What Happens if you eat Expired Frosted Flakes?

Frosted Flakes are part corn flakes and part sugary frosting on top. You may remember their mascot Tony the Tiger and him always saying “They are Grrrrrreat!”For today’s experiment, I was given a mini box of Frosted Flakes from my mother-in-law that says she has had it for a couple years.

She explained she bought a bunch for camping trips and none of the kids picked the Frosted Flakes. So, Let’s find out everything we need to know about eating expired Frosted Flakes!

Do Frosted Flakes expire?

All cereals in the US are marked with an expiration date but it’s usually listed as a “Best By” date. Most cereal boxes clearly state the month, date, and year, but the mini cereal boxes have a slightly different date model.

This mini cereal box is marked with “09160” and after some digging on Kellogg’s website, I realized that this mark means the “best by” date was 09/16/2020. This box of cereal expired almost 2 years and 5 months ago.

As noted with our other cereal experiments, most cereals do not go bad on their best by or expiration date. These dates are guidelines, but really as long as the Frosted Flakes are stored well, they can last a very long time.

Ideally, you will want to store your Frosted Flakes cereal in a cool dark place like a cabinet or pantry. Exposure to heat and sunlight can make the cereal degrade and taste stale.

Can Frosted Flakes mold?

Almost anything can grow mold, but it needs something to start the growing process. This usually means that the food is exposed to air, moisture, or organic matter.

As long as your Frosted Flakes are still sealed in their inside plastic bag, the odds of growing mold are slim. This is because it would only be possible for the cereal to grow mold if the bag was torn or punctured, and air or water was able to get in.

What are the black things in my Frosted Flakes?

Since Frosted Flakes is made with corn, there is a possibility that you will see little black specks in the flakes. Don’t worry though because more than likely this is not mold!

Corn can have dark spots due to growing conditions and in the final product you can see little, tiny black specks. You will notice these in food products like Sun Chips, puff corn, and cornbread mix.

These tiny specks are actually showing you that the product is truly made from real corn, because these specks occur naturally in corn.

Sometimes the dark spots in corn products are more noticeable and other times they seem less. This is because some corn harvests have more dark spots and other years have less.

How do you tell if Frosted Flakes are expired?

We are going to take this mini box of Frosted Flakes and use our 5 senses and some common sense to see if they are safe to eat. If at any point, something looks questionable, then I will suggest not eating it and tossing it in the trash or compost.

Sight– My first step is to always examine the packaging. I am looking for damage like holes or discoloration on the cardboard. Holes tell me that the box may have been crushed or a snack for a little critter. Discoloration on the cardboard would let me know that they box may have gotten wet at some point. This mini box of Frosted Flakes looks completely fine!

Sound– After I open the cardboard and remove the inner plastic bag, I give the box a little shake. I am trying to hear if there is any escaped cereal in the box. This box had no sound and no loose flakes at the bottom.

Touch– I go ahead and check the inner plastic bag for any punctures and I notice that the seal at the top and the bottom is fully intact. I went ahead and poured the cereal in a bowl so I could see the flakes.

The flakes should be a light brown color with a white coating on top. All the flakes look normal, and I noticed that there are no flakes sticking together or clumping. If you see any clumps that is a good indicator that moisture has been in the bag, and you should toss the cereal.

I also noted that the cereal is dry and not sticky. If you touch a Frosted Flake and it feels sticky, this could be an early sign of moisture.

Smell– Normally frosted flakes smell sweet and sugary. This box smells completely normal. There is no off odor or burnt oil smell. When cereal smells off it is a good sign that it has gone rancid or bad.

Taste– Now that we have made it this far, I feel it is safe to try a bite! The Frosted Flakes still have a nice crunch and a very sweet flavor. There is no aftertaste or anything odd about this bowl of cereal.

How long does Frosted Flakes last after expiration date?

To be honest, I had no clue that the “best by” date on this package was over 2 years ago when I tried it. It wasn’t until after I went through my experiment and actually ate the full bowl, that I looked up the code for the expiration date.

So, I was a little surprised at how well this cereal has held up over time. It may have a slightly less taste than a fresh box of cereal but it by no means tasted stale.

I would say in my opinion, that well stored Frosted Flakes could easily be used 2-3 years after the “best by” date on the package.

For more expired cereal experiments, check out “Great Grains Cereal” and “Cheerios.“