Household Products: To Toss or Not

Expiration Dates

By Gabrielle Linzer and Christina Parrella.

Are you sure you want to eat that?

One of the easiest ways to prevent food-related illnesses is to pay attention to expiration dates. And even though you won't necessarily get sick from expired food, its freshness and nutritional value decreases. It's a similar story for medications and other household products. Use the following tips.

Milk, Butter and Dairy

The minute you get home from the grocery store, refrigerate your dairy. How long do they keep? It varies. Use the date stamped on the packaging as a reference. For example, pasteurized milk, yogurt and cheese can keep for several weeks -- as a rule, hard and large chunks of cheese keep longer than soft or shredded cheese. Sealed processed cheese, butter and margarine are good for months. Toss dairy products that have been out in room temperature for more than four hours. Use your nose as guide. If it smells acid and rotten, it probably is. When it doubt, throw it out!


Meat and Fish

Freezing can extend the shelf life of meats, but they won't last forever. Fresh fish and meats -- ground, poultry, veal and lamb -- are good for only one to two days in the refrigerator. Ham, steak, lunch meats, chops and roasts survive a bit longer, up to five days. Stick most meat in the freezer, though, and they're good to go for three to four months; whole chickens are good for a year, lean fish, six months. Again, use your nose and sense of touch. Bad meat reeks and can feel filmy. Food poisoning is either immediate or arrives a few days later. Look for symptoms such as chills, vomiting, nausea and cramps. While most foodbourne illnesses are short-lived and require no medical treatment, others can be serious.


Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Ahh, summer melons and winter apples and pears. And if stored properly, they won't have to be ditched after only a few days. For example, while apples have a shelf life of only one to two days, in the refrigerator they'll remain fresh for three weeks, according to the Food Marketing Institute. Similarly, tomatoes will only last two to three days in the refrigerator, but can be used for up to two months if frozen. Ingesting rotten fruits and vegetables will likely end up as a belly ache, though there has been great concern over pathogens such as Salmonella and E.coli turning up in produce. Always rinse all produce under running tap water and try to purchase locally whenever possible.


Frozen Foods

If you keep a few frozen dinners lying around for who knows how long, you may want to confirm that your back-up meals are still edible. TV dinners and casseroles will last in the freezer for three to four months, according to the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Frozen vegetables can take root eight to 12 months in the freezer before you should toss. Ice cream and other frozen treats are good for up to eight months. As if they'll last that long!


Condiments

That ketchup has been sitting in your fridge for quite a few months, but who's counting? You should. After six months, replace the open bottle of ketchup in your refrigerator. You'll have to toss your open mayonnaise even sooner. Once you crack the lid, this creamy condiment goes bad in two to three months. If ketchup or mayo are unopened, defer to printed "best if used by date." Mustard is a different story. Here, packaging and not whether or not its been opened, is key. According to a spokesperson for French's, mustard will last for two years if housed in a glass jar. Squeeze bottles will keep mustard fresh for 18 months and packets last only six months.


Dried Pasta, Rice and Canned Pantry Foods

If they're good for a survival bunker, they're good forever, right? Not exactly. White rice and pasta are good for one year (brown rice six months), according to the Clemson University's Home and Garden Information Center. Always store in airtight containers to fend off worm infestations in your cabinets. Canned fish, beans and vegetables are shelf stable for up to five years if unopened, but throw away cans that swell or are cracked, or spray liquid when opened, all possible signs of the toxin that causes botulism. Note also that certain pantry foods, including tomato sauce and frosting, must be refrigerated once you've opened them.


Flour, Spices and Other Baking Goods

Ground spices and herbs boast a lifespan of two to three years unopened and whole spices can be kept around for four to five years. If you're cooking with flour older than 10 to 15 months, you may want to make a trip back to the grocery store. Baking powder and baking soda won't help leaven anything after 12-18 months, deeming them useless, according to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.


Pain Relievers

These little pills are relief in a bottle for headaches, muscle pain, arthritis and more. No matter if it's aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, all medications should be kept tightly closed in the container it came in and stored at room temperature, far away from excess heat and moisture. That means not in the bathroom, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Keep a close eye on all expiration labels and throw away any medication that is outdated. "It's certainly possible" to get sick using expired medicine, says Jay Campbell, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, who advises patients, "Don't use expired medication." Period.


Cough and Cold Medicine

Like pain relievers, cough and cold medicine should be kept in its original container, closed tightly and stored at room temperature. Liquid cough medicine may retain freshness for six months past its expiration date, but don't use it if it has changed color or has a strange odor. The FDA recommends trashing any expired medicine because it may change over time and become ineffective. "Drugs used beyond their expiration date are of questionable quality," says FDA spokesperson Crystal Rice, pointing out "a breakdown of the medicine resulting in a loss of potency may occur over time."