WHETHER it’s a rusty can of baked beans, a dust-smothered jar of jam or a tin of tuna that’s older than your firstborn, everyone has something ancient lurking in the back of their cupboards.
And most of us wouldn’t dream of digging it out and cooking it up for tonight’s dinner... so straight in the bin it goes.
A fear of the term "out of date" has led to wasteful habits, where mountains of food are tossed daily, despite being safe to eat.
In fact, the average UK household wastes £470 worth of food a year.
And according to the national Food Standards Agency, 7million tonnes of food and drink were wasted in 2016, 4.4million tonnes of which could have been eaten without posing any health risks.
Louise Roberts, Managing Director at Alimenti Food Sciences Ltd says: “I think a lot of people have lost their connection with where food comes from and the skills of judging whether its OK to eat. This has created a lot of food waste.”
Experts say that use-by dates should be stuck to, especially on products like meat and fish since these foods could cause serious illness if left too long.
But the dates on vegetables, dry foods and products that come in cans are much more lenient. Some undamaged tins can even last years beyond their indicated shelf life.
Unlike the use-by date, sell-by and best-before dates can be looked at as more of a rough guideline when it comes to chucking. They tend to be an indicator of quality rather than safety, Louise explains.
“With regards to out of date foods, you don’t mind if a biscuit is a bit soggy, it’s still safe to eat. But you shouldn’t eat cream that is past it’s use by date because it can make you ill,” she says.
As long as the packaging is intact, then quality, which relates to the flavour, texture and consistency, tends to be the greatest concern when it comes to tins.
So the tins lurking at the back of your shelf may well be fine to eat.
But how would they taste?
I decided to put this to the test, sampling a range of out-of- date products to evaluate which foods can best withstand the test of time...
The taste test
Having grown up in a relatively frugal household, I’ve never been afraid to trim the mould from a block of cheese or perform a sniff test on old pasta sauces.
All in all, I felt fully equipped for the task ahead, straight away getting stuck into a surprisingly moist, fruity and flavour-packed Christmas pud from 2014.
I had optimistic expectations for the remaining gone-off goodies which awaited me.
But hope soon faded after peeling back the lid of a seven-year-old tin of smoked oysters - releasing a stench of warm fish guts.
The congealed shellfish had become more like a paste in consistency and the colour, an unsavoury brownish green.
I soon learned that anything not in a tin, like dusty old chocolate bars, and most fish products past the five-year mark (caviar included) were a no-go.
Meat-free tinned foods, however, were a pleasant surprise.
If it weren’t for the decaying metal, I’d never have guessed their ages.
Christmas pudding - best before 2014
My verdict: Perhaps Sainsbury’s is very generous with the alcohol content in their Christmas puds, or the ageing fruit had begun to ferment.
Either way I would highly recommend it!
This pudding tasted exactly how it should and hadn’t lost any of it’s moistness.
Met with a great whiff of brandy when ripping off the lid, this is something that definitely got better with age.
What the experts say: Fine to eat. But as with anything past its recommended date, taste and quality will not be optimum.
Jar of caviar - best before 2005
My verdict: The struggle I had with opening the stiff lid was clearly a sign that 13-year-old caviar should never been eaten!
Despite the initial stench, it appeared as though the fish eggs had held their form. Sadly they quickly disintegrated on my tongue and were entirely unpalatable.
Definitely not the perfect accompaniment to a glass of champers.
What the experts say: Fish is a high risk food. Like the oysters, harmful toxins can fester. I would say no.
Tin of beans, sausages and pasta shapes in tomato sauce - best before 1995
My verdict: I was hoping for big things from this canned delicacy, and I wasn't disappointed, although the sausages did taste a little tinny.
But poured over some buttery toast with a block of grated cheddar, no one would guess.
What the experts say: I’d err on the side of caution with foods from this date. We have progressed quite significantly since then, with techniques like food irradiation to kill bacteria and extend shelf lives and modified atmosphere packaging.
Tin of beef consommé - best before 2005
My verdict: With no signs of rust, I had high hopes for the consommé.
Sadly this tasted like a tinny metal soup and I felt like I’d been sucking on a copper coin - a tang which clung to my mouth for the rest of the day!
What the experts say: I wouldn’t recommend it. This would probably be safe to eat, but metals from the tin can leak into foods after long periods of time.
Tin of smoked oysters - best before 2011
My verdict: This was enough to put anyone off oysters for life. I originally thought that these would be slimy and slippery in texture, instead they were more like a fishy mush.
Disturbingly green in colour and smelt they as pungent as they tasted. A definite no!
What the experts say: I would say no to any tinned fish. In theory they should be safe to eat as they have been given a best before date, but harmful toxins can build up in products like this.
More food news
Crunchie bar - best before 1995
My verdict: Despite my initial thoughts that this would be the best of the bunch, the Crunchie bar felt more like an ancient artefact that belonged behind a glass screen in a museum.
It instantly crumbled in my hands. I was left with soggy and chewy honeycomb, covered in a very thin layer of chocolate dust – the worst part being that it tasted like dust too.
What the experts say: It would be fine to eat, but may not taste great.