Some here seem very versed in whether expiration dates on food items can be taken with a grain of salt.

I just opened a jar of Grey Poupon Country Dijon mustard that has a lid date of Nov. 12. This is Nov. 24. It looks and smells okay.
Can I use it for a few days without ill effects?

I don't want to go out tonight to get just a jar of mustard. I'll throw this away tomorrow when I get groceries.

Bear in mind that Grey Poupon is made with white wine, not with vinegar, as with other mustards. That may affect shelf life. ??

OMG. You’re talking weeks here.
It’s ok
I look at the YEAR. It’s mustard. What can grow in mustard?

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“Look life in its iron face”

I just opened a squeeze bottle of Heinz mustard dated to be used by July 2018,
tastes as good as the one I just emptied and was the last of a dozen bottles.

I wouldn't suggest that you do as I do but given the contents I myself would do
it again.

terry

Don’t throw it away: use it!!!!

It’s fine.

T-S:

Yes, it has white wine, but it has vinegar as well. I wouldn’t hesitate to use the whole container. I’m sure that it’s fine. And very good mustard as well. In fact vinegar is the second largest ingredient:

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

If "best used by" dates were that definite, I'd have been deceased decades ago. I'd eat that mustard with a spoon,but then, I love mustard.

Thanks for the quick responses. I'll use it on leftover Spam.

I like sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, Spam, and mustard. A quick, easy snack.

Yeah, with all the vinegar in mustard I'd be surprised if it would grow mold or bacteria. It would probably dry up into a brown crusty lump first.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Ok, wait a minute here. You’re eating Spam and you’re worried about the mustard??

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“Look life in its iron face”

We all survived before these labels.

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No baby we aint

I'd hate say how old my mustard is, but I just used some a week ago for deviled eggs and it didn't kill me.

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Super Snooper

I do not know much more about mustard than how to spread it but look at the obvious. You just broke the seal on a canned food. They are sterilized with heat and pressure before being sealed. Unopened canned foods remain edible for years. Many home canned foods darken over years of storage which makes them not appealing but if you had to you could eat them.

Last summer after noticing its expiration date I threw out my mother's mustard. It was the inexpensive bright yellow variety that businesses typically provide for hot dogs. My mother rarely eats inexpensive mustard. Its expiration date had passed 5 to 10 years ago and I believe it was opened shortly after she bought it. Her guests including me had used it the day I threw it out and we were all happy eating it and suffered no ill effects.

Enjoy your spam sandwich without worry.

On a different topic, have you watched any youtube, netflix or Amazon Prime TV type series that you can recommend?

When in doubt,ask the mayonnaise!

Just used the last of a (quart)jar of sweet pepper relish my wife made in 2009. Still good. We use a lot of foods that are past their best used by dates. Made spaghetti sauce we made dated 2015. Still have 5 quarts left them we'll go to the 2017 made. We quite often go to a store called Mr Thrifty where we buy some out of date foods. Those dates are typically best if used by dates no truly expiration dates

The expiration date ("and best if used by" date) is one of the best marketing strategies ever!

Hey, for the record, SPAM Lite, which is less fat and less salt is phenomenal. I love it diced, fried crispy, then eggs scrambled into it. Or grilled like little salty pink steaks.

I use the 25% Less Sodium version. And I don't eat it a lot.

Dog ate all my SPAM.
After, he cleansed his palate
by licking his ***.

No mention of Spam will go haiku-free!

Combat, 12 O'Clock High, Tombstone Territory, Trackdown, Dragnet, Highway Patrol, Sheriff of Cochise and U S Marshal.
Some have just a few episodes. Others seem to have all episodes, for several seasons.

Sea Patrol and Blue Heelers, from Australia, are good. Sometimes, I think you can find episodes of, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Certainly, many clips and fan videos of that show. I had a crush on Veronica and on Finn, the chick with the black shorts and a crossbow. She was only in 8 episodes from the Third Season, but is in some fan videos and clips.

You may get lucky and find a movie, Safari, from 1956. Stars Victor Mature and Janet Leigh. I bought the DVD to be sure I can always watch it when I want. The producers later made the James Bond films. I saw it in a theater when I was about 12 and loved it. Watch for the white hunter's Sten gun to change from a MK II to MK III in some scenes.

If it passes the smell test, go for it!!

I would say if it smells decent, then it is good to go. Mustard does not contain meat or dairy, so it should not really go bad. Vinegar seems to keep things fresh. From what I understand, before iceboxes, salt and vinegar was used to keep meat edible in New Orleans. I would figure that mustard would stay edible for years!

"Use by" and "sell by" dates are used on milk, dairy and egg products so you don't consume spoiled food.

"Use by" dates have nothing to do with food safety, but are more a food quality (taste) issue.

I'm sure the mustard has a "best by" date since it has not dairy/egg ingredients.

Talk to any food inspector and they can explain it further.

Gray Poupon and Spam? That just seems wrong. It's like mixing demographics. I can't wrap my head around that.

Use the smell test. Or see if the dog will eat it. If the dog recoils in horror you probably ought to throw it out otherwise it's good to go.
Milk is different-first you sniff it-if it smells OK drink it. If it smells a little funky, taste it to make sure as sometimes you can still drink it.
Yellow mustard is one of those things that will outlast cockroaches.

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Forum consigliere

After my mother passed, my wife and my sister started organizing my father's pantry and began admonishing him because much of his canned goods were several years out of date. They told him how bad and dangerous this practice of eating outdated food was. At the time, my father was 92 and lived to 94! So much for outdated food.

Don't you dare act like your dog!

terry

The Spam is probably more dangerous than the Mustard.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

From the all knowing web:

How Long Does Mustard Last? Shelf Life, Storage, Expiration

Around here, I'm lucky if a mustard jar makes it two weeks before one of the kids is using a butter knife as a clapper to get that last grain of hot dog helper.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Sell by/expiration dates are mostly CYA from the companies legal department,I've eaten canned food that was three or four years past due and I'm still here,it CAN go bad and trust me you'll know when you get the can open.

Also think of this-they have a "use by" date on salt....yea something you pull out of the ground that has been there since dinosaurs peed on it basically is supposed to go bad next year at 12:37 PM on April 10th

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Life's a grave,dig it!

Honey and salt, I'm not worried about.

All else, I ask.

There's expiration dates on my bottles of rubbing alcohol and witch hazel. What happens after? I have Allegra cold tablets that expired in 2009. If'n I get the flu, I'll take half of a 120 mg pseudoephedrine and power through a days work in half the time. Somebody already said it, exp dates are a scam. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

Me thinks Texas Star is pulling our leg.

Yeah, but only Duke's will give you a straight answer!

Spam is like Krystal burgers for me. About two or 3x/year I get a craving for one or the other and after, I'm good for several months. I keep a can of Spam in the cabinet, but will give the low sodium a try the next time I re-up. They do have a smaller size can now, which is good. A whole regular size can is a bit much for me. The wife won't touch it. Being an Army brat she had more than enough when she was little. Her Dad loved it & ketchup.

With the Krystal burgers, we get a big bag and 10 or 12 each keeps us happy for 6 months easily.

Rob

I don't know how relevant this is here, but for whatever it's worth; Years ago when I was heavily into classic wines I routinely drank examples that were over 100 years old. The smell was usually a dead giveaway that the wine had turned but many would be surprised at how drinkable some of these old vintages were.
My understanding is that expiration dates are advisory and a cya dreamed up by lawyers. I buy meats at the supermarket, usually at a good discount, the day the package says they're expired and sometimes don't use them for a few more days. I've been doing this for years will no ill effects.
Jim

You can't call a Spam lover a picky eater.

TS: SPAM will kill anything!

Dijon on Spam = Lipstick on a Pig.

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Dum vivo cano

We have always ignored the expiration dates on canned food. We still have some really old cans which are still OK. Generally if whatever is in the can has spoiled, the can lids will be bulged out due to pressure from decomposition gasses.

I found the big turtle in my pond is dead. He didn't smell to good so I guess his expiration date was up. The vultures will have a feast and they will not expire eating his expired meat. LOL

You want an extreme example of how long stuff can stay at least edible

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Life's a grave,dig it!

I have a totally different definition of edible.

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Dum vivo cano

At the risk of being banned or hanged, to me mustard is spoiled before they put it in a container. A small amount with a little sugar and a lot mayo makes a pretty good salad dressing. I keep it for that purpose.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

Same thing with coffins

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Forum consigliere

Like sauerkraut, mustard doesn’t have an expiration date. It has a half-life.

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and what his trumpet saith

Certainly you jest?
Are you my fridge inspecting daughter and daughter-in-law?
I leave little gift distractions for them so the feel needed.
Nobody checks the mustard.

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It's what I do, not what I am.

Bill-

No, I'm serious.

I also use the mustard on canned pink and red salmon.

But red (sockeye) salmon has gotten pretty expensive for canned meat.

I also use Italian dressing on fish. Wishbone makes a good one.

...we found some canned tuna in the far back corner of the cupboard...

...three years past the date on the can...

...we decided to open one to see just how bad it was...

...looked fine...smelled fine...tasted fine...we ate it...no problem...

...when I was much younger I ate a McDonald's hamburger that had been in the glovebox of a car for a week...THAT was a problem...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

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Still Running Against the Wind

Exactly why it was a staple for the Royal Navy. Rich in Vitamin C to prevent scurvy and it keeps forever. Captain Cook took about 4 tons of it on a three-year voyage, and as a result he never had a case of death from scurvy among the officers and crew. Scurvy was a grave risk to sailors back then - not unusual for half of a ship's complement to come down with it during a long voyage. The discovery of sauerkraut as a scurvy preventive and the invention of the marine chronometer for precise navigation are the principal reasons for the spread of the British Empire around the world during the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Stored in the refrigerator and only opened occasionally soft margarine in the yellow plastic tubs at 15 years old is indistinguishable from new. Obviously I do not eat margarine. If it actually contained food it would not last that long. Apparently bacteria can not live in it.

They definitely can not live in high salt and high sugar foods. Both draw the water out of them.