What Happens If You Eat Expired Bread
It is safe to eat expired bread for up to 5-7 days as long as there are no signs of mold or spoilage. If you eat bread that has expired, you may get a stomachache and food poisoning that can result in nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Consult your doctor for medical assistance if the symptoms become severe.
You technically can eat expired bread, especially if it is been expired for just a day or two, but do it carefully at all times. Eating expired bread that does not show any obvious signs of mold may not harm you, but we would not recommend doing it anyway. If your bread does not have any visible signs of mold, then it is likely to be fine to eat, though it might have a slightly odd flavor, and may be softer than what you are used to.
If you eat bread products that are bad, or if you see any signs of mold, then you could be susceptible to food poisoning. If you decide to eat bread that is developed mold, is stale, or has a distasteful look or flavor, you could be setting yourself up to get food poisoning. Yes, if you are eating bread that has been sitting around for an extended period of time, you may potentially give yourself food poisoning.
If your bread has a slightly off odor, has a stale texture, or has mold growing on it, your bread is not good and should not be consumed. Sometimes bread goes bad a few days later, but as long as there is no evidence of mold or discoloration, then it is still completely safe to eat. It is not safe to eat bread or breadcrumbs that have mold on them in any form, because you could get sick eating them. If you do not see mold, but notice an odd smell, it is still best to throw the bread away (7, 8, 9).
To prevent these problems, it is recommended that you throw away any bread that looks or smells bad. Bread stored for an extended time in a refrigerator or freezer may grow moldy and stale. Bread that has been left outdoors in hot weather or exposed to air for long periods of time can spoil rapidly. Baking items like bread, rolls, muffins, and cookies may stale in one or two days after baking.
Stale bread has a longer shelf life of a few months, but some bread items last just one to two weeks after being packaged. Breads shelf life is also dependent on the type of bread and the printed expiration date. If you put bread in the freezer, it can survive several months past its best-by date.
You may be surprised to learn it is actually possible to continue eating bread beyond the date on the package. If you have ever had a loaf of bread that is expired, then you probably pondered if it is still okay to eat.
| Signs | |
| Spores | It forms mold or green spots over it |
| Texture | It becomes hard |
| Taste | It looses its taste when it goes bad |
SUMMARY Bread has a best-by date, not an expiration date, but it is best to check yourself to see whether or not it is still safe to eat. If bread has no evidence of mold or yeast, and is sealed, then it is still safe to eat, even slightly past its best-by date. Bread, and similarly manufactured products like breadcrumbs, are safe to eat past their best-by dates unless they contain evidence of mold or yeast either in or around the crust. If stored in the refrigerator, bread generally keeps at least one week, and is safe to eat so long as there are no signs of mold or yeast patches on it.
If you have bread that is two weeks old that has not been frozen, you can probably still consume it, just be careful of any signs of mold. Most types of bread, even if tightly packed, dry out and become stale in the fridge, so the bread needs to be stored in a pantry or breadbox, or frozen, in order to keep longer. Every loaf of bread is different, but most breads will keep for almost a week at room temperature as long as they are stored right (bread boxes, brown paper bags, etc.).
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The shelf life for bread stored at room temperature is 3-5 days, but it may vary depending on ingredients, bread type, and storage methods. Eating bread that is stale or expired is not always a pleasant experience, and the truth is that you can generally safely consume bread for 5-7 weeks past its printed “use-by” date. Eat fresh bread whenever possible, and do not consume any bread past one week after the use-by date. On thesell-by date, bread should not be eaten more than three or five days after opening, but it may stay edible for much longer if it does not develop mold. Bread tends to develop splotchy, green marks on its surface, making it easier to tell when it is time to remove the crust.
It may also grow mold and become unsafe to eat, so knowing how to keep it as fresh as possible is useful. As long as mold does not form, you can still eat your old bread – it just might not be as delicious as new. If you eat an excessive amount of stale bread (especially if there is mold), you could wind up having diarrhea and vomiting for a day or two.
If you are going to be ill because you have eaten moldy bread, symptoms should appear just hours after eating. While it is most likely you will not be terribly sick after eating some of that safe-looking bread, just know you are still eating mold spores — even if they are not showing up just yet.
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Porous foods such as bread may have been contaminated by mold beneath the surface, past the point where you can see it, meaning that you should not simply throw out moldy spots and keep eating the rest. Those white spots are mold…which typically means the bread bag, or whatever container you are keeping your bread in, is not sealed correctly, and this is what is allowing the mold to grow on your bread. Visible signs of mold, or white, black, blue, or green spots on bread is a sure-fire indication that it is spoilt, and you should throw it out.
For example, if you bought a loaf of bread and immediately ate half of it, you may still be ill from the other half of the bread, even if it says “best by” on the label. How to Tell If Bread Has Gone Bad While many packaged foods come with expiration dates, most bread has a best-by date instead, which indicates how long your bread is expected to remain fresh.
What should I do if I ate expired bread?
You’ll probably be fine. However, in some circumstances, the mold on damaged food could be deadly, so you should seek medical help immediately if you suddenly have symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, a high temperature, or diarrhea.
Can you get sick from expired bread?
Remaining stale bread is the primary cause of nearly all occurrences of nausea and vomiting (if it contains mold). This might also happen if your allergic reaction to your allergy medication doesn’t go away in a few days and you start to react to moldy, stale bread.
What should I do if I ate expired bread?
You’ll probably be OK. However, in some circumstances, the mold on damaged food might be deadly, so you should seek medical attention right away if you suddenly have symptoms like a lack of breath, nausea, a high temperature, or diarrhea.