Is expired yoghurt safe to eat? 

Is expired yoghurt safe to eat? 

Expired yoghurt is not safe to take and you can easily tell if your yoghurt has gone bad as the expired yoghurt will never taste good. Yoghurts don’t usually have ‘expiry’ dates and they rather contain ‘best before’ or ‘best by’ dates. 

It’s usually considered safe to eat yoghurt after its ‘best before’ date, especially if your yoghurt is refrigerated. In fact, refrigerated yoghurt can stay good for a week or two after its best-by date has passed. 

However, if you notice a change in texture, smell, or taste of your yoghurt, it clearly indicates that the yoghurt has gone bad and consuming it is not a good idea. 

Side effects of consuming yoghurt that has gone bad

Although you can easily tell if the yoghurt has gone bad just by tasting it, if you still accidentally end up eating that, you may experience the following side effects (1):

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting 
  • Diarrhoea 
  • Abdominal pain
  • Flatulence 
  • Upset stomach 

Again let me be clear, these side effects are caused by eating yoghurt that has gone bad. If your yoghurt smells and tastes just fine even after its best-by date has passed, it’s absolutely safe to consume. 

What to do if you have accidentally consumed expired yoghurt?

If you have accidentally consumed expired yoghurt and you feel unwell, please seek medical attention. The most commonly expected side effects when something like this happens are gastrointestinal disturbances. 

If your symptoms are severe, your doctor will recommend appropriate medications to help make you feel better. Generally, eating expired yoghurt is not associated with dangerous side effects and most people get away with it without any health concerns. 

However, people are different and can respond differently to such things. So it’s best to seek medical attention in case something goes south. 

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References

1.-

Nasralla NN, Gomah NH, Aly MM, Abdel-Aleem JA, Hammam ARA, Osman DM, El-Derwy YMA. Compositional characteristics of dairy products and their potential nondairy applications after shelf-life. Curr Res Food Sci. 2022 Jan 6;5:150-156. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2021.12.017. PMID: 35059646; PMCID: PMC8760486. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35059646/