Hundreds of kitchen scenarios—you wake up craving a big bowl of cereal, your cookies need a dunking partner—all end the same way: you, standing at the refrigerator, fingers crossed, nose deep in a carton of milk, praying it isnt as old as you think it is and hoping it doesnt have the telltale scent of spoilage. Oh, weve all been there, wondering, How long is milk good for after the sell-by date? Lets face it: Sell-by dates can be confusing, and they dont necessarily indicate when food is spoiled. (Its hard to treat them as gospel when bottled water expiration dates are also a thing!) Its no wonder so many people doubt whether their milk has truly passed the sniff test and ultimately make an emergency trip to the nearest grocery store to replace the questionable carton. Udderly confused by the many expiration dates stamped on your gallon of moo juice? We sought out dairy experts to get definitive answers on how long milk lasts, if date labeling is regulated or required by federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), how to know if milk has gone bad and how to extend its shelf life. As it turns out, you can follow some of the recommended meat storage guidelines or similar strategies to avoid expired eggs, but there are also a handful of milk-specific standards and practices.
According to Eat By Date, whole milk lasts 5-7 days, reduced-fat and skim milk last 7 days and non-fat and lactose-free milk last 7-10 days past its printed date. This is if they’re unopened and refrigerated.
How long raw milk lastsBecause raw milk has not gone through “a heat step to reduce the microbial count, it will break down and spoil more quickly,” says Amit Shah, senior director of quality at Maple Hill Creamery in New York. He notes that pasteurization is regulated and required to sell milk in mass quantities in America.According to Alex O’Brien, a food safety and quality coordinator at the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, that means you’d be lucky to get seven days of drinkability with raw milk.Until the early 1900s, milk was frequently the vehicle for foodborne illnesses, such as typhoid, diphtheria, scarlet fever and tuberculosis. In 1938, O’Brien says, milk-related products accounted for 25% of recalls. Compare that with today’s 1%. That’s why selling raw milk to the general public is illegal in many situations and states. “It increases risk of foodborne illness significantly because pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter Jejuni and Mycobacterium bovis, were not destroyed,” he says.
The dates are a rough guideline on quality, not safety, according to Holdaway. Thats why it isnt an exact science to determine how long milk is good for after its sell-by date. “Milk is more than likely safe to drink beyond the date printed on the package,” she says. (There are, however, some foods you should never eat past the expiration date.) Shah is sure of one thing, though: “The quality of the milk will be reduced after the date printed on the container,” he says. So, how do manufacturers determine which dates to add to various goods? “Products are dated in one of two ways: a use-by date, which gives an estimated period during which the product will be of best quality, or a production date, a code or series of numbers printed on the label to identify the date and time of production,” Holdaway says. “Meat, poultry, egg and dairy products typically have use-by dates, while
How long is milk good for after the sell-by date?There are a lot of factors that affect how long milk is good for after the sell-by date. The biggest is whether the milk has been through pasteurization, which John A. Lucey, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Research in Madison, defines as “the process of heating every particle of milk or milk product in properly designed and operated equipment to any of the specified pasteurization time/temperature combinations designed to destroy all human pathogens” in a 2015 paper published in the journal Nutrition Today.
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FAQ
How long does skimmed milk last once opened?
Can you drink milk after 7 days of opening?
Does skim milk take longer to expire?
Can we keep skimmed milk in fridge?
How long does skim milk last?
Overall, skim milk will last for up to seven days beyond its expiration date when stored properly in an airtight container at 40°F or lower in the refrigerator and shaken before each use. Any signs of spoilage should prompt immediate discardment in order to avoid any health risks associated with consuming spoiled dairy products.
Does skimmed milk got as many nutrients as semi skimmed?
Semi skimmed and skimmed milks differ in the amount of fat, fat soluble vitamins (A, D and E) and in caloric values. Regarding food balance, semi skimmed milk has some advantages because it has vitamins A, D and E and has a flavor closer to whole milk with less fat. However, the most suitable one depends on the individual needs of each person.
How long can skim milk be frozen?
Milk should be tightly sealed in its original container and stored in the main body of the refrigerator, away from sources of heat such as the freezer compartment or door. For best results, skim milk should be used within five days of opening. Skim milk can also be frozen for up to three months.
How long can you refrigerate milk after opening?
According to USDA, you can refrigerate milk for about seven days, but their guidance doesn’t account for the date labeled on the jug or carton. Healthline, on the other hand, gives us two to three days after opening and five to seven days unopened. As milk goes bad, the smell and flavor will change.