Theres a place near me that sells products with damaged packaging as well as past the sell-by date. Prices are similar to grocery shopping in the 90s, so it’s where I buy most of the shelf-stable foods I eat. I balk at grocery store prices now, and just go without until I have time to make the hour and a half (one way) trek out there. Stuff like chips/crackers are a caution item cuz the oil starts to taste bad (still edible just not good), ultra-pasteurized milk starts to separate, and sauces can taste stale depending what they are made with (acocado and olive oil bases seem to be prone to this)

But otherwise its a great way to use food that would otherwise go to waste, they get stuff from indian and asian groceries as well so I get to try a lot of stuff I’d never otherwise buy due to being wildly expensive import stuff. And it saves a ton of money. And if you buy something for $1 and it sucks, you don’t feel bad throwing it away.

No, some things last for a long time, others don’t.

For example:

1. We bought 3 pallets of Almond milk (by mistake! I only wanted 1) at an auction a few years ago. It is all in 1L tetrapaks, and although it went out of date in August 2024, it is still good, and we use it every day.
2. Crisps - We have a pallet of Walkers cheese and onion crisps in “aluminium” (mylar?) bags bought at a similar time. They are still crunchy and taste fine. Some Morrisons own-brand dorito-type corn chips in normal plastic (with see-through section) bags which came in the same package, didn’t fare so well. They lasted less than a year after their BBE date.
3. Organic Seaweed sheets - these were also packed in “aluminium” (mylar?) bags too (with moisture inhibitor “pillows”. They lasted well past their BBE date, but don’t taste nice when eaten straight from the bag - maybe this is something to do with the oil that was used (and possibly the same reason as why the “doritos” didn’t last long)?
4. Beer - different types age differently. I don’t like beer, but I had loads of Fosters and Stella left over from a party. Both had similar BBE dates. After about a year past their BBE, the Fosters cans started frothing when opening (even though they weren’t shaken), and made my stomach feel a bit weird (I was trying to make shandies out of them as I can cope with that!). Stella Artois, on the other hand, was still fine at the same point, and for several months after.
5. Pepperami - I ate one that was 10 years out of date. It tasted fine, and I didn’t die, which was a bonus.

I don’t risk it it with meat so much, but you can usually tell as it changes colour obviously.

As I’m trying to eat less meat and more vegan alternatives, a lot of the alternatives to sausages and burgers etc. last a long time after their BBE. Recently one vegan burger had a bit of mold on it, so I scraped it off before cooking it and it tasted fine - I wouldn’t have done that with a meat version :/

It really annoys me when people throw stuff out the day after something goes out of date. Whatever it is won’t become immediately radioactive/poisonous, are they that stupid?? grrr

… Also “often a waste”??? always a waste. People (myself included) need to get better at planning meals so there’s less food waste generally. I’m guilty of wasting food sometimes, and I get really cross with myself.

Even grocers get this wrong. I asked a grocer if I could get a mark down on beer that was past the best by date. Was told “actually I cannot sell that to you” before taking it off to the back room.

In more progressive regions, food past the date is given to charity, who then know more about the meanings of the dates and the safety tolerances.