Does ice cream expire? *UPDATED* @ Top post

[Kenny]

I have a tub of Dreyer's ice cream here that has been in the freezer maybe three weeks?

I wanna eat it but I think it might get me sick. Just wondering when it expires cuz there's no date here.

I'm probably gonna toss it out.

Update.

So I e-mailed Dreyers and this is what they had to say:

Dear Mr. Hong:

Thank you for visiting our website and for your e-mail message. It is always a pleasure to hear
from our consumers whose ideas, comments and concerns are very important to us here at
Dreyer's.

For future reference, the quality assurance date that appears on the bottom of the carton is read as a month and a day. An example is 09 14 B. This code means that the product is guaranteed fresh until the 14th day of September and that it was produced on line "B." The other number is the plant code. The quality assurance date is nine months from the date of manufacture, so this product was made on December 14. Although we guarantee our product fresh for nine months only, under the proper storage conditions it should stay fresh much longer.

Please watch for coupons to arrive shortly by U.S. Mail.

We appreciate your interest in our company and the time you have taken to contact us.

Sincerely,

Brenda L. Schuler
Consumer Response Representative

I double checked for the quality assurance date and there wasn't one. Looks like ice cream is supposed to last nine months, probably more because Dreyer's doesn't want to get sued by stating a longer period of time. I'm getting free coupons though, hope they're good ones.

 

[Soybomb]

No it gets all frosty and nasty first. Thats probably still fine.

 

[Ylen13]

not sure, thee weeks maybe okay but i would personally not take the chances

 

[Kenny]

Tastes alright

Hope I don't get sick, I have my first interview tomorrow.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: Soybomb
No it gets all frosty and nasty first. Thats probably still fine.

Freezer burn sucks

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: t60
Tastes alright

Hope I don't get sick, I have my first interview tomorrow.

Well get some rest t60 & good luck

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: t60
Tastes alright

Hope I don't get sick, I have my first interview tomorrow.

Well get some rest t60 & good luck

will second that, good luck and keep us posted

 

[FrogDog]

3 weeks? I've eaten ice cream about 4 times that old and I'm still here.

 

[kyutip]

It will change color and taste after a while.
From banana split to god knows what.
Your face will change color too if you eat it.

 

[Binar]

Originally posted by: FrogDog
3 weeks? I've eaten ice cream about 4 times that old and I'm still here.

ya but for how long?

 

[Eli]

3 weeks is nothing.. LOL

 

[Twista]

its milk!

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Twista
its milk!

Frozen milk.

 

[HiTek21]

It gets frezer burned. Its gets all dry and nasty tasting.

 

[billandopus]

Originally posted by: Eli
3 weeks is nothing.. LOL

What's the matter with all you people that think that 3 weeks for ice cream is sketchy?!

A decent freezer and ice cream can last for decades!

Some people are such wimps.

 

[darkeneddays]

I stock ice cream( Yeah...loser I know). I've never seen a carton of it go bad(spoiled). As others have stated,it will get freezer burned,which is obvious because it will have little slivers of ice all over it and taste "grainy". 3 weeks is nothing. Pig out....

 

[Aquaman]

If it has the protective layer of ice on top ......... it should be fine

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[McMadman]

Once freezer burn sets in the ice cream generally tastes too horrible for me to eat.

I've bought some ice cream sandwiches from the store and they were already ruined after a couple hours, that's something with the store however.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

Three weeks is probably ok. Three months though...that's probably time to go buy some new ice cream.

 

[NickE]

It depends on a couple of things: storage temperature and the ice cream recipe itself. First of all, there's never any worry about ice cream microbiological safety as long as it is always kept frozen - for as many years as you like.
Quality is another matter, ice crystals will grow and make the texture coarser, it will start to lose overrun (air) and it will also dehydrate on the suface, getting a bit leathery. How fast this happens depends on the average storage temperature (-18°C or below is recommended) - the most important thing though is to keep a constant temperature, it's temp. cycling that accelerates crystal growth and overun loss. Also, the problem is made worse in all-natural product such as Breyer's Blackpack as there are no stabilisers to limit growth.
You don't mention what variant of Dreyer's you have, so it's hard to be specific but in general we put a two year shelflife on standard products.

 

[imported_Papi]

Im just wondering.....

Do people actually take other peoples advice here at ATOT?

 

[bunker]

Hell, I've got some 4 month old ice cream in the freezer I'm still eating.

 

[billandopus]

Originally posted by: yayo
Im just wondering.....

Do people actually take other peoples advice here at ATOT?

You mean about the "ice cream is good for a decade or so" advice?

You better!

 

[fr]

It's probably been in your grocer's freezer much longer than that already.

 

[dighn]

everything expires.....