It's incredibly frustrating when you've forked out on a fortune in your weekly shop, only to never get round to eating certain things before the expiration date comes around. Admit it, we've all had the inner dilemma where you've carefully lifted the lid of an already opened packet of something, and given it a sniff, because the expiration date has just passed. Is it safe to eat? Will it make you ill? It can be heartbreaking throwing food that looks fine into the bin, because it's a huge waste of money.
According to Business Waste, the UK throws away 9.5 million tonnes of food waste every single year. And while some items inevitably land in the bin, there are some things that can still be eaten past their expiration date.
Dr Karan Raj, a doctor and NHS surgeon who often shares advice online, took to TikTok to warn his followers: "Before you throw away your food, make sure you're reading the food safety labels correctly." One thing all air fryer users should do to avoid ending up in hospital If you've taken a look on the back of food packaging, you might have noticed different types of phrasings, including 'sell by' and 'use by' dates, and these are important distinctions. "First, you've got 'sell by' dates, this is something just for the people who work in stores to know when to take their products off the shelves," explained Dr Raj.
But when you're deciding whether to eat something or not, this isn't necessarily something you should worry about. "This date is not a standard .
