JUST Egg is a plant-based egg substitute made from mung beans. It was created by food technology company Eat Just as a more sustainable, animal-free alternative to chicken eggs. JUST Egg can be used to make egg dishes like scrambles, omelets, and quiches. It comes in a liquid form in a Tetra Pak-style carton and has a shelf life of 5-14 days when unopened and stored properly. But what happens when you open a carton of JUST Egg and it reaches its expiration date? Is it still safe to eat? Here is a comprehensive look at the safety and quality of JUST Egg after its expiration date.
What is the shelf life of an unopened JUST Egg carton?
An unopened, properly stored carton of JUST Egg has a printed expiration date of 14 days from the date it was produced. However, JUST Egg FAQs state that the shelf life is 5-14 days from when it is opened and kept refrigerated. Once opened, it’s best to use the product within 5 days.
So an unopened JUST Egg carton stored in the refrigerator should stay fresh for up to 14 days from the day it was made. Make sure to store it on an interior fridge shelf, not on the door where temperatures fluctuate. The expiration date on the package is a good guideline for maximum freshness.
How can you tell if opened JUST Egg has gone bad?
Once you open a carton of JUST Egg, you have 5-14 days to use it while retaining peak quality. Here are some signs that opened JUST Egg has spoiled and is no longer good to eat:
– Change in consistency: Fresh JUST Egg should have a uniform, liquidy, creamy consistency. If it becomes extra thick, clumpy, or curdled, toss it.
– Mold: Any fuzzy, colorful spots or slimy residues mean molded JUST Egg. Mold is unsafe to eat.
– Sour smell: Opened JUST Egg will smell vaguely like mung beans. A rancid, sulfurous, or rotten odor means it’s gone bad.
– Change in color: Unopened JUST Egg is ivory white. If the color changes significantly to yellow, grey, or green, the product is spoiled.
– Expiration date: The date on the package is a helpful guideline. Do not eat JUST Egg that is more than 14 days past the printed expiration date.
Can you eat JUST Egg after the expiration date?
It’s generally not recommended to eat JUST Egg after its printed expiration date. However, some people wonder if the product can be safely consumed if it looks, smells, and tastes normal.
The answer comes down to how much time has passed. If it’s only a few days past the date, and the opened carton has been continuously refrigerated, the quality and safety are unlikely to have diminished significantly.
However, if it’s been several weeks or months, contamination and microbial growth are more likely, making the expired JUST Egg potentially risky to consume.
To stay on the safe side, you should discard JUST Egg within 14 days after opening, and not eat it if it is more than 1-2 weeks past the expiration date. Rely on your senses too – if it appears, smells or tastes bad, throw it out regardless of the date.
What causes JUST Egg to spoil?
JUST Egg, like any perishable food, contains microbes such as bacteria, mold, and yeast naturally. When kept refrigerated, these microbes remain dormant and the product stays fresh. However, over time the following factors cause the microbes to grow and multiply, leading to spoilage:
– Exposure to oxygen
– Temperature fluctuations
– Moisture
– pH changes
Once opened, oxygen can get into the carton and interact with the product. Temps inside the fridge can fluctuate. Moisture and pH levels may also change naturally over time. All these provide ideal conditions for microbial growth.
Contamination also causes spoilage after opening. This includes introduction of foreign microbes, enzymes, or metals into the JUST Egg from dirty utensils or hands.
What foodborne illnesses could develop from expired JUST Egg?
Consuming spoiled, expired JUST Egg could potentially cause foodborne illness. Here are some of the main risks:
Salmonella – Raw eggs are commonly associated with Salmonella infection. Since JUST Egg is made from mung beans, not eggs, this risk is low. But contamination is possible after opening. Salmonella causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and cramps.
Listeria monocytogenes – This bacteria can grow even at refrigerator temps. It causes the illness listeriosis with fever, muscle aches, diarrhea. Pregnant women, elderly, infants and those with weak immunity are especially vulnerable.
Bacillus cereus – This spore-forming bacteria produces toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea. It’s found in plant and starchy foods like JUST Egg.
Staphylococcus aureus – Staph bacteria can multiply in egg-based dishes and release enterotoxins leading to violent vomiting. Not a direct risk with plant-based JUST Egg but a possibility from unhygienic handling practices.
Clostridium botulinum – The bacteria that causes deadly botulism poisoning. It grows in low-oxygen environments like vacuum-packed foods, so botulism from JUST Egg is highly unlikely.
How can you prevent foodborne illness from expired JUST Egg?
Practicing proper storage, handling, and food safety measures minimizes any risks of foodborne disease from expired JUST Egg:
– Refrigerate unopened product at 40°F or below.
– Once open, use within 5 days and keep refrigerated.
– Check expiration dates and don’t eat if more than 1-2 weeks past date.
– Look for signs of spoilage like odor, texture, mold.
– Store in clean containers using clean utensils.
– Avoid cross-contamination from surfaces, hands, raw meats, etc.
– Cook JUST Egg thoroughly to at least 165°F before eating.
– Discard moldy JUST Egg; do not scoop out “good” parts.
– Refrigerate leftovers in shallow airtight containers and use within 3-4 days.
Can you freeze JUST Egg after the expiration date?
Freezing is not recommended for store-bought JUST Egg after its printed expiration date. The manufacturer designed and tested it for refrigerator shelf-stability only, not frozen storage.
Freezing after the expiration date can potentially worsen texture, flavor, and nutritional value. It may also fail to stop microbial growth that occurs as the product deteriorates over time.
For optimal freshness and food safety, use opened JUST Egg within 5 days and discard any expired, refrigerated product per the date on the package. Don’t rely on freezing to rescue JUST Egg way past its prime.
Does expired JUST Egg make you sick?
Eating expired JUST Egg comes with some risks of foodborne illness, since microbial growth can occur over time leading to contamination and spoilage. Sickness depends on:
– How long past expiration date – The longer, the more microbes may have multiplied.
– Storage conditions – Poor refrigeration increases microbes.
– Individual health – Those with weaker immunity are more vulnerable to foodborne pathogens.
– Amount consumed – Large quantities are more likely to contain enough pathogens to cause illness.
– Virulence of pathogens – Some bacteria like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli are highly virulent.
That said, if it’s just days past the date and the opened JUST Egg looks, smells and tastes normal, illness is unlikely. But it’s impossible to gauge safety based on appearance alone. So for maximum safety, discard expired JUST Egg per the recommendations on the label.
What happens if you eat expired JUST Egg?
Here’s what may happen if you eat JUST Egg after the printed expiration date:
– Upset stomach – You may experience nausea, gas, bloating, or indigestion. Mild foodborne illness can present as “stomach flu.”
– Diarrhea – From pathogens like Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, and Clostridium perfringens. Can be mild or severe.
– Vomiting – Pathogens and their toxins irritate the GI tract, causing violent vomiting.
– Fever, headaches, muscle aches – Flu-like symptoms from foodborne infection.
– Cramps and abdominal pain – Stomach and intestinal cramps are common with microbial gut infections.
– Listeriosis – Listeria hits those with weak immunity hardest. Causes fever, diarrhea, muscle aches.
– No symptoms – It’s possible to get lucky with no reaction. But don’t let that justify eating expired foods.
In most cases, symptoms pass in a day or two. See a doctor immediately for severe vomiting, diarrhea, high fever or signs of listeria in at-risk groups.
Does cooking expired JUST Egg make it safe?
Proper cooking can reduce certain risks of consuming expired JUST Egg but may not make it 100% safe. Here’s a look at how cooking affects pathogens:
– Kills many bacteria – Cooking to 165°F kills Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Staph.
– Destroys some toxins – Toxins from Staph and Bacillus cereus can be partially inactivated.
– Provides no guarantees – Cooking can’t reverse spoilage or nutrient loss. Some bacterial spores and toxins withstand high heat.
Additionally, cooking can’t eliminate:
– Chemical changes from expiration – Fats and proteins degrade over time.
– Texture and flavor changes – Becomes unpleasant.
– Potential mold – Heat doesn’t destroy mold or associated mycotoxins.
So while cooking expired JUST Egg lowers some risks, it’s still advised to discard products after the expiration date printed on the package. Don’t rely on cooking to resuscitate spoiled JUST Egg. For safety, use fresh JUST Egg before the expiration date.
Conclusion
The shelf life of unopened JUST Egg is 14 days from the production date if properly refrigerated. Once opened, it should retain quality for 5-14 days past the printed “use by” date.
For safety, avoid eating JUST Egg more than 1-2 weeks past the expiration date – even if cooked. While cooking reduces some pathogens, it cannot eliminate spoilage, off-flavors, texture changes or chemical degradation that occur over time after opening.
Discard expired JUST Egg that smells bad, looks discolored, moldy or shows other signs of spoilage no matter what the date says. While food waste is unfortunate, foodborne disease is a risk not worth taking from products past their prime. For best quality and safety, use JUST Egg within the manufacturer’s recommended window.
