Of course, all types of food and drink products last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly. But remember, dairy products usually have a sell by date - which is the last date by which a manufacturer will vouch for a product's quality, not its safety. Because of this distinction, you may safely use it to compliment your favorite meals even after its "sell by date" has lapsed, according to the table above if it is stored properly at all times.

How to tell if Milk is bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your drink has gone bad.

Some common traits of bad milk are discoloration, lumpy texture and a very distinctive unclean sour smell (which you will notice when removing the lid). These changes occur from lactic acid producing bacteria.

If you have sour milk, it can be cooked or used in recipes that call for sour milk - but do not drink it without properly cooking it first. Check our substitute page to find a proper alternative instead.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Milk to extend its shelf life?

Keeping milk cold is essential to extending its shelf life. You can help keep milk fresh longer by keeping it away from light and by placing it back into your refrigerator immediately after each use. Store milk on an interior refrigerator shelf rather than in the door, where the temperature fluctuates with frequent opening. In addition, opened milk should be stored tightly in its original container as the containers were specifically designed for this purpose.

Unfortunately freezing milk, although safe, isn't a great option. Freezing is not recommended because freezing destabilizes the molecular structure and the resulting product will be less desirable than the fresh product. If you do freeze your milk, it will keep for about 3 Months in the freezer. When thawed, the texture and color will be slightly altered, it will be lumpy and yellow but the product does remain safe.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

How to use extra before your Milk goes bad?

What if you have extra and don't want it to spoil and go to waste? Here are a few simple suggestions to use up your milk before it spoils:

How long is Milk good for when prepared in a dish?

How long does milk last? That depends. How long do eggs last? In general, foods last only as long as the quickest expiring ingredient that they are mixed with.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Milk lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Milk.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Milk shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!