Can I eat it?
October 13, 2018 9:14 AM

I have a meal delivery subscription through Freshly. These are cooked meals that I only need to reheat in the microwave to prepare. My meals ship on Thursday and arrive on Friday. There was a delay and they arrived now on Saturday. I’ve been advised from the company to toss them out because they can’t guarantee freshness anymore. The numerous ice packs were almost completely frozen still and there’s also additional insulation surrounding the entire inside of the box. I’m considering eating these against the advice of the company. What would you guys do?
posted by hazel79 to Food & Drink (21 answers total)
Based on your description of the ice packs, I would eat them. I'm sure the company has to say that to protect themselves from liability, but presuming you aren't immuno-compromised in some way I'm sure this would be fine.
posted by tiger tiger at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2018


I would eat them if the ice packs were frozen and the food also seems frozen.

The company is worried about liability and bad reviews if the textures have somehow gone off so they are doing the expedient thing, but they are clearly fine.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2018


I'd go for it.
posted by AlexiaSky at 9:29 AM on October 13, 2018


I'd eat it.
posted by erst at 9:34 AM on October 13, 2018


I almost certainly would.
posted by obfuscation at 9:39 AM on October 13, 2018


I would eat it.
posted by beagle at 10:06 AM on October 13, 2018


The expiration dates on most supermarket packaging can be ignored. Like Jacquilynne said above, it's there for liability reasons.
posted by xammerboy at 10:35 AM on October 13, 2018


Another vote for "would eat."
posted by gennessee at 10:40 AM on October 13, 2018


Assuming the food remained cold enough I‘d eat it!
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:44 AM on October 13, 2018


I would also eat these foods.
posted by bilabial at 11:17 AM on October 13, 2018


If it helps to have another voice saying yes, I would eat that, since the ice packs are frozen. I've ordered meat that takes longer to ship than that, and the vendor said that even if the dry ice is melted, it's still OK as long as the meat itself is still frozen.

The company is saying they can't guarantee freshness, not that it's dangerous, and they do have to worry about liability.
posted by FencingGal at 11:27 AM on October 13, 2018


I’ve had a freshly delivery arrive one day delayed, and it was still good - we ate it. Enjoy!
posted by samthemander at 11:54 AM on October 13, 2018


I would check your microwave to see what the watts are. Look on door. Mine is low watts - 900 - and most directions to microwave are for higher watt machines. Some directions specify the wattage. Most don't. I got sick eating a frozen egg breakfast that I microwaved by directions. After that, when I microwave anything I add two minutes to the cooking time. Usually - they say microwave for 2 minutes and stir then microwave for another 2 minutes. So I microwave 3 minutes and stir and then microwave 3 minutes. I haven't gotten sick since I started doing this.

You could probably add even more maybe add 2 30 second microwaves without ruining the food but making it biologically safer.

And yes, I would eat them if there was still ice in the package.
posted by cda at 12:39 PM on October 13, 2018


Nobody's asked what type of food it is? That would matter to me. I'd eat something like, say, pasta with marinara sauce. Seafood? Not so much.
posted by nirblegee at 2:11 PM on October 13, 2018


What’s in it? My advice differs based on contents.
posted by kapers at 3:29 PM on October 13, 2018


Some answers here assume the food is frozen, but Freshly state: "No, our meals are delivered fresh and never frozen. Our meals are specially packaged in a refrigerated box and shipped with ice packs to keep your package cold during transit."

Still, I would absolutely eat them, the typical menu items on the Freshly site don't raise any red flags for me.
posted by wilko at 5:01 PM on October 13, 2018


I would not eat it if it was meat and maybe not even if it wasn’t. I have ordered Freshly in the past so I am familiar with their products, apparently many of these answers are from people who are not. They are NOT frozen! I might eat their vegan breakfast or vegetarian meals but I don’t mess with meat.

This isn’t about expiration dates. It’s about proper refrigeration. I’m a very cheap person and the idea of getting a bunch of free food is exciting to me, but in your shoes I would weigh whether the food did remain properly refrigerated for the extra 24 hours. It sounds like it might have remained cool but if it was above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours it’s in the danger zone where bacteria can multiply rapidly.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 6:29 PM on October 13, 2018


Would eat without any hesitation even if delayed another two days.
posted by turkeyphant at 6:41 PM on October 13, 2018


Your description is day two of any camping trip I've ever been on and I would therefor not hesitate a second to eat this product.
posted by Mitheral at 7:26 PM on October 13, 2018


Food safety rules (for restaurants. I fudge these at home!)

Bacteria needs good conditions so it can grow and multiply- including moisture and the correct temperature. It's usually not the bacteria itself that makes you sick, but, crudely, their poop. More on that in a minute.

Bacteria start to denature after 60°C (140°F) and struggle to do anything below 5°C (41°F). So if we're storing food, it needs to stay colder than 5°C. So if you're happy that your Freshy box didn't get warmer than this, you are fine!

Also, for things like salads, they have a shelf life of a cumulative 2 hours. Longer than that and we had to toss it. So has your freshy box been at room temp for longer than 2 hours? (This is probably what the company is thinking of when they think about the variables in keeping the box at the right temperature.)

Just to address the myth again about 'extra nuking' the food- hot food should be above 60°C. But- if the food has been sitting out for ages, and the bacteria have been having a party, multiplying all over the place and excreting, those excretions still stick around even though you've killed off the bacteria. Those excretions (the bacteria 'poop') will still make you sick.

Not all food has to stay at these temperatures, as long as it's dry, (Like cereal, rice, flour, biscuits, etc) or as long as it's still 'packaged', like a carrot, banana, or apple, because the skin helps stop bacteria get in.

In summary: if it was for a restaurant, you'd toss this box, because you can't guarantee what happened during delivery (the company designs the boxes to keep the food <5°C until it gets to you, probably!) but if you are reasonably certain the box hasn't been hotter than 5°C for longer than 2 hours, I'd risk it.
posted by freethefeet at 8:22 PM on October 13, 2018


If it was me I would eat it.
posted by latkes at 8:29 PM on October 13, 2018


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