...best if used by?
 

does "best if used by Oct 15 07" on a jar of mayo in my fridge mean:

a) it would have tasted better had you used it sooner, but you'll probably be fine. If you do get sick, you can't sue the Hellman's company.

b) you will get extremely sick and possibly die if you eat this.

Depends. Sometimes it's off before the date specifies.

But usually the date given, is a "after this date, check before you eat it because it could taste like shit".

i wouldn't advise eating it.

...that goes without saying... but would you advise not eating it?

yes.

smell it, if it doesnt smell like it did a few days a go then its bad
if theres shit growing on it..its bad

if neither of those signs are there..then dip your finger and taste..if it tastes fine...eat it

...so we have

one "maybe"
one "definitely not"

and one series of tests, all of which it passed.

if there is no more voting... it's going in the fish salad i'm making for a sandwich...

voting will be closed after i smoke this cigarette...

... damn that was one tasty sammich.

i had this tasty ass smoked wahoo dip i've been makin sammiches off of for 3-4 days... but i didn't have enough left for a whole sammich... so i hard boiled an egg, chopped it up, threw it in there with along with some crushed peppercorn, mayo that dates from oct, and a little more lemon juice than i would have for flavor (it was kind of like a lemon egg salad sammich with a hint of fish and black pepper - but i figured it would kill a bunch of germies...)

...i served it up on rosemary country loaf.

if i don't make it, y'all can fight over whatever stuff of mine my brother doesn't want.

Do it tell us the results with pictures.

wazzit rancid?

if it explodes out of your asshole like a bucket of greasy dark mustard, you'll know it was no good.

but if your tastebuds said it was ok, it should have been ok, and enjoy.

the final answer tomorrow morning i guess...

This is not true. Food that looks and smells fine in appearance can give you poisoning, if there is something wrong with it. Check the history of how it's been stored and the length of time that you have stored it for. That would give you a clue of its safety for consumption.

Porky, for once, is right.

& I'm guessing something with that date on it is pretty old. Most products place their best-used dates out fairly far. Dump it.

I don't have 3 Food & Hygene certificates for nothing, Baby Ku.

That's special.

You are special and I understand your special needs, baby.

you people make me sick.

don't eat expired shit ffs.

haha, what were they thinking?

eat it, who knows if you dont find out the roquefort of mayonnaises.

you might also die.

yes and yes. and it can also be in regards to the shelf life of the container, as with beverages.

I don't usually eat something if it's a week past it's best before date. But as stated before, it depends on what it is. Give it a sniff and a little taste, use your best judgment.