My eagle brand milk expired in 07/07 is it safe to use?!

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They have opened cans of meat that were preserved back in the 1800's, and the nutritional value of the food had decreased VERY little.........depending on the actual food, it can vary up to "three years" for canned food:

According to the USDA AND the DOD, "shelf life" is determined to be:

Shelf life is different from expiration date; the former relates to food quality, the latter to food safety. A product that has passed its shelf life might still be safe, but quality is no longer guaranteed. In most food stores, shelf life is maximized by using stock rotation, which involves moving products with the earliest sell by date to the front of the shelf, meaning that most shoppers will pick them up first and so getting them out of the store. This is important, as some stores can be fined for selling out of date products, and most if not all will have to mark such products down as wasted, leading to a loss of profit.

Shelf life is most influenced by several factors: exposure to light and heat, transmission of gases (including humidity), mechanical stresses, and contamination by things such as micro-organisms. Product quality is often mathematically modelled around a parameter (concentration of a chemical compound, a microbiological index, or moisture content).[3]

For some foods, the shelf life is an important factor to health. Bacterial contaminants are ubiquitous, and foods left unused too long will often acquire substantial amounts of bacterial colonies and become dangerous to eat, leading to food poisoning. However, the shelf life itself is not an accurate indicator to the food safety. For example, pasteurized milk can remain fresh for five days after its sell-by date if it is refrigerated properly. In contrast, if milk already has harmful bacteria, the use-by dates become irrelevant.[2]

The expiration date of pharmaceuticals specifies the date the manufacturer guarantees the full potency and safety of a drug. Most medications are potent and safe after the expiration date. A rare exception is a case of Renal tubular acidosis purportedly caused by expired tetracycline. A study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covered over 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The results showed that about 90% of them were safe and effective as far as 15 years past their expiration date. Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, said that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most expired drugs are probably effective.[4]

Preservatives and antioxidants may be incorporated into some food and drug products to extend their shelf life. Some companies use induction sealing and vacuum pouches to assist in the extension of the shelf life of their products.

Some degradation factors can be controlled by use of appropriate packaging. For example, the amber bottle used for many beers blocks damaging wavelengths of light. Transparent beer bottles do not. Packaging with barrier materials (e.g. low moisture vapor transmission rate, etc.) extends the shelf life of some foods and pharmaceuticals.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) Shelf-Life Program defines shelf-life as,

The total period of time beginning with the date of manufacture, date of cure (for elastomeric and rubber products only), date of assembly, or date of pack (subsistence only), and terminated by the date by which an item must be used (expiration date) or subjected to inspection, test, restoration, or disposal action; or after inspection/laboratory test/restorative action that an item may remain in the combined wholesale (including manufacture's) and retail storage systems and still be suitable for issue or use by the end user. Shelf-life is not to be confused with service-life (defined as, A general term used to quantify the average or standard life expectancy of an item or equipment while in use. When a shelf-life item is unpacked and introduced to mission requirements, installed into intended application, or merely left in storage, placed in pre-expended bins, or held as bench stock, shelf-life management stops and service life begins.)[5]

Shelf life is often described in conjunction with a specific product, package, and distribution system. For example, An MRE (Meals, Read to Eat) field ration is designed to have a shelf life of three years at 80 deg F and six months at 100 deg F.[6]



Christopher K.

Wikipedia, "Shelf Life of Foods"

If the milk expired three years ago, then it is definitely NOT safe to drink. You should empty it out in the sink, then throw away the bottle. It will stink to high heaven though.

Um, the expiration date is there for a reason. After that date it's not safe to use. Especially over 3 years later. Ew.

If you want to have food poisoning for years, then yes, it's okay to drink.

All joking aside, don't drink it.

if the can is not bloated or rusty, it should be okay...upon opening, check the color. If its a light caramel color, pitch it

personally I wouldn't risk it.