The week my fridge died taught me everything about viral food safety claims

Last Tuesday my fridge went out and I lost about $200 in groceries. While cleaning it out I came across that old viral article about never eating leftovers after 3 days. I decided to actually test that with some sealed yogurts that were a week past date. They were fine, no smell, no mold. Has anyone else found those strict food safety timelines to be overblown?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke_taylor444d ago

You're talking about those viral "3 day rule" articles and honestly isn't that how most food scare claims go? It's like how people swear you'll get sick from eggs past the date on the carton but I've eaten them a month later with no issues. The real pattern I notice is that these strict timelines are probably designed for the most cautious person in the room, not for someone who actually uses their senses to check food. Just like how expiration dates on water bottles are a joke since water doesn't go bad, a lot of this stuff is just legal protection and not real science.

phoenix_singh2518h ago

use their senses to check food" is mostly right, but gotta say the water bottle expiration date thing is a bad example. Water itself doesn't go bad, but the plastic bottle can break down over time and leach chemicals into the water, especially if it's been sitting in a hot truck or a sunny garage. So that date is more about the container than the water itself. Same with eggs though, you're spot on there. I've had eggs weeks past the date that were totally fine as long as they pass the float test. The rules are just liability coverage for companies, not hard science for everyday people.

kai_burns734d ago

@brooke_taylor44 nailed it with "not for someone who actually uses their senses to check food." I agree completely, most people trust their nose and eyes way more than those scary headlines.