Agreed. The only bad thing is you often can't see when food has gone bad - by the time it starts to smell bad or turn green, it hasn't been edible for quite some time already. Depending on the food, I don't always risk it either.

Totally agree. It's an argument me and my partner have way too often, he's thrown out a whole pack of plums because the expiration date was the day before. It's forced me to scribble over expiration dates with a marker or put everything in plastic containers. As a night worker I've also seen a lot of people that won't eat a (sealed) sandwich because it was 30mins out-of-date when the clock ticked over.

Absolutely correct. All Expiration dates are "professional guesses" You can pretty much get away with most of the food in your refrigerator right now past the Expiration date, except for most dairy products and meats, which are generally correct, but can still have a few days. Same with vitamins too, you've got months on those bad boys.

47, The fact that I thought that was going to be a "puts on sunglasses" pun made your comment freaking hillarious.

Yes but considering his attitude towards it, would he mind a milk that smells weird, since only "*******" are afraid of expiration date? Besides, no one should take a chance with kids of such a young age. A bad food poisoning at this age can be lethal.

Not caring about the expiration date and forcing kids to eat something that is obviously spoiled are two very different pair of shoes. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because a FML is very short and doesn't reveal much about the circumstances. Also, as the food scandals in stores and factories all over the world show, you can easily get food poisoning because of things that are completely out of the consumers control. I know many people who are sensible about going by taste and smell rather than expiration date. The 'for *******' comment could just as well have been facetious on the OP's or the husband's part. A kid would taste that the food is spoiled and refuse to eat it. If he forced them to it it despite that then this family has far bigger problems than expiration dates and the mother should consider what steps to take to make that abuse stop.

27: except that food doesn't necessarily taste weird when it's gone bad. it really depends on the food, and if it simply tastes 'off' from what it normally tastes like, a toddler will PROBABLY still eat it if it doesn't taste absolutely disgusting. expiration dates aren't always accurate (i've had milk be alright for a few days after the date), but you don't risk it with small children. their immune system isn't up to par with an adult's, generally. honestly, the best course of action is to, when you go shopping, check the expiration date of whatever you're buying. if it's in a few days, well, don't buy it. i generally buy for a few weeks ahead. and if it's going to sit in your fridge for so long that you don't use it before it expires, you should probably save your money.

Could I have an example of food that will be bad for you once expired but still taste good?

101, canned foods, salsa, peanut butter, jelly, milk (if its only a few days over) and other dips. There really is a lot of stuff. I'm lucky to have a really good immune system cuz otherwise I would have had food poisoning a lot when I was younger

101: as 105 said, any of those can potentially make you sick once expired, but still taste more or less fine. even milk can taste relatively alright and still be spoiled. it really depends on your tastebuds; i've tasted milk and thought it tasted spoiled whereas my brother thought it tasted fine. but either way, it's still not a good idea to serve expired food to your toddler, and the mindset that 'expiration dates are for *******' is just horrible.

He didn't call thm *******. They're too young to give a shit about the expiration date. He meant in general.

Child abuse? Please. When did you last see a child die of dehydration in the Western world? Pro tip: they don't. Also, children spread all kinds of nasty shit between each other.

56-I'm not sure exactly where you live, but you are highly mistaken by the "west world." It is very common for someone to get sick and die from dehydration, whether from not drink enough water while it is hot, from vomiting or any other factor that can lead to to dehydration. Children, especially, are more prone to dehydration because they don't understand the concept of keeping hydrated while sick and are very stubborn; ever tried to give fluids to a sick child? It is close to impossible! While I don't believe this is child abuse, it could be a form of child abuse should the FML gone something like "today, my husband fed my children visibly rotten meat." Yes, children DO pass nasty germs to each other, but passing around the stomach bug and having food poisoning are two totally separate things. Your body can build up immunity to sicknesses caused by a bacteria, parasite or viral infection. Good luck building immunity towards food poison!

56 - actually, there was a stepmom in a southern state a few months ago that put her seven year old daughter outside in the yard to run as a punishment, and the little girl ended up dying from exhaustion and, especially, dehydration. you'd be surprised how careless parents can be.

@56. Young children die more frequently that you would expect in the "western" world. It doesn't always make the news because we're "civilized". Sigh...