More than once we will have discovered ourselves looking at the packaging of a product with the date of consumption already passed while we ask ourselves: “Will something happen to me if I eat it?”. To answer this question, we must take into account the difference between the Date of Expiry and of preferential consumptionas explained by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU).
On the one hand, the first refers to those products that are perishable and that, since it is necessary to consume them in short periods of time from the purchase, doing so after the indicated date can suppose a microbiological risk Due to the possible presence of pathogenic bacteria. Thus, this category includes foods such as fresh meat and fish.
However, we can extend the time in which it is safe to consume them if we freeze before that date arrives. Even so, it is important to remember that once thawed we will have to eat them in less than 24 hours to avoid this microbiological risk.
On the other hand, the best-before date applies to durable foods and that, microbiologically speaking, they are more stable. In other words, they are those products that, although they may lose some of their properties or have their taste or smell alteredfor instance, do not present a risk for health if consumed: simply decreases its quality.
In this sense, we are referring to foods such as pastriesthe oilthe sausage and cured cheese waves vegetable drinks we can eat them three months later that the best-before date has passed. Furthermore, other products such as dried vegetablesthe ricethe caféthe flour or the chocolate in tablet may even be consumed one year later.
In case of fruits and vegetablesthe OCU assures that the best way to judge if they are still safe is our own judgment: recommend that if your aspect, flavor, texture y smell appear normal and show no signs of being in poor condition, we can consume them. Of course, it is important that we remove both the rotten or moldy parts like those around him.
In short, while the expiration date indicates when the intake of a product is no longer safethat of preferential consumption simply tells us that, from that moment on, the food will only lose some of its original propertiesas long as we have properly stored the product.
Failure to comply with the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to preserve foodsuch as in the refrigerator or in a cool, dry place, can cause these to spoil ahead of time. Also, once open the containerthe dates that indicate until when we can consume it are no longer valid and we will have to do it as soon as possible to prevent them from going bad.
In this way, it is possible that Although the expiration dates or best before dates have not expired, the product looksand flavor o one smell rare, so it is safest not to ingest it to avoid poisoning, which we are all susceptible to.
In addition, another important aspect to take into account before eating a food whose best before date has expired is who is going to do it. In other words, as reported by the OCU, the pregnant womenlos Small childrenlas immunosuppressed people or the seniors are more likely to be affected by listeria in case it has developed in the product, something that is rare in healthy adults.
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