You found an old bag of cheez-its and you are wondering if they are safe to eat. Well, I contacted the company that makes them, and here is what I found.
Unopened Cheez-its will stay fresh in their original package for a few months without refrigeration. You can find the expiration date on each Cheez-its product package to indicate the date that it is guaranteed to maintain the freshness and quality of the product.
How long do Cheez-its last unopened?
Cheez-its can be stored unopened for several months and retain their crispiness. Once opened, the bag can keep perfectly fresh for up to a month. They may lose quality after a couple of months, but they are still safe to eat.
Because of the salt and their low moisture content, cheez-its have a pretty substantial shelf life. Compared to other kinds of snacks, which have more oil added, cheez-its can be at their best for much longer.
If you leave an unopened bag lying around for a while, depending on how you seal it, it will not harm you.
However, you may notice it becoming stale and changing texture and crisp over time. Because food texture is something that many people are sensitive to, it may bother you more than others.
How to Tell if your Cheez-its have gone Bad?
There is no one specific flavor indicator to check if your cheez-its have gone bad because there are a variety of flavors and pack sizes with different taste; so it is not uncommon for people to have multiple flavors on hand at any given time.
The easiest way to tell if your snacks are bad is to look for signs of spoilage, such as swollen bags that may burst open and emit a sour odor.
However, if your cheez-its are bad—either stale or moldy—this could indicate contamination during production and distribution, or that bacteria has begun eating away at them post-production due to improper storage.
Please do not eat them if the package is torn open or damaged in any way (e.g., crushed), as there may be an unseen crack or hole in the packaging.
This also applies to chips with brown spots and crumbs on the surface; these may not taste good even before you open the bag, so don’t risk it unless you enjoy wasting food.
The second sign of spoilage is when there are moldy patches inside your package.
The last way to tell if Cheez-its are bad is when they have been stored for too long and start tasting stale or dry- a sign that the crispiness has gone away, which could be dangerous because of how salty they already can be.
If you think this may apply, then get rid of them as soon as possible before their flavor suffers any worse.
Similarly, understanding the expiration of other snack items such as banana chips, tortilla chips, crisps, and M&M’s can provide valuable insights into maintaining food safety practices and determining the edibility of these products.
Are expired Cheez Its safe to eat?
If you eat a Cheez-its that’s been around for a while, chances are, you’ll be fine. It won’t make you sick and won’t hurt you. The taste or texture may turn you off, but most of the time it wouldn’t be harmful.
But it all comes down to personal preference. If you dislike throwing away food, they will not harm you, and some people believe that re-baking them in the oven will bring them back to life.
If you have a sensitive stomach, it might not sit right with you, but it’s not something that will give you food poisoning or threaten your overall health.
What is the Best Way to Store your Cheez-its?
The way you store your Cheez-its can make a big difference in how long they last. Storing them in a cool, dry, and airtight container will extend their shelf life. This is especially important if you live in a humid climate because moisture causes them to spoil faster.
The more moisture introduced to the chips, the more likely mold spores will be found in the bag on the chips. Once opened, it’s best to keep them in their original packaging; just make sure you’ve clipped the bag shut or rolled it down tightly.
Some people keep their Cheez-its in the freezer to make them last longer. However, it has an effect on the texture of the chips and can cause them to become brittle.
If your Cheez-its are still unopened, keeping them out of direct sunlight is still a good idea, but they’re already airtight, so moisture isn’t a problem.
Where is the expiration date on a bag of Cheez-Its?
you can find the best by date of cheez-its products on the packaging of each product. usually wrinnet in a form like “DEC 31 2022 KLA“.
