How safe is it to eat the expired food sold in Swiss supermarkets?

All of Switzerland’s supermarket chains discount their foods just before, or on the day, their sale-by date expires.

These price reductions vary – from 40 percent at Coop, 20 to 50 percent at Migros, Lidl, Aldi and Denner – with the exact pricing depending on how close to the expiration date a product is. 

But are these foods and drinks still fresh and safe to consume?

In Switzerland, everything you eat and drink – except fruit, vegetables, and salt – must be ‘dated’ either by the ‘best before’ or the ‘use-by’ date.

However, these dates are merely indications of quality  – the smell, taste, colour and consistency – rather than safety.

Highly perishable items like meat and dairy are, however, exceptions to this rule.

Even so, they are still edible past the date.

Properly stored meat, for instance, can be safely consumed up to several days past the expiry date. 

As for milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, and other dairy products, “if they have been stored correctly – and of course are unopened – they are generally still in perfect condition, even after the best-before date has passed,” according to Swiss dairy manufacturer Emmi. 

“As long as the smell and taste are okay and no visual changes such as mould are visible, a dairy product that has passed its best-before date can usually still be consumed,” the company added.

More advice about ‘expired’ food safety comes from the Consumer Federation of French-Speaking Switzerland (FRC).

For instance, it addresses the question of what deadlines you should adhere to ensure safe consumption:

Perishable products marked 'Use by...'

• Meat, prepared dishes, cut salad: Respect the date if possible.
• Ground meat, poultry, fish, seafood: Consume as soon as possible. Strictly adhere to the date.
• Cooked ham, terrine, pâté: Once opened, consume within two or three days.
• Fresh cheese, pasteurised milk: Two days to one week after the date

Less perishable products with a "best before" date:

• Yogurt, butter: Several days to two weeks after the date, sometimes even longer.
• Dried meats, hard cheeses: Up to two weeks after the date
• Eggs: Up to two weeks after the date: cook thoroughly.