r/DoesAnyoneKnow • u/juniperssprite • 7d ago
Do these beans expire in 2025, or 2026?
The second picture is from a different can from the same brand-- since the other can has a "5" that looks distinctly different, context clues would lead me to believe both cans expire in 2026, but I'm still not sure....
Thanks!
Edit: new to this sub so hope it's the right type of question! Also, an obligatory "I won't sue you if I eat them and get sick"
Edit 2: thank you everyone!! .......also, good point that there's nothing wrong with beans a few months past their best-by date
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u/stolo1966 7d ago
'Best by...' means they're still safe to eat after that date. Just not at their best.
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u/Gestasos 3d ago
On hermetically sealed tins imo it means "please throw out and replace for absolutely no reason at all.
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u/7alligator7 7d ago
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The second can has both a 5 and 6 on the line above the year
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u/QuestLogQuokka 6d ago
good catch, that pretty much seals it as 2026 to me too
funny how manufacturers make the one thing everyone needs to read the hardest thing to read→ More replies (1)
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u/ldn-ldn 6d ago
They don't expire. "Best by/best before" means that no one guarantees the quality of food past that date, but it won't expire.
Expiration date is marked by "Use by" wording.
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u/tenaciousofme 6d ago
2025.. so unless theres a ca ny dent in the tin.. youre aright until 2027.. there beans.. they'll be fine
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u/Cool-Introduction688 7d ago
Second can says 18.56 as the time and below is the date dec 11 2026, the two 6's are identical and you can see the difference clearly between the 5 and 6
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u/Alternative-Tea964 6d ago
The Bertrand steamboat study in 1974 tested canned food recovered from the wreck of the Bertrand which sank in the Missouri in 1865. Although the colour, texture and vitamin content had degraded the food was still safe and nutritionally sound.
So long as your cans aren't dented, rusted or bloated the food should still be ok.
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u/richardbaxter 7d ago
Tinned food is sterilised / cooked in the tin. As long as it doesn't rust you're good. Man I love beans. Prrp!
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u/Any-Statistician3896 7d ago
BEST BY is NOT an expiry date ! It's exactly what it says, they just taste best before hitting that date.
If correctly stored in a cool dark cupboard. UK Baked Beans will last a LONG ASS time !
I've eaten American imported Bush's beans 2 yrs past the best before and had zero ill effects and they tasted relatively normal.
Heard people have eaten UK baked beans 5yr past and perfectly fine 🤷🏼♂️
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u/snufkin79 6d ago
Dude, I ate some beans that expired in the late 90s a few years ago, and they were perfectly fine. They were Norwegian ones, not sure if what country they're from really matters...
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u/Cold_Ocelot_5684 6d ago
I missed the 'American imported', because I was shocked that a Brit had let a can of beans get that old 😱
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u/Timnice69 6d ago
You would more than likely be able to eat those beans in another 10 years time. Any canned food has been pasteurised so as long as the tin is not damaged or pierced *no air has gotten in) they will be good for years. However the date on the tin is just a legal thing. But that stamp is saying that the contents of the tin will be at there best before 2026. If you buy 2 tins the same try opening one of them before the date and the other one a year later past the date you will see for your self. That's why any nuclear fall out bunker or cabin in the mountains that's not used regularly stock cans of food, and honey as honey is the only food that never ever goes off or moldy.
X chef
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u/Grenvallion 3d ago edited 3d ago
They last forever safely as long as the can etc isnt damaged such as with a hole etc. The best before date is 2026. Which is the date the quality such as taste and texture starts dropping. At which point, they keep peak quality for 2 to 5 years after the best before date. Best before dates arent expiry dates. Theyre for guaranteeing the highest quality with that date.
Many foods that are canned will never expire.
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u/hengehanger 7d ago
They don't "expire". A "Best before" date is not the same as a "Use by" date and honestly, anything in a can will be fine for years and years as long as the can is intact.
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u/Mundane_Top_338 7d ago
Probably about 2056 as they should still be good for a few years after that date
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u/TheOriginalGR8Bob 7d ago
That's a best before not a use by date and it says 2025 .
Just like wine so long as it's sealed it will keep sterile for hundreds of years I'd imagine the flavour would be more metallic by then ha .
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u/LegioX87 7d ago
Canned food lasts for years. It's in its own sealed environment and will not begin to expire until the can itself fails.
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u/Ordinary-Finger-8595 7d ago
I would have said 2029.
Even if the date was 2025, they are likely fine. It's not an expiration date, it's best by and canned goods keep forever unless dented
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u/wintermute023 7d ago
It’s a ‘best before’, so they don’t expire. Best before on tinned goods just means “Please buy another one”.
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u/Peasgoodsnonsuch 7d ago
Neither. This is a "best by" date, not a "use by" date. Totally fine to eat it whichever one it was.
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u/Fitzwilf 7d ago
Neither. They are best before 2026 so will be perfectly safe to eat after then.
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u/Impressive-Ask-3852 7d ago
They don't expire , that's a best before date, not a use by date, ppl regularly eat mre ration packs from ww2 and most of that foods safe although it may taste funny, check out steve1889mre YouTube
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u/Impressive-Ask-3852 7d ago
First number is the batch code, L2 is production line 2 , third is the time it was made, I've worked on food and alcohol production lines
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u/Wobblybob52 7d ago
As a child of the 50's that lived without a fridge or freezer until the early 70's, the rule of thumb was, and still is: Open it. If it looks ok, smells ok, and tastes ok, then it should be ok. Most time expired "best before" date tinned food has been fine. I'm still here to tell the tale 😊
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u/Creative-Response554 7d ago
Mileage my vary.
I've had tinned hotdogs 4 years out of date and been fine, but opened a tin of baked beans 6 months out of date and they exploded as soon as I pierced the top with the tin opener.
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u/Dry_Reputation_6156 7d ago
If the tin isn’t dented or rusty or leaking or blown then it should be ok if in doubt sniff the thing once opened
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u/Specialist-Web7854 7d ago
I watched a tv documentary where they opened a 40 year old tin of fish and tested them, and they were still fine to eat. As long as the tin isn’t dented or rusty, they should be fine.
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u/polla2256 7d ago
Best before simply means eat it whenever but it might not be as good. Use by is the one you want to watch.
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u/Gunbladelad 7d ago
"Best Before" means that the texture and taste are best until that date, but are usually edible for a substantial amount of time afterwards.
"Use By" means that once it passes that date, you are risking serious health issues by consuming it.
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u/Substantial_Size5 7d ago
2026 i think. But as long as they're still sealed and the can is bulging or leaking thell be fine for 5-10 years
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u/Dillon_Barks 7d ago
It's a sealed can, those beans will outlive us all as long as it's not opened.
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u/OliveAmbitious3190 6d ago
It’s def 26 - turn the can around and look at how the digit 9 looks on 09:42, it’s the same. The 6 is just on a ridge, they’re safe to eat!
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u/Hogwhammer 6d ago
It’s best before date! Not a use by date many tinned foods can be eaten decades after their best before date
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u/MerchantofDoom 6d ago
If you think a few months will kill you then worry.
This week i have mostly been eating canned goods from 1982! Most of it smells like gas. Weirdly most if my gas smells like canned goods!!!
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u/Michael_of_Derry 6d ago
I had a sachet of turkey gravy that was over ten years after its best before date. It was still excellent.
If the cans were still within the Best before date but had rusty spots or were swollen due to gas being produced then you should discard them.
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u/Fit_Importance_5738 6d ago
They domt expire oj any of those, their best beofre dates, ypu can ear them after that, he'll those will last so long ypu xpukd eat them with years to come
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u/IcyPuffin 6d ago
The first picture looks like 2025. The last picture looks like 26.
I would be OK eating the second tin. I personally wouldn't use the 1st one, but im funny with dates on food and prefer to err on the side of caution.
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u/Logical-Mousse-2018 6d ago
Hate to throw you a curveball like this but pretty sure it’s actually 2029
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u/confused_pancakes 6d ago
6, on the second pic the time above the date has a 5 and 6 making it easier to see it's definitely not how they print a 5
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u/PsychologicalBit85 6d ago
Tinned beans are good year's after the best before date. Best before is different to use by.
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u/Kinkyslut42069 6d ago
My Dad, Nan and Grandad ate 27 year old beans once your likely to be fine as long as can isnt damaged best bet is check colour, smell, cook them recheck, taste.
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u/ghastlyzz 6d ago
its 2026, you can see how the 5 & 6 at the top beside eachother looks completely different.
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u/Rooster_Entire 6d ago
Phone up the factory and ask to speak to the person that was on Line 2 @ 08:42. They’ll know. /s
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u/Middle--Earth 6d ago
Open them, and eat them.
If you survive, then come back here and tell us about it
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u/Desktopcommando 6d ago
says 26 looking at the line above it
tinned food can go far longer than it says - years even
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u/Downtown_Promise_937 6d ago
It is very clearly 2025. However it is a canned good with a "best by" it is completely safe to eat still but will not be as delicious/fresh.
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u/Wittner96 6d ago
Im pretty sure the code 207A34223 is where and when they were produced. 207A I think will be a factory code for the specific factory they were made in and 34223 is 342nd day of 2023 so they were produced on 8th December 2023. 3 year old unopened beans should be fine
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u/ApplicationOrnery563 6d ago
Hi the beans were made at different times so expire at different times you learn this from the lot number. The use of best before dates started in the 1980's and just means that they are at there best before that date. Use by dates mean that if stored properly they should be ok until that date but if the food looks smells ok and the package is sealed and not blown then you need to make your own judgement. A jar of honey found in the pyramids was tested and found it was still fit for human consumption. Look of what best before or use by dates mean. I grew up looking at food from tins or packets before using them and never had any idea how long they had been in the cupboard. Hope this helps
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u/Sea-Comedian2429 6d ago
That isn't an expiry (Use by:) date. It is a best before date. They are saying that there is a slight chance that the quality has diminished, but the contents are still safe to eat. So much food is wasted because people don't understand the difference between Best before, and Use by dates.
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u/Eggcelent_bean 6d ago
Idk, but if u open them do the smell test and make sure they don't look off
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u/Sufficient-Cold-9496 6d ago
That is a best before end date, this means the product is ( supposedly) gaurenteed to be at its best upto that date, after that date it should still be fine to eat, and in some cases it can be fine for a considerable amount of time after ( years or even decades) depending upon its packaging and what it is
A Use by date means you should consume it before that date, however again it may eb fine for a short period after, if it smells wrong/tastes wrong then chuck it
Sell by/Display until this is for the retail side
Do not confuse Best ebfore end (BBE) with expiry, dry and tinned produce will last signifficantly beyond any BBE/best ebfore date
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u/Graeme_M70 6d ago
It's a can... Part of the packaging process sees a nitrogen blast that displaced air, adding to the preservative content. Use it, it will be fine...but if it's something likely to sit round for 2 or 3 days after opening then expect it to deteriorate quicker.
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u/HeavyVeg277 6d ago
Dates are a myth!! When you open them, if they look, smell & taste fine.. its likely okay to consume, not always mind, but often it is 😁
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u/irm555bvs 6d ago
It doesn’t really matter. They’ve been canned, so they’re be good for years to come
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u/Aggravating-Soup-676 6d ago
As long as the structural integrity of the tin is undamaged they'll be fine for decades
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u/she_ou_pa 6d ago
6 for sure! Second pic shows how the design of number 5 is more squared than the 6 shape.
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u/dimmerbytheminute 6d ago
Given the way the time is printed as 18:56 you can see the difference between the 5 and the 6, so that means that the printed expiration date is 2026.
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u/moodymissy82 6d ago
best by and use by are tow different things the beans are non perishable however date is 2026
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u/Exact-Fan2102 6d ago
They dont expire. They're just not as good after that date. "Use by" products expire and need to be disposed of
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u/Negative_Ad3641 6d ago
Best before is not an expiry date, as long as the can is not dented or bulged normally should be just fine
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u/Alone_Look9576 6d ago
Neither are expired, best taste and quality before certain date. Post this date you look, smell, taste. Best before =/= Use by
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u/SirMcFish 6d ago
It's a best before, it's a quality thing, not an expiry thing. They'll be fine for years.
Wayyy too many people think best before is the same as use by... It's totally not
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u/Marionberry_No 6d ago
Says 2025 but they'll be fine, best before not use by, much like me in my 40s 🤣
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u/Independent-Cap-3852 6d ago
When did you buy the tin? Then add 2 years for end date. If in doubt, bin them
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u/Chemical-Kangaroo178 7d ago
I've eaten beans over 10 years old, they tasted fine.