That's a great idea! In the store I work at, we sell close dated items at a discount, but write off expired food because nobody will buy it. At all. Ever. On purpose. And if they do buy it accidentally because we missed it, they'll return it and give us the "look" for trying to poison them. Seriously! LOL I don't know that a store like that would work here.

We had run out of milk. We sell soooooooooooo much milk in our drug store. Well, the truck drives up and we're in the middle of emptying three skids of moo to the empty shelves when a man walks over and checks the date on the milk that's still in the crates and asks if we have milk that's fresher. They were dated to expire in 3 weeks. I told him this was fresh, we just pulled it off the truck. Again he asked for fresher milk. I thought he didn't understand me. I told him again, it is fresh: the truck is still parked at out loading bay door. He nodded and said he wanted fresher. My manager told him to buy a cow. That's how little an expired/close dated store would do in this area. LOL

Omigosh! What could make an entire area paranoid about outdated food? I like your manager's retort to the milk nut. LOL

I don't have a problem with buying slightly outdated foods....At our local Walmart, there is a rack in the back with breads, buns and all kinds of baked goodies that didn't sell...Well, that's the 1st place I head..My hubby eats goodies so fast, it doesn't have a chance to get "old"...But, I don't buy anything else in the food line at Walmart, just their outdated goodies.....lol.....
Hopefully, we'll soon have our farmer's markets and be able to get home grown foods.....

No, not sure about it. Milk I buy usually goes bad a day or two after the expiration date. I toss it when it smells bad, not when it expires but it's always within a day or two and sometimes before the expiration date!

Wal-mart is the worse for buying food and it expiring faster than normal. Their produce rots quicker too. I think it's already old when you buy it. I just threw out a new bag of onions and potatoes Lauren just bought there earlier in the week. What a waste. She hates Kroger for some reason even though it's smaller and I think easier to shop. I was craving potatoes and onions and had just enough good potato for one person. Their produce is slightly better, but sometimes not much. I really miss the West, fresher stuff.

I always buy bread that has the longest expiration date because we don't eat it fast enough. I will use it after the expiration if it isn't moldy or hard. Well, sometimes I do use the hard stuff to make french toast but nothing else.

DH found an Amish store somewhere in Wisconsin that had a bunch of expired stuff. He got a lot of those Starbucks instant coffees for about a quarter of the store price. Who cares if it's expired, it's powder. He did buy some salad dressing for .25 that I will not eat. I cannot stand when salad dressing or mayo is past expiration--it has a funny flavor. I don't think it's dangerous, just don't like the taste.

A grocery store near us always puts its fresh produce on clearance a day or two before expiration and I buy it all the time. I routinely get salad bags for .99. I will not buy close to date mushrooms because they get slimy, but carrots and salad bags seem to be fine as long as I use them fast.

I was thinking about expiration dates yesterday as today is the post office food drive and I was going through my pantry. They won't take anything that's expired, even dry goods, which seems so stupid to me. There's absolutely nothing wrong with those items. I use them all the time. We don't have a store that sells expired items, but if we did, I would happily shop there.

On the other hand, I want my produce to be super fresh because I don't like to shop very often and I want the produce to last for a while.

LOL at the fresher milk story.

There is a store like the one Alisande described in my area. It is run by an Amish family. I don't go there often because it is about 30 miles away.

I heard that the previous CEO ( or maybe owner) of Trader Joe's is opening up a store with expired items.
Not sure when or where.
Alisande, are you buying at your own risk, or do they guarantee it will be safe? Then too, you need to know how much further you are allowed to keep an item.
I'm amazed when I start cleaning my basement pantry and found a can that expired three years ago.

This post was edited by ellendi on Sat, May 10, 14 at 19:29

We must have two unusually good Walmarts here. They have large produce sections, and most of it looks great on a regular basis. They are my favorite source for organic carrots, and their romaine and green leaf lettuces are the best around (also with the lowest prices).

My Walmart also has the best price on quinoa (from the Andes) and basmati rice (from India). I like their own Great Value brand of plain Greek yogurt better than anyone's, include Fage.

I know Walmart is controversial (practically a hot topic), but for lots of reasons I shop there often.

No guarantees that I know of, Ellen, but then I don't see any guarantees in supermarkets either. As stated above, expiration dates mean more for certain items than others, and I trust my own judgment.

I wouldn't buy outdated milk--in fact, I don't buy milk at all unless I need it for baking. The slightly outdated yogurts have been absolutely fine. Dry oats have a long shelf life,

My DH was a chemical engineer who worked for a time for a major food company. He told me how meaningless expiration dates were for many products.

My Mennonite store also sells numerous items in bulk. It's where I get my oat bran now, and several other staples. Also gluten-free Bob's Red Mill products.

I wish we had an expired food store. I don't concern my self very much with those expiration dates. I often buy when the price is right and put it on the shelf, or in the freezer, until I get around to using it. I've never had any problems with expired items. I think the dates are there to protect the companies more so than to protect us.

Kath, I buy 2 half loaves of bread and put one in the freezer. I buy a gallon of milk and put half into a plastic pitcher and put that in the freezer. You might try that.

Sue

I work at a kroger chain store. We HAVE to toss expired food of any kind only due to law suits. It is a sin to me. They won't even sell to employees, I would buy it up. Canned food and stuff. Pasta, etc. but they can't, because if someone got sick for any reason and said that it was because of outdated food, then we get sued. So out it goes. Close dated food does get donated everyday. Breads, cakes and meats and stuff to local charities. We get 3 different people come in everyday to take out baskets of donated food.

We had one run by an Amish family here in town, but it closed about a year ago. Not all of the merchandise was out dated, a majority of it was dented packages. I wouldn't buy anything with flour in it if it was outdated, but everything else was fair game!

We have 3 of those here. They're called Extreme Bargains.

I've gotton a case of Inka(beverage) for $1.50 ea...normally $9 each. Mothers wheat germ for $1.50ea, reg. $3.99ea. Stokes green chile, 99cents ea., reg $3.99.

The items weren't out of date, just not popular. :0) I don't usually buy the out of date food unless it's Dove or Godiva or Lindor.....how can chocolate go out of date? :0) :0) :0) :0)

I have never heard of these stores. Interesting.

I haven't seen an expired food store either. I know where several hidey holes for discounted items are in my local store. I will look for discounted stuff there first before I pay full price. I can get some beef half price. Bread from the bakery is usually half price. Eggs with a cracked egg or two are half price. Sour cream, yogurts and various dairy products are $.25-$.75.

My DH is fanatical about checking dates. I won't buy anything that can't be used within the expiry date either. There may be a great saving but it is not worth it to me to take the chance of food poisoning. I hate it when I have bought milk products within the date and found they were stored improperly and they were bad.

I do buy "out of date" Matzo crackers. .59cents, reg $3.99. But if a cracker has a high oil content, like the flax seed crackers....YUCK! Those taste rancid! Or I won't buy mayonnaise or salad dressing......but Balsamic vinegar(10 year aged for .99)....OH YEAH!!!!!

The Pepperidge Farm bread is soooooooooooo fresh! .99 cents, I buy it and freeze it to limit my trips!

Each of the 3 stores here are individually owned. They've started selling furniture, BBQ grills(Kitchenaid for instance, Green Egg), clothes......

Honestly, I don't feel the slightest bit at risk. Note that the "expiration" dates usually say Best by 6/1/14 (or whatever date). They don't say If you eat this after 6/1/14 you'd better stock up on toilet paper. ;-)

We're expected to use our own common sense: If a food product doesn't smell right, or looks odd, we shouldn't eat it. And of course most of those "best by" dates are purely guesstimates on the part of the manufacturers. There's no way for them to tell precisely when a product will start to turn.

I'm going to disagree, the Best By dates aren't arbitrary. Food producers set aside production lots that they then open at regular intervals to measure the timing of how their products degrade. Those experiences help them set the Best By dates. To suggest that packaged food doesn't degrade and spoil over time or that past-date packages are as good as fresh ones, is nonsense.

Dates are approximations, no doubt. Not exact, but guidelines. For people who need to economize on food purchases, buying expired goods might be one means to help do so. But it's not for everyone.

We have many "bent and dent" stores in my area. I live 7 miles from my work and I can pass at least 3 without really going out of my way. ( I can think of at least 4 more I have visited)

Bonus: one of them takes coupons that I frequently take advantage. I can very often get frozen Hormel pork tenderloins for less than $2 a pound. Brand name ice cream (usually a feature flavor) for about $1
fresh avocado for .25, and brand name cereals for about $1.50 I also get brand name spaghetti sauce, coffee, teabags, juice boxes for grandkids, name brand condiments and salad dressing.
Quite often right after a holiday is the best time to shop. Many companies will specially package products for the holiday. (ie: Christmas, 4th of July, Halloween, Olympics)
After the holiday is over the product get sent to discount stores.

Many of the stores in this area also bulk package products.
I never buy jello, pudding, spices, trail mix, pasta, etc. from national brands. These stores buy in huge bulk quantities and repackage in plastic bags. I keep them in Tupperware. HUGE savings..spices especially.
If you come to Lancaster County PA, give me shout and I will direct you to these insider (sometimes) hard-to-find places!

My sisters in-laws are produce buyers for a very large well-known family owned grocery store in this area. I have been able to sometimes get fruit or vegetables for next to nothing. (strawberries .25 a quart, but it could be 30 qt!) Last year I bought 10 quart of blueberries for $10. The catch is you need to drop everything to get them put away.

We even have food auctions. I have been to a couple of these, but don't like the volume they sometimes require you to buy.

I've never heard of these stores, either.

And I can guarantee you I'd never set foot in one of them.

I have never heard of them. Probably would not buy much in one either.

Sue

I said: All of the above are a few days out of date. Quality is not affected at all.

Snidely said: To suggest that packaged food doesn't degrade and spoil over time or that past-date packages are as good as fresh ones, is nonsense.

Snidely, do you really think a few days is going to make a difference? And do you really think if it did make a difference I wouldn't notice it? Apparently so.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I wish you'd try to voice it with some tact. Your statement that I'm speaking nonsense is insulting.

If these foods were fatal or illness-inducing, I would be dead long before now. My mom grew up during the depression and didn't throw anything away unless it was extremely obvious, such as a swollen can. Remember, nothing was dated before.....the 80's? We ate some pretty old food, at times, because she constantly took advantage of sales and bought in bulk. She finds the whole 'dating' of food quite silly. :) I think a large reason for random sell-by dates is simply a boon for the manufacturers.

I didn't mean to be insulting. In return, you tone is a bit dismissive of others (not that that influenced my tone), in saying things like:

"expiration dates don't mean a whole lot"

"Omigosh! What could make an entire area paranoid about outdated food? "

"They don't say If you eat this after 6/1/14 you'd better stock up on toilet paper."

Those comments ridiculed my view and others' as well.

The responses show that opinions are divided. Do I think a few days matter? It's not something I need to think about, I don't buy any item that won't be consumed before the stated date and I wouldn't buy anything that's past the date. You and others are welcome to do as you wish. Whether dates are exact or wild guesses, contents are good or bad, you'll always get sick or you never get sick, I don't care because it's a question I never face.

If others felt I dismissed their opinions, I apologize. I don't feel dismissive. My own son pays attention to expiration dates, despite what his father learned while working in the food industry. Although his wife shops at the Mennonite store, so I think he's coming around. :-)

heather_on - your husband and I would make quite the pair at the grocery store checking dates. It seems that many of the same customers seem to frequent the larger chains at the same time and I have been asked to check for later dates for a few others as I am already bent over or on my knees reaching for the back. Picking out apples is also a thrill. Heck, I even check the expiry date on my beloved little bottles of Coca-Cola (I don't like flat Coke).

These days with perishables travelling from the main plant to central distribution to general distribution for X store and then to X's various locations and then of course sitting in the aisles while staff often (sad to say) go to lunch - well that can really affect the best before date - as in a product has often turned by the next day, even though dated 2 weeks in advance. I carry ice packs in the car - in a cooler and only shop on the way home. We do not eat much in the way of canned or packaged goods so I have to be very careful - especially with meat, milk, eggs and my husband's yogourt. Actually at a well known Ontario food store I saw yogourt and eggs on the shelf dated best before Feb. 1 - and this was in late April. I have returned chicken breasts (free from) dated 1 1/2 weeks in advance that were bad day one. I only buy meat from a butcher now. I need organic milk - and I prefer Organic Meadow or Harmony. If I wanted to buy Neilson, Natrel or PC Organics (double UHTd) I would - so I go elsewhere for it. Then there is a small fruit and vegetable store where they will chop up a squash or melon for you - as you wait - at no cost. I will not buy bagged salads since I have found that despite the date the leaves are often "wet" - and I do know something about how they are kept "fresher".

I avoid any foods made in China (this is hard since often the product comes from China (or one of its "affiliates") but is packaged in Canada in something larger than the product itself. Then there is Mexico. Certainly products grown in Ontario can be contaminated but I do try.

In Canada we do not have all of the coupons that Americans have and we pay a fortune for dairy, meat, eggs and butter (good thing I don't buy butter - husband almost fainted in shock when I presented him with a free pound of butter given to me by Sobeys based on my purchases). I do go through a lot of olive oil - too much, truthfully.

Eccentric, I've found that Neilson half and half will spoil long before the best before date, whereas Lactantia stays true right to the date.

I've also noticed that the eggs are individually stamped with the dates, instead of putting the date on the end of the carton. Everyone opens the cartons to check for cracked eggs so this is a novel way of doing the date.

It wouldn't bother me to buy expired or nearly expired foods......I buy discounted meat when I see something that we want. But the discounted fruit and veggies on the racks are often only good for my composting worms.

A few of our chains will honour competitor's sales, Walmart, Freshco and No Frills. The high-end grocers, like Sobey's and Zehrs/Loblaws do not. I try to do that, when I can but it's not easy, as it has to be the identical brand , not all stores sell the same brand.

As an example some stores sell Black Diamond cheese and another will sell Kraft, so price-matching is not always as easy as it seems.

I'd love to be able to use coupons but the only ones that we ever use is for cat food. Any that come in the newspaper or online, are for convenience products and cleaning products that are of no use for us. I've also noticed that expiry dates on coupons is much shorter than they used to be; often within a month.

I guess I'm too picky to buy in that sort of store. I pitch anything that is even one day past.

I usually figure that "Best before" dates are useful as guidelines only, but have no difficulty using products recently past their so-called "Best before" date.

Sometimes stuff sits on my shelf for some time after purchase, that may have been within date when purchased, but aren't any more, sometimes by a substantial period and seldom have I found them not useful ... and I rarely have complaints from my stomach, and hardly ever from what I judged to be because of that.

Fairness compels me to admit that I have had the odd can of e.g. tomato or pineapple juice chew a hole through the can ... and they got pitched.

Sometimes I wonder whether the recently-developed squeamishness about certain items of life, including foods, being contaminated may have caused our bodies to have become so unused to having to cope with various microbes and bacteria that when they run up against some, they get discombobulated.

In an earlier generation we, having been told that "We have to eat a peck of dirt before we die", were much less troubled by some unsanitary conditions ... and our bodies were more inclined to take them in stride.

While modern bodies, having been trained in a system somewhat closer to sterility, have more trouble when they are asked to cope with similar conditions.

ole joyful

We do have some bread outlets that are pretty cheap. I wish we had something like that here! Every time I go to the grocery store, I get sticker shock! It's crazy how fast the prices are going up and up and up...unfortunately the pay check does NOT! I would definitely shop there assuming they carried items that we eat. We don't really eat too much prepared foods.