What happens if you drink expired milk

We've all been in this situation: You grab the milk to pour in your coffee or bowl of cereal, only to notice the date on the package has already passed.

The date on the outside of the carton might not exactly reflect how fresh or spoiled your milk is. That's the "sell-by" date, which isn't an indicator of safety, and the milk inside still might be fresh in the days to follow, according to the USDA. That said, you could end up with expired or spoiled milk if your milk is stored or handled incorrectly — but there are a few key ways to tell. Milk doesn't last forever, so even if you suspect the carton of milk past its expiration date in your fridge is still fresh, it will spoil eventually. Most milk sold at grocery stores has been pasteurized — a process of heating the milk to kill off pathogens, according to the Food and Drug Administration FDA.

What happens if you drink expired milk

Milk can stay safe to consume for several days past the expiration date. Expiration dates relate to quality rather than safety. The smell and appearance of milk are clear indicators if it is bad. There are many types of expiration dates on food and drink products, which can be confusing. Producers of milk typically pasteurize it to kill off bacteria before selling it. However, milk can still spoil and become unsafe for consumption. Drinking spoiled milk can make people unwell, but it is typically easy to tell when milk is bad. In this article, we discuss how long milk can stay safe past the expiration date and explain what the different dates on food and drink labels mean. There is no universal duration for how long milk is safe to consume after the expiration date. Different types of milk can remain fresh for varying lengths of time. Most milk that people purchase in the United States has undergone pasteurization , which involves heating the milk to kill harmful pathogens. Although this makes the milk safer to consume, it does not mean that it is safe to leave milk out of the refrigerator for an extended time, particularly after opening it. Some evidence suggests that pasteurized milk should remain fresh for 2—5 days after its sell-by date and 10—21 days in total. There are different methods of pasteurization that can further extend the shelf life of milk. For example, ultra-pasteurized milk can last about 30—90 days.

However, drinking a large or moderate amount of bad milk can result in digestive discomfort.

Corey Williams is a food writer for MyRecipes and Allrecipes. She has a decade of journalism experience. You're probably here because you've just consumed milk that's past its expiration date or you are considering consuming milk that's past its expiration date or smelling a little off. Either way, here's what you need to know. There's a big difference between "sell-by" and "use-by" labels. The sell-by date exists to tell grocery stores and consumers when the carton or jug should leave shelves because it is approaching its peak freshness.

If you learn one thing about milk, let it be this: Unlike cheese , it doesn't I repeat, does not get better with age. Drinking a tall pour of spoiled milk from a weeks-old gallon in the back of your fridge is not a great idea. Since food poisoning is rarely the goal when consuming dairy, I figured it was high time to uncover the why behind spoiled milk—and the gut reaction that follows. Keep reading to learn what happens if you drink spoiled milk. According to research published by the Journal of Dairy Science , this is because the bacteria continues to grow even after the milk has been pasteurized 1 which involves heating up the milk to kill off pathogens and bottled. Depending on the state you live in, the label may have different requirements. While some states insist on expiration dates which detail the exact date when a product is deemed bad , others are more lenient with sell-by and best-by dates. The best case scenario is that you'll throw it out immediately after noticing the smell. If, however, you pour the spoiled milk into your Lucky Charms , smoothie, or protein shake, and gulp it down

What happens if you drink expired milk

A strong sour smell may be an indication that your milk has spoiled. While drinking it can cause food poisoning, you can still use spoiled milk in culinary recipes and reduce food waste. Catching a whiff of spoiled milk is enough to ruin even the most voracious appetite, but if you find yourself stuck with a carton of it, you may want to think twice before pitching it. Contrary to popular belief, spoiled milk may have a place in your next culinary pursuit. Not to mention, using spoiled milk in recipes is a great way to reduce food waste. Spoiled milk is the result of an overgrowth of bacteria that compromises the quality, flavor, and texture of milk. Since the late s, the vast majority of commercially produced milk is pasteurized. The pasteurization process kills many of the most harmful strains of bacteria known to cause foodborne illness , including E. Over time, these small bacterial communities can multiply and eventually cause your milk to spoil.

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How to tell whether the milk is bad. OIL Jonathan Garcia. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Some evidence suggests that pasteurized milk should remain fresh for 2—5 days after its sell-by date and 10—21 days in total. There are no official recommendations, but the general rule of thumb is as follows:. Measure content performance. Most milk in the United States is pasteurized, which eliminates many of — but not all — the harmful pathogens commonly found in fresh milk. The processing of milk has a significant effect on how long it stays fresh and safe to consume. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

The date on the outside of the carton might not exactly reflect how fresh or spoiled your milk is.

Much like spoiled milk, the fermentation of raw milk occurs due to various species of lactic-acid-forming bacteria, a small percentage of which are considered probiotics and may offer minor health benefits 3. More often than not, these symptoms will alleviate themselves within hours. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Drinking spoiled milk can make people unwell, but it is typically easy to tell when milk is bad. Use profiles to select personalised content. As a country, we discard of hundreds and thousands of tonnes of milk each year, often because people trust use by dates over smell and taste. It really depends on the degree of spoilage; sour milk is okay to use for cooking. Read full article. The production of milk involves several stages that aim to kill off these bacteria to extend the shelf life. Ozempic may delay kidney disease progression, latest trial results show.