Why milk expires

They also found that the cost of these expired products can really add up over time. In other words, nearly 20 percent of your money spent on groceries will likely go down the drain due to product expiration.

And for more smarter living tips delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. According to Healthline, there are simple steps you can take to help your dairy products last longer past the listed expiration date. Additionally, you should always put your milk away immediately after use, store milk on an interior shelf rather than the fridge door, and make sure your milk is tightly sealed before returning it to the fridge.

When milk is pasteurized, it undergoes a process of heating that eliminates most E. That's why, if you don't use milk often in your home, you may want to opt for shelf stable milk. Also known as unrefrigerated or aseptic milk, this product is treated with a process that's similar to pasteurization, but uses higher heat, making bacteria unable to grow even when stored at room temperature until use.

Unopened, shelf stable milk can typically last between two and four weeks past the "best by" date if stored in a cool, dry space, reports Healthline. If you store it in the fridge, it could last as long as two months. Once opened, it may last seven to 10 days before showing signs of spoilage—at which point, you can go ahead and toss it.

All Rights Reserved. Open side menu button. Here's the rule of thumb to memorize, plus a helpful tip from the USDA. Cuts of beef have a little more leeway and can hang out in your fridge around three to five days after purchase. But these guidelines may strike some as overly conservative. If you trust your nose, you may be able to fudge these recommendations a bit. It's normal for raw meat to have a slight, neutral odor.

But you should avoid eating meat that has developed a rancid odor that smells slightly sweet. Texture changes can also be a sign that your raw meat belongs in the trash heap. Moist to the touch is normal, slimy is not. Many of us may also have noticed that meat can change colors in our fridge.

Keep in mind that disease-causing pathogens like Salmonella and E. A meat thermometer is a small investment toward your peace of mind. Unsure of what to do about limp carrots or mushy avocados? Wilted, browning or bruised fruits and veggies are unlikely to make you sick. Still, there are things to keep in mind. Produce can be a magnet for mold. Depending on what your internal gross meter allows for, you can safely salvage a container of strawberries by throwing away the few berries that are getting moldy.

Likewise, hard produce like apples, potatoes and cauliflower can often be eaten after cutting away the moldy part. While many food safety experts would recommend tossing salad greens that are starting to get slimy, many frugal home cooks and chefs give wilting greens a second life by tossing them in a stir fry or soup — and have lived to tell the tale. Register or Log In. The Magazine Shop.

Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. To eat, or not to eat, that is the question. Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the milk needs to stay fresh longer because organic products often have to travel farther to reach store shelves since it is not produced throughout the country. The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature UHT processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to degrees Fahrenheit degrees Celsius for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it.

Compare that to pasteurization, the standard preservation process. UHT, on the other hand, kills everything. Retailers typically give pasteurized milk an expiration date of four to six days. Ahead of that, however, was up to six days of processing and shipping, so total shelf life after pasteurization is probably up to two weeks.

Regular milk can undergo UHT, too. The process is used for the room-temperature Parmalat milk found outside the refrigerator case and for most milk sold in Europe. One reason is that UHT-treated milk tastes different. UHT sweetens the flavor of milk by burning some of its sugars caramelization.