Just realized I've been eating expired Oreos for 6 months

I was cleaning out my pantry last night and noticed the Oreo package said 'best by' back in March. That's like half a year ago. I've been eating them with peanut butter as a snack almost every night. They didn't taste bad or anything. But now I'm wondering how much of a difference freshness actually makes with packaged cookies. Anyone else ever eat stuff way past its date and not notice?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_hayes16d ago

Honestly that's a solid question because most of those 'best by' dates are just for peak freshness, not safety. Oreos are basically just sugar and oil, so I'd be shocked if they went bad in a way you could even notice. Ngl I've eaten chips and crackers a year past the date and they just get a little stale but are totally fine. Did you try comparing one from a fresh pack to your old ones to see if you could actually taste the difference?

jones.angela16d ago

My Oreos are from a pack I bought at a gas station in Topeka last January, so I really can't say if I'm comparing apples to stale apples at this point. Honestly I think I've built up an immunity to expired snacks because my immune system now just accepts the staleness as a texture choice. Maybe the real question is whether the peanut butter I've been dipping them in expired somewhere around 2019 and I just never noticed. Either way I'm still alive and my dentist hasn't sent a cease and desist yet so I'm calling it a win.