How long does unopened beef broth carton last?

[Red Squirrel]

I have one that says it expires in either Jan 2016, or Jan 2018, I can't tell due to the font. I think it's 2018. Would that make sense? Would not figure something like that would last that long. It's a Campbell's low sodium one if that matters.

I could go back to the store but just thought I'd check here, if 2018 makes sense, then I'm going to go with that.

 

[IronWing]

Beef broth is used as a culture medium for bacteria on petri dishes. Choose wisely.

 

[KMFJD]

wcgw? yolo!

 

[waffleironhead]

The carton or the contents?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It's probably safe either way. If you buy one now it would have an expiration date maybe middle of 2018. And if the sell by date really was 2016 it would probably still be good more than a year beyond that. It's a sell-by date, not a use by date. On canned goods it's more for freshness than for safety. They build a lot of leeway into the date because they want the stock rotated so that it tastes best, not because people will drop dead using it. Just make sure the package is sealed and not bulging. If it's gone bad, it's usually pretty easy to tell.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hmm so it would really have an expiration that far out? It probably is indeed 2018 that it says on it then. I just found that seems to be way too long for what is basically a meat product stored at room temp. (at the grocery store anyway). The 8 kinda looks like a 6 but more I look at it, I think it is an 8, it's just that one of the dots from the printing process seems slightly off, so it just kind of caught me off guard at first.

Going to go ahead and use it and report back later.

 

[sdifox]

You are in Timmins. Bacteria and virus avoid it like the plague.

 

[IronWing]

Bacteria and virus avoid it like the plague.

 

[zinfamous]

store-bought beef broth is almost certainly not actual beef. It's usually a soy-based derivative loaded with salts and beef-like flavorings, with maybe a tiny amount of beef extract. Beef is probably the most adulterated "broth" that you can purchase...which is why you should stick to veggie or chicken if you are going to go store-bought. Chicken is pretty weak and thin, too (no collagen, so it's not real broth. mostly just flavoring)

all that being said, it should be a relatively sterile environment inside that insulated carton at RT if it hasn't been opened. The sodium concentration in those containers makes for a salinity not unlike the Dead Sea. That "expiration" date most likely reflects the earliest date that the flavor profile starts to break down.

 

[madoka]

I made and ate cookies last night from a mix that expired in 2014 using butter that expired in 2013.

I think you'll be fine.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

It's fine. Even low-sodium broth is probably too salty for bacteria to grow, and you're going to boil the hell out of it anyway. Open it up, and if it doesn't smell "off" then go for it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah ended up using it. Did not get around to eating the end product yet but will soon. It seemed fine so not too worried at this point.

 

[Murloc]

it's sterilized salt water why wouldn't it be able to keep for years?

The date has a huge margin in it and the problem is likely the carton not the broth, if you put it in a sealed titanium vessel or something it probably keeps forever.
I mean, people drink fossil water that is millenia old.