Kitchen

[gardenman]

I went to Walmart yesterday and bought some milk. I typically just buy their Great Value milk, but they were out and the only whole milk they had was Stonyfield Organic Milk so I bought that. The expiration date on my normal milk is typically about two weeks from the time of purchase. The Stonyfield milk expiration date is September 27, 2020. That seems kind of crazy to me. That's seven-ish weeks away. For milk? How the heck do they have that long of an expiration date for milk with no preservatives?

There's nothing on the labeling or their website that explains the longer shelf life. It does say it's best if consumed seven to ten days after opening. I would assume it wasn't irradiated after packaging, but that's about the only way that expiration date makes sense. It's pricey milk, but if it stays fresh for seven weeks it might be worth the extra money.

[liliblu]

I drink Stonyfield Organic Milk.  I love it.  My milk never lasts longer than 5-7 days.  If the milk has been opened it doesn't last longer than a week.  But I've read that unopened refrigerated milk lasts until about week after the printed used by date.

[LindaSal]

@gardenman  Hi there!  We have a farm in our area and they're milk is organic.   It is so fresh that there are not dates on the containers at all.   Of course milk doesn't last in my house that long anyway, hubby eats cereal like it's going out of style.    My point I guess is you cannot get it any fresher and the taste is fabulous!   

[gardenman]

I mostly use milk for my cooking (biscuits, pancakes, muffins, corn fritters, or for pudding) so I don't go through milk very quickly. Most of the time I end up throwing some away. Finding a milk with a seven week later expiration date was kind of a surprise to me. It makes it very easy to keep fresh milk on hand.

[PinkyPetunia]

I can't say why organic milk has such a long sell-by date, but I buy lactose free milk and it is the same way.  It also stays fresh a long time after the container is opened.  I like that because I don't use a lot of milk.

[Catch71]

@gardenman 

I asked the gentleman stocking the milk in my supermarket and he said once its opened the expiration date means nothing.  That date only tells you how long it will last unopened.

[grandma2pkmh]

@gardenman   I have been buying only organic milk for the last 5 or so years. I love the extended expiration date.  I usually buy 3 half gallons so I don;t need to go to the store so often.(I was always running out of milk before anything else). The milk is processed differently than regular milk, mainly by using ultra high temperature heat to kill more bacteria.  I buy the Publix Greenwise brand and it is expensive but worth it to me.

[kitty60]

As someone else said, lactose free also has that longer shelf life.  As I dislike milk anyway, if I have to use for something, regardless of date if it has any smell, out it goes.

[Sooner]

The way it is heated to pasturize and reduce lactose content I think is what makes it have a longer shelf life.  But no, doesn't mean you can leave it open that long I don't think

[Marp]

@gardenman,  the milk is ultra high pasturized which essentially renders it sterile enabling the longer shelf life.  However, once opened it lasts about as long as the regular milk you buy.