We've all had to do it- toss food out because we thought it was bad. No one wants to get sick or make anyone else sick. But, was the food you tossed really bad? We all know about those dates on packaged food- 'sell by' or 'best used by'. Those dates are more about quality than health. The milk in the dairy case needs to be sold by a particular date so it has a long enough shelf life in your refrigerator for you to use it up before it spoils. That package of cookies or pasta should be eaten by the 'Best Used By' date for freshness, before it becomes stale.
So, how do we know what foods are safe to eat past such warnings? And what about frozen food that's been in your freezer for months?
Here's a terrific web site to help you with these issues:
Food Keeper
Enjoy your food!