Date code dare?

[Goatboy]

Hi all,

While clearing out some stuff I've come upon a pile of Wayfayrer food that's out of date... Veg curries dated at 2008, spotted dick at 2008 and Lancashire hotpot at 2012. Do I bin it or risk eating one & see if I live? The packaging is all in good condition.

Look forward to any thoughts...

GB.

 

[nickliv]

Cook it and try. Your nose will keep you right, but if you're going out in the wilds, take a spare just in case it has turned.

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[British Red]

Is it freeze dried or MRE? I'd not be worried by freeze dried. Use your eyes and your nose. Use by dates often reflect nutrition not safety

 

[Goatboy]

They're MRE's, just being a mean Scot and wondering. The 2012 doesn't bother me at all - the 2008 not so sure about. Would try them at home with good loo facilities...

 

[IanM]

I have a tin of sardines that have no date stamp because they were bought before it was a requirement. I have no idea when that was. Does anybody know?

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I had some curry from 2006 a couple of weeks ago and good as gold.
Smelt like curry and tasted ok.
Open it and let us know.

 

[copper_head]

I've got a some chicken and mushroom pasta with a pack date of 2004 knocking around in my kit box... Not built up the courage yet.

 

[Goatboy]

Eating a 2008 vintage veg curry, if anything it tastes better than I remember.

 

[mountainm]

If its a "best before" and the packaging is sound I think you'll be fine.

 

[rik_uk3]

I recently opened up a 24 hour rat pack which had a packing date of 2002. The sachets of tea had gone hard but the coffee was OK. Biscuits fruit and brown were fine, the chocolate had developed white speckles but this does not affect the taste. The main meals were fine except for the fruit dumplings which had turned to mush. The hot chocolate was fine also (I don't like the fruit drinks powder so just binned them but they looked to be OK)

If the bags on your meals have 'blown' then don't eat them. Over years pouch and tinned food may loose texture and there is some loss in vitamin content.

 

[Goatboy]

Veg curry wasn't as bitter as Wayfayrer ones usually are, spotted dick was very hard - ate it cold though. No rushes off to the loo yet! Thought it'd be fine but wondered what experiences others had had. Cheers...

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I'm sorry but if you have to run to the loo after a dodgy hard spotted dick you only have yourself to blame.
I would guess its the fruit that has gone off.

 

[British Red]

.....must resist jokes about ancient spotted dick............

 

[Goatboy]

Yes yes, one has to be careful about old fruit...

 

[Toddy]

Uhuh ....it's bad enough explaining to the non commonwealth folks, but it's worse to the under 16's.....of which I think the Boss still has four.

Glad to hear that the experiment is going fine; I'm pretty sure I've got some foil packed ones stashed somewhere that must date to the late 1990's
I really need a total de-clutter.

atb,
M

 

[Goatboy]

Sorry Toddy. Sorry Boss.

 

[The Ratcatcher]

Back in the 70's, somebody must have opened an old Army warehouse, because we were issued with some large tins of corned beef with First World War packing dates. It was still in good condition, and we ate quite a lot of it.

 

[Goatboy]

Well I've eaten like a rat pack king this last couple of days, the hot-pot, the spotted dick and the veg curry - which I'll say again has improved. I write this from a locked bath-room... No I'm fine. The packaging was all checked and was in good nick, and no adverse after effects just a full tummy. Wasn't sure of the pouches over tins for longevity but they seem good.

Burp! Cheers for the advice folks,
GB.

 

[John Fenna]

It would seem that pouch meals, like their tinned equivalents, are fine as long as the packaging is intact and not "blown".
RM and a survival buddy ate WW2 pemmican in one of his progs...
Taste and texture may not be ideal, but it should still be sustaining and not poisonous!