Subtle Signs Your Food Has Expired

With more and more evidence revealing that expiration dates are not always correct, causing many of us to throw out perfectly safe food just because it has expired, it can be confusing to know if those frozen leftovers or that can of tomatoes is actually still safe to eat, regardless of a printed date or common misconceptions about eating expired food.

There are plenty of obvious signs that an item in your pantry or fridge has gone bad — if it's stale, moldy, or smells sour or rancid, you know to toss it in the trash. But there are several subtle signs your food has expired that you might not even notice, but definitely should because it could unknowingly be dangerous to consume.

INSIDER spoke with two chefs and a registered dietitian who gave us the scoop on the super subtle signs those kitchen staples have already begun to go bad, and some of them might surprise you.

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