Do you check expiration date on all items?

Nope. I live on the edge. I look and sniff and stuff, but mostly the stuff I buy I then freeze, so the expiration date doesn’t mean much.

On creamy type stuff I do. Like mayo, dressings, etc.
Other stuff, no.

Nope. I hate wasting food. I try to eat what i buy. If I can’t it goes in the freezer so I can eat it another day/month year.

Religiously when shopping. Once I own it I’m less circumspect. Dairy products and meat get special scrutiny. But I’ve acquired the habit over the years of inspecting anything packaged and edible for expiration dates.

I check dairy products when I buy them, but other than that, no. I don’t buy a lot of stuff to store, so I buy things to eat promptly or that have a long shelf life.

Every so often I clean out my cupboard and “that shelf” in the refrigerator; I shock myself at how old some stuff is.

Not as often as I should, particularly when they are in my own refrigerator. And with milk, I don’t even bother because I sniff the bottle each time I open it.

Pretty much. I live with people with compromised immune systems at my house, and have close friends and relatives who can’t take chances.

I don’t mind reading dates and labels. I am a vegetarian, so I’m used to it.

I live in a remote small town.
Half the items on the local grocers shelves are past expiration date posted.
I need to check everything.

Yes, I do. I can’t see mine, but it is coming up soon.

I once opened a box of cornbread mix, and it had live mealworms in it. Now I am careful about the dates on everything.

Not really. I use things as I buy them so it isn’t a problem. I sometimes check expiry dates in the supermarket to be sure I get the most fresh.

@Patty_Melt unfortunately worms (the larva of pantry moths and flour beetles) can get into any food stuffs even if they are within the expiration date. We have been battling pantry moths for almost 2 years now, and we got them from the grocery store. Once they are mobile they can fly around and land on a box of cereal in your grocery cart, crawl under a flap, and come home with you.

We thought we finally had the pantry moths beat last week. Then we discovered a new hatch in the chimney of all places! It was cold last night so we lit a hot fire and hopefully at least those guys are gone!

It depends ion what the item is. Some things are OK for a little while after they expire.

And a little confusion to throw in the mix: Most of the stuff in sores is the Sell By date, not the day when it will be considered too old.

Milk kept properly refrigerated is considered to be “good” for five days after the date on the carton.

Not generally, no, but it depends on what the item actually is. Usually I’m not too much of a puritan with expiration dates as long as it isn’t blatantly rotten.

My D-I-L checks dates on everything. She has even been know to throw stuff out of our refrigerator if it is out of date.

^^Is that a complain?~

No, not really. I would probably not have noticed that they were out of date (because, obviously I did not care). Did ask her to tell me before she did so however.

No because as is rather well documented, we have staff for that.

I check about 95% probably. I won’t buy an expired item from the supermarket, or something past it’s sell by date. I don’t automatically throw out food that is past the dates in my house though. It depends what it is and how far past the date. If milk still smells and tastes good then it’s good, although if it’s more than a week past the date I’d probably still throw it at that point. Eggs I use past the date all the time. I do the water test. Bread I use past the date also, especially if it has already been moved to the fridge.

Note: if your sense of snell is diminished it really creates a problem, it can be downright dangerous. As people age this sense can become less accuse just like eyesight and hearing. Not that you have to be older to have a bad sense of smell, I’m just making a general statement. Sense of taste also lessons over time, even separate from the sense of smell, but of course sense of smell plays an important role in taste too.

As long as it’s remained cold, pasteurized milk that’s gone sour is still safe to use in cooking and baking.