Why 'it tastes fine' should never be the test for expired packaged food

Doctors warn that taste and appearance are poor guides to what could be happening inside ageing packaged foodThat packet of chips, noodles or mayonnaise may look perfectly normal weeks after its expiry date. It may even smell and taste much the same. But doctors warn that appearance is a poor guide to what could be happening inside ageing packaged food—a concern brought sharply into focus after Maharashtra authorities uncovered an alleged operation in Navi Mumbai that was changing manufacturing and expiry dates on branded food products.The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration and Navi Mumbai police crime branch conducted the operation between August 24 and 29, seizing more than Rs 76 lakh worth of goods, including snacks, noodles, soup, mayonnaise and soft drinks. Officials said original manufacturing and expiry dates were erased and replaced with newer dates and that ingredient and nutritional labels were also altered. Equipment and chemicals allegedly used to remove printing and create replacement labels were seized.The case highlights an important misconception about packaged food: expiry does not necessarily announce itself through a terrible smell or obviously rotten taste. “Packaged food is specifically manufactured so that it remains stable for a long period. It contains preservatives, has controlled moisture and is sealed against the environment. So people assume that if an expired packet still tastes all right, it must be safe. That is not necessarily true,” says Kolkata-based general physician Dr Nikhil Panda.“A food can look, smell and even taste almost unchanged after its expiry date while deterioration has already begun,” warns Panda. What happens after that date depends greatly on the food. Fats in chips, biscuits, namkeen and instant foods gradually oxidise, producing rancidity and breaking down flavour and nutritional quality. Vitamins can degrade over time while moisture or microscopic damage to packaging can encourage microbial growth. Sauces, mayonnaise, dairy-based products and other foods containing more moisture can pose a greater microbiological concern if storage conditions have also been poor.Experts stress that there is also an important distinction between “best before” and “use by” or expiry dates. A best-before date primarily indicates the period during which the manufacturer expects the product to retain its intended quality. An expiry or use-by date indicates the end of the estimated period after which the product may no longer remain safe under stated storage conditions. FSSAI rules state that food beyond its expiry or use-by date should not be sold or distributed for human consumption.Eating deteriorated food can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea if harmful microorganisms or their toxins are present. “The danger is that the consumer gets no warning from the tongue,” says Dr Panda. “Some bacterial contamination and toxins will not necessarily change the taste. Depending on the food and the contamination, an expired product can cause anything from a short episode of gastroenteritis to severe dehydration or a much more serious infection, particularly in children, older people and those with poor immunity.”Even dry foods are not automatically harmless. Experts say oxidation of oils continues slowly during storage while temperature, sunlight and humidity can accelerate deterioration. A packet repeatedly transported or stored in hot warehouses may therefore age differently from the same product kept under recommended conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises consumers not to eat food beyond its expiry or use-by date and notes that refrigeration and packaging can slow food deterioration but do not preserve food indefinitely.Dr Panda says consumers should resist the familiar test of taking one bite before deciding. “With expired packaged food, ‘it tastes fine’ should never be your safety test,” he says. “The date, condition of the packet and how it has been stored matter much more. Once somebody tampers with that date, the consumer loses one of the most basic pieces of information needed to make that decision.”That is what makes expiry-date fraud more than a labelling offence. It effectively resets the clock printed on the packet without resetting what has already been happening to the food inside.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 18:54 IST