Expiry Dates

For example my milk says April 25th expiry date. Obviously, best consumed before April 15th. And will probably go bad after it.

But is this date for UNOPENED contents only? Will it only last till April 25th if unopened?

Or if its opened... and I just use it very slowly... will it still last till April 25th?
My mom says that it will last till April 25th if its unopened. (If its open for a while, even in the fridge, it'll probably go bad in a week, even if its well before the expirty date) 


What have you found from experience?

Hope this makes sense! Thanks!

in winter i find that it usually lasts a day or three beyond the bb date; in summer, i'm lucky if it lasts that long. 

they might last a little longer if opened later, but i don't think the date distinguishes.  anyway, i've heard stories of milk that's beyond the date being returned by the stores and redated or turned into other products.

if it smells good, i drink it.

Yes, use your nose.  Noses are designed to confirm sell-by dates!   Opened milk can go off prior to the sell-by date if a) your fridge is too warm or b) there are other things in the fridge contaminating the atmosphere that taint the flavour e.g. onions.

I am a manager of a dairy store there pulled, opened and dumped on exp. date. if sold after exp.date and someone gets sick lawsuit time. when the store is inspected you can be written up if exp. stock is on shelf so I live by that rule at home it drives my better half nuts cause when we shop I'm always checking date's  and in all my year's in this business I've never herd of milk being returned and turned into something elsewhen it was expired.

With milk, I wouldn't trust it to last a specific amount of time after the expiration date, opened or not.  I've got milk in the fridge that expired two days ago.  There's not a lot left of it, but enough for a few bowls of cereal.  We're trying to use it up sensibly but not waste it, so every day, before having a swig or something it's smelled.  If it smells fine, it's tasted.  If it tastes fine, it's used.  I've had some milk in the fridge a week after the expiration date, ten days after the expiration date, and some that clearly went bad on the expiration date.

I believe for dairy, it is recommended to consume up to 7 days after the expiration date, whether it has been opened or not. Once mine has reached the exp. date, I just use my nose to make sure it is ok. Once the 7 days are up, whether it smells good or not, I'm pitching it.

This is where my bf differs. He has a stomach made of steel and could probably drink curdled milk with no problem. I, on the other hand, had a stomach problem in 2nd grade thanks to bad water at Girl Scout camp, so I watch those dates like a hawk! I've even resorted to bringing some of my own food/milk to my bf's house, as I don't trust him when I ask about the juice "do you remember when you bought/opened this?"

Edit: Found this for NY State:  http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/ 241935-why-does-milk-have-earlier-expiration. html

Rule of thumb for dairy....if it smells, throw it out.  If it tastes "off", pitch it.  Pretty simple :)