Stop Tossing Your Expired Food—Here’s What’s Still Okay To Eat

With all the different language on your favorite foods — "use by," "sell by," "enjoy by," etc. — it can be difficult to keep track of how long stuff stays fresh and when it becomes dangerous to eat. In fact, in the U.S., approximately 40% of food is thrown out, and a good portion of that is because of confusion around how long, exactly, that gallon of milk will stay good in your fridge.

And yes, we all know it's bad to waste perfectly good food, but it's also scary to consider getting sick from food you should have tossed. So, how do you know what you can eat well after the "best by" date? (Which, as it turns out, is a pretty long list.) In a BBC interview, Dana Gunders, a food scientist from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), explains that there are a few foods in particular that are perfectly fine to enjoy after their expiration.

Some notable examples? Well, chocolate (that is, if you keep it around long enough for it to expire) is fine to eat for a long time after you buy it. While it does develop a thin, white coating — known as the "bloom" — this is actually just fats rising to the top and crystallizing. It won't hurt you to eat it, so enjoy!

See the rest of the foods that are fine to eat after their expiration dates — as well as some advice on what foods you can simply scrape the mold off, then eat — after the jump. (BBC)