How to Tell When Your Milk Actually Expires

Every relationship consists of these two people: one who won’t drink the milk as soon as the date on the container even approaches, and one who drinks the milk until it actually smells and/or tastes bad.

Who is right? Who is wrong? Is there a way to tell whether the date on your container is arbitrary or actually means something? Can these relationships be saved?

Well, I don’t have an answer to that last question (says the one who drinks the milk until it curdles), but we can talk a bit about when your milk actually goes bad (and no, the machine with the date stamp doesn’t actually know for sure).

Photo Edit: Pixabay

And since 90% of Americans throw out food that’s still good based on the stamp, this is a really important conversation, you guys – and it honestly depends on how your state handles things.

Some states require a sell-by date, which indicates when the milk should be sold by, and is intended to give people time to enjoy the product at home. Other states use a date that’s meant to indicate when the milk is believed to be at peak flavor, and even that is up for debate – Montana labels theirs with a sell-by date that’s 12 days post-pasteurization while Washington requires a use-by date 21 days after pasteurization takes place.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Pasteurization is the process that mills most harmful bacteria, and if consumers keep the milk refrigerated and out of direct sunlight, keep the carton closed and stored on a shelf in your fridge (the temperatures in the door compartments fluctuates more), the bacteria shouldn’t creep back in for a certain number of days.

The rule of thumb for whole milk is to drink it within 5 days of the “sell-by” date. Skim and reduced fat milks go bitter a bit quicker, and your ultra-filtered milks will last a bit longer, so you’ll be okay using a sniff-test with those.