why Food Date Labels Don't Mean What You Think

She ate the coleslaw 6 or 7 days ago ... and hasn't been back into this thread to update us ...

I retract my previous advice.

Thoughts go out to OP's family and friends.