Does Infant formula expire?
Infant formula is the only food in the United States required by federal law to carry a use-by date, and the reason is nutritional rather than microbial: the manufacturer guarantees the stated vitamin content up to that date and not beyond, and a baby on formula has no other source. Separation and clumping in older powder can also stop it dissolving properly, which changes the concentration a baby actually receives. Made-up formula is an ideal bacterial growth medium and the two-hour rule at room temperature is not conservative padding.
How to store it
- Sealed powder in a cool dry cupboard, not the fridge — humidity ruins it.
- Made-up feeds go straight in the fridge and are discarded after 24 hours, or 2 hours out.
How to tell it has gone
- Do not judge formula by look or smell. Use the date.
"Use by" and "best before" are legally different. Use-by is a safety date and should be respected; best-before is about quality, and food is usually fine well past it. Where the two diverge matters, the page above says which applies.
Common questions
- Does Infant formula expire?
- No — this is the one supermarket product whose date is legally binding and should be obeyed exactly.
- How long does Infant formula last?
- Use by the printed date. Once made up: 2 hours at room temperature, 24 hours refrigerated
Related pages
- Does Sunscreen expire? No. Sunscreen is regulated as a drug and must hold its stated SPF for three years — after that, assume it does not.
- Does Condoms expire? No. Latex degrades, the date is regulated, and there is no visible warning before failure.
- Does Mascara and eye makeup expire? Three months after opening, and this is one of the cosmetic rules worth taking seriously.
- Does Child car seats expire? Yes, genuinely — six to ten years from manufacture, moulded into the shell.
- Does Smoke alarms expire? Ten years from manufacture, then the whole unit — not just the battery.
- Does Cycle and motorcycle helmets expire? Five years is the usual manufacturer figure, and any single significant impact ends it immediately.
- Does Contact lens solution expire? No. The date is real, and the opened bottle has a much shorter life than the printed date suggests.
- Does Plasters and sterile dressings expire? The adhesive fails and, more importantly, the sterile seal is only guaranteed to the date.
- Does Honey expire? Does not expire
- Does Eggs expire? Degrades in quality
- Does Medicines expire? Degrades in quality
- Does Milk expire? Has a real expiry date
- Does Salt expire? Does not expire
- Does Frozen food expire? Indefinite if stored properly
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration — FDA (Public domain (US Government))