Debbie from Salem, Massachusetts wrote to us yesterday because she was concerned that her baby had eaten expired yogurt.
My husband fed our son while I was at work and when I got home I found he’d given him yogurt that was three days past its ‘Best Before’ date. He seems fine, but I’m worried that it may be harmful.
The good news for Debbie is that the ‘Best Before’ date is simply an indication that the yogurt is ‘best’ before that date. It’s a somewhat conservative date that the manufacturer usually sets to be well before the product would actually be expected to spoil.
So it doesn’t mean that the food will be ‘off’ or harmful past that date, but that the product’s quality will be at its peak before that date.
Of course, you should always offer products to your baby BEFORE their ‘Best Before’ date to be assured that they have the best flavour and the most nutritional value. But – in this situation – it should not cause any adverse health effects for Debbie’s little one to have eaten yogurt a few days AFTER its ‘Best Before’ date, provided that the yogurt was properly sealed, stored and did not show any signs of deterioration (bad smell, discolouration, odd texture) .
The dates stamped on products can sometimes be a little confusing.
Whilst a ‘Best Before’ date doesn’t necessarily indicate that a product will be ‘bad’ past that date, a ‘Use By’ date is a different matter.
If you have any food products past their ‘Use By’ date, then they shouldn’t be eaten – particularly by your baby. This is because the ‘Use By’ date is used for health and safety purposes and the product could be harmful if eaten. This applies even if the product looks and smells fine.
The other date you may see stamped on food items is a ‘Sell By’ or ‘Display Until’ date. These are the dates by which the stores must remove the products from their shelves – but as long as the products are within their ‘Use By’ or ‘Best Before’ dates and are properly stored, then they are still safe to eat.
I hope that this has calmed your fears, Debbie – and that hubby remembers to check the labels next time he feeds your little one 🙂