Hey everyone.
What are the general thoughts of gels and “best before” date. Riding tomorrow and have 3 SIS Beta Gels best before August 2023.
Safe to consume or throw away?
Safe, best before dates are a legal thing. There is so much sugar in there too that it acts like a preservative
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I don’t think sugar expires.
I have a few 6 year old ones and they have not turned into gummies yet.
If there is any amount of gas in the package, toss them. Especially a large amount of gas. Since you have three, compare them all, toss the 'fattest 'one. There is bacteria and yeasts everywhere, and there are anaerobic bacteria that can (obviously) survive in a sealed package. But the contents can degrade over time too. I had three year old Hammer peanut butter gels, and their flavor was off quite a bit. I had some stomach issues and lots of gas, but survived. I did have a couple SIS gels that swelled up a bit so tossed them rather than experiment.
Yeah, generally the ‘best buy’ dates are worst case, but for some things we shouldn’t ignore them out of hand. If they were stored in a cool place and aren’t swollen, they are probably fine, but YMMV…
It also depends on what’s in it, what the ingredients used are. (Who would have thought that Boars Head meats were so toxic) I’ve had cut meats go bad way before the expiry date, canned fish, etc, too… I remember reading that soy sauce doesn’t expire/go bad, but can refute that as I’ve seen and smelt it when it has gone bad. very bad. Had a can if whipped cream come out of the can GREEN! Those dates aren’t on some products aren’t for looks.
Although they are very, very likely to be OK (@robcow makes a good suggestion about gas in the package), if it was my A event for the year and I had been training hard for it, I would probably leave them at home and get some fresh ones.
A ‘normal’ training or group ride, I’d take them with me and use them as the ride required.
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I rarely use Gels and often the end of the box is similarly out of date, I have still used them and it has been fine.
Plain sugars are very stable molecules and are safe to use months to years after expiration date, unless contaminated. Products that contain nuts, chocolate etc. with different fats in them is usually safe to use some months after expiration date. Fat that has turned bad does smell distinctively so It’s quiet easy to identify.
California just passed a law regulating the use of terms like “best by”, “use by” and “sell by.”
Beginning July 1, 2026, companies selling food products in California must only use “Best if Used By” to indicate the date by which a product will reach its peak quality, and “Use By” to indicate the date by which a product’s safety can no longer be guaranteed. The use of consumer-facing “Sell By” dates will be prohibited to reduce the chances of consumers confusing “Sell By” dates with quality or safety dates.
The use of any other ambiguous and inconsistent phrases like “Expires On” and “Freshest By” will also be eliminated.
AB 660 authorizes retailers to display “Packed On” labels on prepared food items, but they must also display the mandatory “Best By” or “Best if Used By” dates described in the legislation.
Retained in the bill is the requirement limiting refrigerated shelf life to no more than 30 calendar days from packaging to consumption, except the time the product is maintained frozen, or the original safety date—whichever occurs first.
Update… used them and all good. Still tasted the same.
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