Is It Ok To Eat Expired Cereal?: Cereals are a staple breakfast in many households especially if you have Kids. Have you bought them in large quantities and found extra cereals that is been left in the cabinet for a long time and don’t know What to do with them? Then you have landed in the right place as we will guide you on whether Is it Ok to Eat Expired Cereal, What to do with Expired Cereal, Tips on Storage Practices of Cereals, and Signs to Tell if Cereals have Gone Bad, etc.
If you are wondering what to do with cereals that are expired with reference to the best by date on the packaging go through this article. We have also covered info Is it Safe to Consume Expired Cereal, How Long Does Cereal Stays Good For clearly with enough explanations. Read on to learn more about the Grains.
- Does Cereal Expire?
- How Long Does Cereal Stay Good For?
- Is it Safe to Eat Expired Cereal?
- How to Tell if Cereal has Gone Bad?
- How to Store Cereal?
- Interesting Facts about Cereals
- How long will cereal last if unopened?
- Does Cereal get moldy?
- Can you vacuum seal cereal in Jars?
Does Cereal Expire?
No, Cereals usually don’t expire but the quality will not stay the same forever. It all depends on the kind of ingredients used in it. The more the ingredients in it lose quality the more they are prone to lose their quality. Plain Cereals stay up a long time compared to other varieties. As wheat flour and nuts contain fat the chances of it getting spoiled are more because fats, when exposed to sunlight, heat, and air, become rancid. It is the reason cereals that include fats will smell rancid or paint-like after some point of time.
How Long Does Cereal Stay Good For?
Cereals stay up for certain months post the date on their labels. However, this doesn’t apply to all varieties and varies from one variety to a variety. On a generalized note, a typical unopened bag of cereals will last for 6-12 months after the date on the label and around 4-6 months after opening. For cooked cereals, it stays around 3-4 days in the Fridge.
Best by date on the label doesn’t indicate the expiration date and it has nothing to do with the safety of the food. It just a sign of how long the Cereal will stay good in its peak quality. See the below-mentioned table to check the shelf life of Cereal and how long it stays good in both opened and unopened conditions no matter whether you keep it in the Pantry or Fridge.
| Condition | Pantry | Fridge |
|---|---|---|
| Cereal (plain varieties) | Best-by + 6 – 12 months | |
| Cereal with fruit and other extras | Best-by + 3 – 6 months | |
| Cereal (opened) | 4 – 6 months | |
| Prepared cereal | 3 – 4 days |
Remember all the dates mentioned are only approximate ones.
Is it Safe to Eat Expired Cereal?
Yes, it is safe to eat expired cereal as long as it doesn’t show any signs of spoilage. Plain Unopened Cereals stay up for about 6-12 months. However, the ones containing ingredients such as dried fruits and whatsoever will not stay a long time. That’s why it is advised to finish them within 3-4 months of the packaging to enjoy peak quality.
Read More:
Nutrition Information
Total Number of Servings Per Pack: Approximately 21.5
Serving Size: 30 g
| Nutrients | Per 100 g | %RDA Per Serve (30 g) | Per 30 g + 200 ml Cow’s Milk | |
| Energy | 409 Kcal | 6% | 269 kcal | |
| Energy from Fat | 60 Kcal | 99 Kcal | ||
| Total Fat | 6.7 g | 3% | 11.0 g | |
| Saturated Fatty Acids | 4.0 g | 5% | ||
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids | 1.0 g | |||
| Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | 1.0 g | |||
| Trans Fatty Acids | 0 g | 0% | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | |||
| Total Carbohydrates | 81.9 g | 34.5 g | ||
| of which Total Sugars | 30.0 g | |||
| of which Added Sugars | 28.5 g | 17% | 8.6 g | |
| of which Dietary Fibre | 1.8 g | 0.5 g | ||
| Protein | 6.2 g | 8.4 g | ||
| Sodium | 430 mg | 6% | 189 mg | |
| %RDA | ||||
| Vitamin C | 12.0 mg | 7.6 mg | 19% | |
| Thiamine (Vit B1) | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg | 15% | |
| Riboflavin (Vit B2) | 0.6 mg | 0.4 mg | 35% | |
| Niacin (Vit B3) | 4.0 mg | 1.4 mg | 11% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg | 13% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.2 µg | 0.3 µg | 34% | |
| Folate | 40.0 µg | 26.1 µg | 13% | |
| Iron | 7.0 mg | 2.4 mg | 11% | |
| Calcium | 236.0 mg | 39% | ||
#Approximate Values
Milk Nutrient Values:
Indian Food Composition Tables, NIN, ICMR, 2017 Except Vit B12 (Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, NIN, ICMR). %RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) Per Day For Sedentary Women Basis Nutrient Requirements & RDA for Indians by ICMR, 2010.
Values in the Nutrition Information Panel are based on the Composition of Individual Components, May vary due to the Heterogeneous mix of the Components in the Random Sample
Ingredients:
Corn Grits (62%), Sugar, Sliced Almonds (8.5%), Cereal Extract, Honey (1.7%), Iodized Salt, Dextrose, Vitamins, Flavour (Nature Identical), Minerals, Colour (INS 150d), Antioxidant (INS 320).
Contains Wheat, Barley & nuts (Almonds). May Contain Soy, Milk, Oats & Other Nuts
How to Tell if Cereal Has Gone Bad?
Cereals will have a longer shelf life as long as you store them properly. Under Certain Circumstances cereals will go bad and here are some of them explained. You can see the below changes and understand that something went wrong with your cereals. They are as under
- Smells Rancid or Paint-Like: The Cereals you use include wheat flour and nuts which are a source of fat. If you get any rancid or paint-like smell due to these fats it’s a caution that your cereals went wrong. Discard it as it is Better safe than sorry.
- Pantry Bugs: If your Cereals Container is stored for a long time there might be chances of insects or bugs getting into it. Just look into the container if there are any and throw them away if you find any other pantry bugs.
- Moldy: If you find mold growing inside due to the moisture content entered just get rid of the Package. This especially happens if the cereals contain any dry fruits.
- Looks or Smells Off: If you don’t find any of the signs above and feel your Cereal is Bad give it an age-old sniff test. If you find any unpleasant smell throw away the package and it costs nothing more than your health.
How to Store Cereal?
Storing the cereals is quite simple and follow simple measures to extend the shelf life. Keep the cereals in a cool and dry place away from the sunlight. Better transfer the cereals to an air-tight container after opening the package so that they don’t get exposed to air. You can use a sealing clip as an alternative and it works well too. When it comes to Prepared Cereals you can store them in an air-tight container and then keep them in the Fridge.
Interesting Facts about Cereals
There are certain fun facts that you might know about Cereals. They are explained below
- The word cereal is derived from the word ceres the name of the Roman Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture.
- Cereals are nutritious and they help beyond staying full and avoiding obesity.
- Fiber-rich cereals promote gastrointestinal health and reduce the risk of cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Most of the cereal types include Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B which are helpful for great metabolism.
- While choosing the cereals choose the ones that offer 0.17 oz (5 g) of sugar per serving.
- Fiber content existing in the cereals promotes a healthy diet.
FAQs on Does Unopened Cereal Ever Go Bad
1. How long will cereal last if unopened?
The unopened cereal will last about 6-12 months if left unopened.
Yes, cereals do get moldy if moisture gets into them by any chance.
3. Can you vacuum seal cereal in Jars?
Yes, you can vacuum seal cereal by transferring them to resealable bags using a vacuum sealer.
Key Takeaways
Hope you got answers to all your questions like Is It Ok To Eat Expired Cereal After Best by Date, What to do with Expired Cereal etc. Store your Cereals properly to extend their shelf life and use them with the best quality. For any other doubts regarding the same do let us know via the comment section and our team will reach out. You might be interested in our article on Can Brown Rice Go Bad as well if you want to know about grains.