Using Coffee Creamer Past Its Expiration Date
You may be wondering what to do if creamer has been sitting in your fridge for several days or is past the expiration date but is still unfinished.
Contrary to popular belief, while expiration dates are valuable indicators of guaranteed freshness, they don’t necessarily indicate whether the product is truly spoiled. “Generally, when we talk about shelf life and expiration dates, we are talking about limits to the quality of the product, not the safety,” Craig says.
However, to err on the side of caution, he recommends only using the product if it’s a few days to a week past its expiration, especially a liquid creamer or one that involves dairy, “but I wouldn’t push much past that,” he says. Technically, powdered coffee creamer alternatives can last in the cupboard for up to two years beyond their sell-by date.
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However, they might not be great to eat for too long after the expiration date.
On that note, although the smell, taste, texture, or even color might still be intact, Craig says that this isn’t the only thing you should be wary of if your creamer has been sitting around for a while. The longer the product remains unused, the more time it has to grow bacteria that can potentially wreak havoc on your digestive system.
“It might make you queasy or maybe even cause an upset stomach,” he says. But, rest assured, Craig says, sipping on some expired creamer won’t necessarily lead to more serious consequences like a salmonella or listeria infection. Listeria exposure is only a serious risk in unpasteurized dairy products, like some soft cheeses.
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Most commercially available dairy creamers and cream-based products are pasteurized at a very high heat that kills bacteria and other microbes.
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However, there can still be a risk of bacterial contamination.
How Long Does Coffee Creamer Last After Opening?
Keep in mind that although creamer can last a few weeks, it’s heavily contingent on how it’s been handled. “Once a product is open, it’s exposed to everything, meaning if you aren’t careful and leave the creamer at room temperature for a longer time, this could put it in the danger zone and encourage extra bacterial growth,” Craig says.
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Ultimately, this means the creamer could expire faster than its predetermined expiration date.
