Is it safe to eat yoghurt past its best-before date?

It might be safer just to buy some fresh yoghurt...


Asked by: Mickey Constanza, Hartlepool

Possibly. Yoghurt is made from the action of bacteria on milk, but this is a carefully managed process using specially selected strains of bacteria - it isn't the same as milk that has simply gone off. Yoghurt made under sterile conditions and still in an unopened tub in the fridge should normally still be safe after a fortnight. But once opened, other micro-organisms such as listeria can quickly colonise it, putting you at risk of food poisoning.

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