Another round of keep it or toss it: Gerber Baby Food

[JMS]

I just found a couple containers of unopened organic Gerber baby food (pears, sweet potatoes, applesauce) in my pantry that expired 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 and 1/11). DS2 no longer eats baby food. Would you give it to a local food drive or trash it?

[LMPC]

I don't think the local food drive would take expired baby food. I would open it and eat it myself...I love baby food ;)

[ohsara430]

a food bank will throw it away since it's expired. That said I'm sure it's fine, if your DC eats yogurt you can get plain and mix it in to flavor it or maybe give it to a friend who has a baby that could eat it asap.

[EllasMum]

You could save those and use them for baking, if you don't want to feed it to your DC.

[1964pandora]

It can definitely still be eaten, but ditto that the food bank won't keep it.

[cntrymoon2]

Agreed, food banks have to toss expired food. I wouldn't have any problem with those exp. dates on shelf stable food.
I'd mix it into yogurt, oatmeal or a smoothie for DC. Or bake with it. Pancakes or muffins, probably.

[kijip]

I volunteer at a food bank. We do not toss recently expired canned foods provided the jars and cans are intact and securely sealed still. Most store donations are recently expired stuff. We understand that those day are typically best by/fresh by and not danger dates. We don't have enough food to toss things that are good to eat. We are too busy tossing the ewww produce and meat stuff and week old hard as a rock bagels. Processed and canned less than a year pass date? No one would bat an eyelash.

I would call and ask your local food bank. Maybe they are like the one I work with. Better to let the parent who receives it decide if they are comfortable with it IMO.

[misshollygolightly]

I'd just incorporate it into my cooking over the next couple of weeks. Baby food vegetables (or even meat+veg combos) will be great in a soup; fruit can be used in virtually any baked good (just as you would use applesauce to replace part of the oil in the recipe). I'd save yourself the trip to the donation site and avoid the risk of having the food thrown away by just using it up yourself.