Can you get sick eating expired sour cream (3-7 days)?

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K

KillyKillall

Diamond Member
Jul 1, 2004
4,415
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The wife and I were doing the normal grocery shopping tonight and I was picking up some sour cream. As usual, I checked the date and got the following:

1st one: 3 days expired
2nd one: 3 days expired
3rd one: 7 days expired
4th one: Exp: November 10

So I checked a few more anyways and found almost all of them were 3-7 days expired. I went to customer service to let them know and the girl replied: "That means Mark isn't checking them." Then she just stood there like she was waiting for me to reply. It was akward as if I was supposed to know who Mark was or something. I went on to finish my shopping.

About 30 minutes later before we left, I went back to get another (decided to make a double batch of dip. The sour cream had not been removed and was still there.

When we got to the checkout, it just so happened that the checker was the manager on duty. I mentioned to her that there was some expired sour cream and explained how many I saw that were expired 3-7 days. Her total reply was... "Wow."

That's it? "Wow?"

I'm not sure if 3-7 day expired sour cream will make you sick, but if it does, Safeway doesn't care.

Cliff Notes:
-Most of the sour cream at Safeway was 3-7 days expired
-Told customer service, they left it there
-Told manager, she just said "Wow"
-If 3-7 day old sour cream is bad, Safeway doesn't care
 
H

hypn0tik

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
5,867
2
0
3-7 days probably won't make you sick if it's been refrigerated the whole time. However, Safeway should care.
 
FoBoT

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,089
12
76
fobot.com
dude it is already sour

it can't really go bad, at least , not for a while

i mean, it is already rotted milk, what comes after that?

don't be a wuss, eat it
 
Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,599
19
81
Does your municipality have any department for health inspections? Let them know. Here in Erie, there's a part in the papers every day or two about local businesses which were inspected, and how many, if any, violations they had, as well as the nature of the violations. They range from things like refrigerators keeping food a bit too warm, to rodent droppings in a food preparation area.
 
A

altonb1

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2002
6,433
0
71
Actually, the sour cream will NOT make you sick under normal conditions. HOWEVER, the expiration date on many dairy products is the SELL BY date--not the "should be consumed by" date.

However, by not removing it from their shelves, they are definitely in violation of health codes, so the responses you received were not appropriate at all.

Wegmans FTW!
 
V

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
8
0
Sour cream can usually be refrigerated in its container for more than a month after the date stamped on the bottom of the container. If any mold forms on the cream's surface, the entire container should be discarded immediately.
 
X

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,377
1
0
All I know is that I usually keep sour cream in my fridge at home for much longer than grocery stores are willing to keep it on their shelves. I never get sick eating it.
 
PottedMeat

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,365
475
126
You can't get sick from from that, but they shouldn't be selling expired goods.

I've eaten sour cream in my fridge thats months past the sell by date. I've only died 11 times so far.

 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,967
19
81
Originally posted by: compnovice
Complain to the PIMA county health department, assuming you are in Tucson.

chfs@pima.gov
(520) 243.7908
Click to expand...

Definitely esp if it's a USE BY date. I hate this crap lately of everyone not wanting to help in a store because it's not their job/dept/etc.

We found rotted meat in on aisle...you'd think the store people that stocked the shelves would have done something...all they did was push it to the back of the stack. The stocker was right there on the aisle working.

When we asked him why didn't he pull the meat out. He said it's already bad, he can't put it back.

We stopped shopping there. Most stores should trash meat products if they got removed from the coolers.

We told the checkout girl as well and she told us 'we' would have to tell somebody else about it.
 
Nocturnal

Nocturnal

Lifer
Jan 8, 2002
18,927
0
76
Originally posted by: PottedMeat
You can't get sick from from that, but they shouldn't be selling expired goods.

I've eaten sour cream in my fridge thats months past the sell by date. I've only died 11 times so far.
Click to expand...

WINNAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
M

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,516
10
81
Originally posted by: PottedMeat
I've eaten sour cream in my fridge thats months past the sell by date. I've only died 11 times so far.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that sourer cream is a real killer.

Perhaps that's what they're always talking about in the news previews... "It can kill you and may be in your fridge right now! Tonight at 11."
 
K

KillyKillall

Diamond Member
Jul 1, 2004
4,415
0
0
So, it looks like it wouldn't have made anyone sick from your comments above. That is good news.

On the other hand, I looked up the Pima County / Arizona health code and it mandates that this be disposed off immediately if past the expiration date. Considering I notified 2 employees and they both failed to do anything about it (including a manager), I think I'll write Safeway a quick email just to let them know they might want to look into their store management.
 
E

Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
23,578
1
0
Sour cream is edible for a long while after the "Sell by" date. I've used it months after, as long as it has stayed cold.
 
Uppsala9496

Uppsala9496

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 2001
5,272
19
81
I think this is fairly common.

I bought some chinese mustard at the store 3 weeks ago. I went to open it last night and noticed it had an expiration date of January 2007 on it.

Of course I don't keep grocery receipts so I can't take it back. Plus it's not like it was expensive. I just never thought about looking at an expiration date on mustard before. Obviously the stock people didn't either.
 
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