Expired Peanut Butter! So worried!

[Juicyg]

Hi everyone,

So I am 18 weeks pregnant tomorrow with my first baby after having an early miscarriage back in 2011.

This morning for convenience I made myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. After eating most of the sandwich but not all of it for some reason I thought I would look at the jar. Only to find out that the Peanut Butters best before date was July 2012!

I am now in a panic about either getting food poisoning or contracting the nasty bacteria listeria from it!

I have rung the doctors to get their opinion and the receptionist said that she expected it will be fine but if I start to vomit contact them again.

I am worrying as I know listeria sometimes has no symptoms and am really beating myself up about being so silly and really need some reassurance..please!!

Am I over reacting? (It won't be the first time).

X

 

[CatherineK]

Overreacting Hun . It's just a best by date, it's perfectly fine for years to eat. It's nuts and oils and maybe some sugar and salt...that's all.

 

[Katteh]

It'll be fine! Things like that aren't a risk for listeria, that's more processed refrigerated foods that have a short shelf life. I wouldn't think twice about eating out of date peanut butter or something as long as it tasted fine! X

 

[Juicyg]

Thanks so much for the replies ladies. I feel calmer now than i did earlier.

Didn't mention in the earlier post that the peanut butter was open already and in the cupboard not the fridge...not sure if that makes a difference??

I wish there was a button that i could press that would switch off my constant worry about things!x

 

[Katteh]

It really doesn't matter! I still wouldn't think twice about eating it! Lol as the above poster said, dates on something like peanut butter are usually best before, and if it had gone off then you would have known as it would probably be mouldy! Even the, I doubt you'd get I'll from eating it x

 

[Juicyg]

Thankyou so much for your response, I now feel much better about the situation.

Gosh if i worry like this now what will i be like once my bubba arrives...lol x

 

[amjon]

It should be fine. Just because something is past it's date doesn't mean it will have bacteria.

 

[Dtswife]

You're fine. My mother and I have a store that sells damaged and expired groceries. Expiration dates are not EAT BY THIS DAY OR DIE, they're a suggestion as to when the food may taste stale. Peanut butter, canned goods, dry foods, as long as they're in their sealed packaging, they're still good for years past their sell by date. And peanut butter - you can TELL if it's rancid!
check out www.stilltasty.com. Great resource.

 

[SimoneMK]

Overeacting, you and baby will be fine

 

[summer rain]

Listeria is mainly found in animal products, very rarely is it found in plant or nut based products. Nut butters don't really go off per se, they can occasionally go mouldy or deteriorate in quality and seperate out but that isn't common. You would know if it had because it would look or taste really odd. I used to buy tahini, which is like a sesame seed version of peanut butter and the packaging didn't even have a use by date on because if stored right it can last pretty much indefinitely. Xx

P.S. I ate mouldy herb yeast spread a few weeks ago and I'm fine! It was in the fridge and had only been opened two weeks earlier and it said use within 4 weeks. When I had it in a sandwich I noticed it tasted slightly weird but not actually mouldy I then looked inside the lid and it was all full of mould! I freaked out but was totally ok, didn't even have an upset stomach.