‘With dents, dates don’t matter’: Shopper reveals trick to know which expired food is safe to eat

Some shelf-stable foods are good well past their expiration date. But even so, some pantry staples deserve to get tossed aside. 

Lauren (@totesma_gotes), who admitted she’s not an expert nor a doctor, said on her TikTok page that she wants to help reduce waste. As a result, she shared “what I have learned from my years” as it relates to eating expired canned or nonperishable foods.

“How do you know if expired food is OK to eat? Let’s talk about it,” Lauren said. As of Wednesday afternoon, her video had amassed more than 291,000 views.

How to tell whether expired foods are safe 

To give a visual example to her audience, Lauren pulled out two cans of Campbell’s soup. Though both were expired, she said that “one is bad [and] one is good.” 

She opened the first can of cheddar cheese soup that expired in June 2017. Still, she said the soup was edible and good to eat.

“This is how it should look,” Lauren said. “This is a cheddar cheese-concentrated soup.” 

Another can of fiesta nacho cheese soup expired in 2018. But this one, by contrast, had gone bad. “This is not the right color and it stinks,” Lauren said. And even without the smell, she noted, “It should not look like that.”

When assessing whether food past its expiration date is good to eat, Lauren recommended checking whether the can is bulging in any way. And if it is, she warned, don’t use it. 

“Are there dents? This is a good time to check the inside of the can,” she said. “Do you see bulges or dents? Do you see rust or discoloration? If you do, don’t eat it.”

Example of canned food gone bad

She then showed viewers an example of canned food gone bad. A can of Dole peaches, she noted, had a dent directly on its seal. “If you see dents that are on the seal… Do not use them,” Lauren advised. “They weaken the can and bacteria are allowed to get in there.” She said to heed this advice even if the food smelled and looked normal.

“The golden rule is always: When in doubt, throw it out,” Lauren explained.

She then pulled out another can of Campbell’s soup that had a noticeable dent on its side. “I didn’t even check the date because with dents, dates don’t matter,” she said. Still, she opened the can. Even though it looked and smelled fine, she said, the dent alone was enough for Lauren to pass on the meal. 

Another thing to avoid, Lauren said, is rust. She said that rust works similar to dents and can compromise the integrity of a can. “It doesn’t matter where the rust is on the can, that’s a no-go for me,” Lauren said. She ended her video with a PSA about shelf-stable pantry items, too. “If it smells musty or rancid in any way, don’t use it.”

What does the USDA advise? 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “Food date labels are not indicators of food safety.” The dates, they noted, are there to help consumers and retailers know when food is at its best quality. 

It also said that frozen food is safe to eat, regardless of how long it’s been frozen. 

In regards to pantry staples, the USDA appeared to agree with Lauren’s advice. “Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling).”

Packaged foods, it said, will be safe “past the ‘best by’ date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.” The USDA said that customers should notice whether their food is off after opening the package. 

Viewers are torn over the advice

Despite both Lauren and the USDA’s advice, some viewers said they couldn’t wrap their minds around eating food that was years past its expiration date. 

“Good looking or smelling or not: I’m not eating food that’s best by date went 7-8 years ago,” one person commented. 

“Y'ALL EAT FOOD EXPIRED YEARS AGO?? If it’s over a few months for me I toss it,” another woman said. 

“I just threw out peanuts that were 12 days old,” a third person wrote. 

Others, however, said that they appreciated the content creator “educating” others on how to stop food waste. 

“Solid video. Thanks for sharing this,” one viewer wrote. 

“This stuff is so good to know!! Thank you,” another echoed. 

“Thank you for educating! I was raised to throw anything past the date away,” another woman admitted. “These tips are helping me reduce waste and [save] money in this economy.”

@totesma_gotes Lets #talk about #expiration #dates ! #food #foodpreservation #old #cooking #safety ♬ original sound - Lauren

The Daily Dot has reached out to Lauren via TikTok comment.

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