Shelf life of refrigerated cream cheese - unclear best before date
I have an unopened package of cream cheese (store brand: Hy-Top) and the date has no year on it. It shows:
-NOV 27 135J
01:20 02P2
I don't think I've had it longer than maybe 6 months but I don't know for sure. It was at the back of a shelf in my refrigerator.
How do I find out if it is this November or last year?
Best Answer
You open it:
The best before date is merely a guideline, it does not mean the food will be bad after that date (there are posts on this site that expand on this). Still, after almost an extra year, the cream cheese will very likely have gone bad - and this should be immediately noticeably by an off smell or visible mold.
If you notice no deterioration, you are either before the best before date or you were quite lucky and the package kept exceptionally well.
CAVEAT:
With all food items there is always the general rule:
When in doubt, throw it out.
I would never feed "questionable" food items to others, especially children, pregnant or elderly people or anyone else with a weak imune system. (Even though I might use it myself if it appears perfectly ok to me.)
Weigh the cost of a package of cream cheese against the risk of food poisoning - and use common sense.
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How long does cream cheese last past the best before date?
According to Philadelphia Cream Cheese, under normal refrigerator conditions of 40\xb0 at all times, an unopened package of cream cheese is good 1 month past the \u201cBest When Purchased By\u201d date on the carton. Once opened, cream cheese should be used within 10 days.Can you use outdated cream cheese?
Cream cheese has a sell-by or best before date instead of a date of expiration. This gives sellers an idea of when they can sell dairy products like cream cheese. After passing the best-by date, cream cheeses will still be safe to consume until some time.Can cream cheese go bad before expiration date?
What is this? On average, unopened cream cheese will last for about two to three weeks past the expiration date. That's assuming that you keep it in the fridge, of course. Once the cream cheese is opened, it will last for another week or two in the refrigerator before beginning to spoil.Can cream cheese go bad in the fridge?
CREAM CHEESE, SOLD IN FOIL-WRAPPED BLOCK - OPENED PACKAGEAn opened package of cream cheese will generally last for about one to two weeks after the "sell-by" date on the package, assuming it has been continuously refrigerated.Expired cream cheese just fine after one year
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