What should you do if a food is found to be past its use-by date?

When food is found to be past its use-by date, the appropriate action is to discard it. The use-by date is an indication of the last day on which the food product should be consumed for safety reasons. Consuming food past this date can pose serious health risks, including foodborne illness, as the quality and safety of the food cannot be guaranteed beyond this date.

Discarding food that has exceeded its use-by date ensures that no one is exposed to the risks associated with spoiled or unsafe food. This practice is crucial in maintaining safe food handling standards and protecting public health. Storing the item in the freezer may seem like a viable option, but it does not extend the food's safety if it was already expired. Similarly, cooking the food thoroughly won't eliminate the risks if the product was already unsafe to consume. Thus, the best practice is to prioritize food safety by discarding any item that is past its use-by date.