Watch what you eat: These ‘forever foods’ can actually go bad — and experts say they could be risky

Planning to clean out your pantry? Here’s a quick guide on those ‘forever foods’ that you don’t think have expired, but have sat there longer than you initially planned. Though some foods are unlikely to pose a threat to your health, there are others that you should be careful with. The quality of the product will be indicated by the use-by, freeze-by, and sell-by dates on the container. Though you might not get sick, in some cases, if you eat past this date, the quality is likely to have diminished, reports Real Simple.

Basics: Salt, Honey, and Sugar

This group of foods, so long as they are stored correctly, will stay safe to eat indefinitely. However, the quality may diminish, and for that reason, you may consider replacing the kitchen staples.

Humans have been eating honey for at least 10,000 years, and among foods in your kitchen, it likely has one of the longest shelf lives. Have you ever had your honey crystallize? Don’t worry, it’s not a sign it’s gone bad. All you need to do is warm it up and it will return to its smooth consistency. Store it in a cool, dry spot.

Salt, a staple of cooking for millennia, also lasts a long time, as it was historically used to cure meats, fish, and vegetables to prevent them from rotting.

Sugar will last a while as well, as long as you keep it in an airtight container in a dry place. Bacteria don’t grow easily in sugar in those environments, allowing you to hold onto it for years. However, food researchers at the University of Utah point to the best-if-used-by date, which in most cases is around two years. This date does not mean the product has gone bad, but instead that the quality is likely to have decreased.

What about rice and flour?

Flour differs from sugar and salt; its shelf life lasts around a year, according to Simply Recipes. The best way to see if your flour has gone off is to smell it. To extend its life and ensure quality, you can transfer your bag to an airtight container.

The differences between white and brown rice

Rice, on the other hand, should be treated more carefully, particularly brown rice, which, as nutritionists point out, has a higher density of oils and germ, that vastly shorten its shelf life. Germ is the fatty layer that surrounds the grain, and in brown rice, it goes rancid much faster than white rice.

White rice, on the other hand, can last for a long time. If the package is unopened and has been stored in a cool, dry area, the product is unlikely to go bad. Once opened, its shelf life can be extended by storing the product in the freezer, if you don’t plan to cook rice very often.

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