Out of date, out of bowl?

[Lady Kakata]

A website selling parrot items is running discount prices on packs of pellets that are out of date (September 2009)

I want to buy a pack just to see if the 'tiels are interested in pellets, which they have never had before. Should I get them, even if they are just out of date?

[expressmailtome]

I would not risk it. What company pellets are they? Some will send you a free sample.

Matt

[Lady Kakata]

They're the Zupreem kind Buy ZuPreem FruitBlend Complete Food for Small Birds - 2 Sizes from Northern Parrots

[brdfvr]

I guess I'm probably the only one that would say go for it! Food that is out of date is not harmful to animals. It just is a way of knowing which ones were made first that one is just an old batch, nothing else, nothing wrong with it. Some of the vitamins in it may be less active, but if you are feeding fresh food along with some seeds too, I don't see the problem with trying it out.

[Lady Kakata]

Yeah, I was planning to give it to them as a sort of 'test'; they are on seed and veg at the moment and I just wanted to see if they would take up pellets, either just out of curiosity or as a fun snack

[kristy29]

It should be fine. The date is the last sale date, so if you bought a bag of pellets the last day before it expired, you aren't going to finish it all that day are you?

I work at CVS, and we throw away out of date food all the time. Like carts full. It is so sad when I think about all the hungry people who would love to eat that food. But if I take any of it home I will get fired.

[Lady Kakata]

Really? In my old job at a convenience store, we were allowed to take 'out of date' or very close to out of date items off the shelves and take them home. Some items have a 'display until' date, which is when you're allowed to show them but have to take them off your shelves. Doesn't mean that it's off though! Hence we got to take them home occationally XD

It's how I got my hands on the most wonderful biscuits once :3 Mmmm ...

Well I hope to place my order soon (damn money!) so thanks for the advice!

[kristy29]

Well it's specifically a CVS policy. I hate it.

[KGWatkins]

Yea, I say go for it, it's not going to turn to POISON if it's a little past sale date, it will just start to lose nutrients, if you don't only give your birds out of date food for the rest of their lives, just using this opportunity to get them to SWITCH is a great idea. You generally have a month after the SELL BY date to USE it by, unless it's the USE BY date, in which case, still, use it to switch and buy fresher, better food once you're sure they like it.

[chinniechantel]

Originally Posted by kristy29

It should be fine. The date is the last sale date, so if you bought a bag of pellets the last day before it expired, you aren't going to finish it all that day are you?

I work at CVS, and we throw away out of date food all the time. Like carts full. It is so sad when I think about all the hungry people who would love to eat that food. But if I take any of it home I will get fired.

It makes me sick that you cannot give it to homeless shelters. I worked at a restaurant in the mall of america and I would literally steal the food and drop it on a shelter's doorstep. I would do that around 3 am when we closed so the food was super fresh. I knew the people who owned the homeless shelter and they were always so grateful. We had a little deal that we would never say where they got the food. Restaurants are not allowed to give it away, even to employees, without risking getting sued. That is why they toss it out. It is not worth the risk to them. It is the government's fault for not making it illegal for restaurants to get sued for donated food, that would solve that problem.

I saw this crazy show on people who only find all their food in dumpsters and on the street, all new food from bakeries, grocery stores, etc. They really got great food, but the way people look at them is obviously hard to deal with...makes you think though how wasteful we are here!