Is it okay to eat expired frozen food? Doctor explains what expiry dates mean: ‘As long as it stays frozen…’

According to a doctor, frozen food technically never expires, but its quality can decline due to freezer burn. Know how to store food properly.

Has your mom ever told you that it is okay to eat an expired packaged food item just because it is frozen? Well, something similar happened to an Instagram user who asked the internet for suggestions on whether to eat expired frozen food or not. Dr Karan Rajan, MBBS BSc and an NHS surgeon, stitched the original clip and explained what one must do in such scenarios - if they should eat expired frozen food, how to freeze food and more.

'As long as the food stays frozen, it's safe'

In the video captioned “Freezer glitch,” Dr Rajan stated that frozen food ‘technically’ never expires. Yes, you read that right. This may surprise many, but according to him, this is actually a fact. “When it comes to frozen food, these best-before dates and expiry dates are more about the food quality, not food safety. So, as long as the food stays frozen, it's safe,” Dr Rajan explained.

However, this does not mean that frozen food will stay tasty forever. According to the doctor, the longer something stays frozen, the more it can be ‘affected by something known as freezer burn’. As per Rajan, freezer burn is a phenomenon when food gets covered by ice crystals and gets the moisture sucked out. So, what happens when there's a freezer burn? Food loses its flavour. “As oxidation occurs, the food that's frozen for a long time can lack flavour. The actual texture of the food can degrade. Think tough, dry meat and limp vegetables when cooked.”

However, flavour is not the only thing that is lost when your food is frozen for a long time. Its nutritional value can also get depleted. Dr Rajan said, “Over a very long period of time, these (frozen food) can lose their nutritional value as well.”

How to minimize freezer burn?

In the post, Dr Rajan also stated ways one can utilise to minimise freezer burn, texture changes or flavour depletion. He suggested freezing food items in a vacuum-sealed container or just pressing out as much air as you can out of your container. “It's better to store stuff in bags rather than stiff containers. Make sure you label and date the time so you can keep track of storage items. And keep your freezer below 0 degrees to minimise those texture and flavour changes,” he said in the clip.

Lastly, he stated that practising safe food handling is more important than best-before dates when it comes to frozen food. So, that means storing it properly and ensuring that ‘you cook it thoroughly when it comes out of the freezer’.

After Dr Rajan posted the video on Instagram, a user who used to work in a frozen food factory took to the comments section to explain how expiry dates for frozen items work. They said, “I used to work in a frozen food factory. The food we used to produce went out to shops, etc. But sometimes that food would come back to the factory to be redated, so the food you would normally get would have an 18-month shelf life; when it came back, we would add another 18 months, so expiry dates aren't always what you see.”

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.