How long does pasta last after the expiration date?

There's a fundamental difference between dried pasta and fresh pasta. But even when it's expired, pasta shouldn't be thrown away. You can recycle it creatively.

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expired pasta

Pasta expires. Like all food products. And we risk wasting it for two terrible reasons. The first is not eating it even when we can safely do so, without running any risk. The second is being too late, and surrendering to the worst solution: throwing it in the trash. Even if it's so expired that it's no longer edible, pasta can still be recycled and so not wasted.

How long does pasta last after the expiration date?

Usually, the pasta lasts approximately two years after the expiration date reported on the package, while instead fresh pasta lasts 4 to 5 daysObviously, the shelf life of pasta also depends on its storage and preparation methods. If you want to keep it fresh longer, it's best to keep it in its original container, in a dry place. If the package is opened, the pasta (as with unopened cans) must be stored properly. Open packages with an expiration date that has passed must be discarded, as bacteria are likely to be growing there. Pasta should also be discarded if the package is closed but swollen, or if its original color has changed.

What happens if you eat pasta after the expiration date?

The law requires that food packaging contain specific wording, namely "best before” or "to be consumed by the expiry dateThis means that, in the first case, the food can be consumed even if it has expired and that this will not cause harm to health. In the second case, however, the product must be consumed by the date indicated, otherwise there is a risk of poisoning. The Veronesi Foundation states that the edibility of a food, once it has expired, also depends greatly on the nature of the food: consuming dried pasta and rice even a few months after the expiry date indicated on the package, for example, it does not cause any harm to health.

Of course, a distinction must be made between highly available foods and less available foods, considering the time span between production and consumption.

But what happens if you eat expired pasta? Let's see it together, depending on whether it is dry or fresh.

  • Dried pasta can be consumed even a couple of months after the expiration date printed on the box, as long as it has been stored in a dry place and the package is sealed. Once cooked, any potential bacteria is completely eliminated. Obviously, if you notice insects in the box, the pasta should be thrown away.
  • La fresh pasta expires approximately two months after its packagingIf fresh pasta has expired while stored in the refrigerator, and if it hasn't developed any unpleasant odors or changed color, it can be eaten, but not beyond seven days. If it exhibits any of the conditions listed above, it should be thrown away immediately, otherwise it could cause food poisoning.

How to recycle expired pasta

Pasta is the most common food on our tables but it can happen that we forget about it. dispensation and that it expires without being consumed. So what should we do with expired pasta? The first reaction would be to throw it away, but in reality, Pasta proves to be very versatile if recycled creatively.

Let's see together How can expired pasta be recycled?.

  • With the expired pasta you can create some nice garlands, to be spray-painted gold. Use farfalle pasta or any other short pasta that can be used for this purpose. Spray-paint them and then glue them onto a piece of cardboard that has been shaped into a circle. The garland is ready!
  • If you take a cardboard cone and then glue pieces of pasta on top of it, you create a beautiful Christmas tree To be used as a decorative ornament. The green spray paint completes the look. On the pasta tree, you can then create tiny pasta decorations, perhaps smaller in size.
  • With expired pasta you create some fake seedlings, just paint it with green tempera and then place it in old thimbles, which act as vases. Here are some original cacti ready to be placed all in a row, perhaps on the windowsill of a window.
  • Take some pennette and thread them along a string, but not before having colored them according to your taste: here it is ready a beautiful necklace, possibly to be made with children, even as a school project.
  • Use the pasta you want to make some pasta portraits, which are beautiful to look at and very original. Simply glue the pasta onto a piece of cardboard, following the lines of the portrait drawn previously.

Where to throw away expired pasta

Pasta should usually be thrown into the organic waste container, where the waste is also disposed of. fruit scraps, vegetables, and all food scraps, both cooked and raw, as well as spoiled food. Obviously, the box should be thrown away without it, which should be disposed of separately, in the plastic or paper bin, depending on the material it's made of.

Who eats the most pasta in the world?

Pasta is increasingly being eaten around the world: over the past twenty years, production of penne, spaghetti, and mezze maniche has increased by 63 percent. We've gone from 9,1 million tons per year to 14,8 million tons. One in four pasta dishes consumed in homes and restaurants around the world is made in Italy. But who eats the most pasta in the world? There are a couple of surprises in this ranking. The top spot, as could not be otherwise, belongs to Italy: 23 kilograms of pasta per capita per year. But after the Italians, there are the Tunisians (17 kilograms of pasta consumed per capita each year) and the Venezuelans (15 kilograms per capita).

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