The INSIDER Summary:
• Expiration dates aren't always 100% precise.
• It depends on the type of food and how you store it.
• Dry foods can spend a lot of time in a pantry, and freezers can make meat last longer.
The "sell by dates" on food can — and should — make you feel skeptical.
The shelf life for different kinds of foods vary greatly. And it also all depends on where and how you store your food. Meat, for example, can spend a lot of time in the freezer. But you always have to be careful with refrigerated dairy products.
Using the website StillTasty — which collects data from the USDA, the FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as food manufacturers — we made a graphic that will be your new guide to your freezer, fridge, and pantry.
