What happens if you eat expired veggie straws?
Even though veggie straws are touted as a healthy alternative to potato chips and tortilla chips, they are not as fragile as vegetables. There is even some debate as to whether there are any vegetables in veggie straws.
Whether they are healthy or a vegetable replacement, veggie straws are a great handy snack for kids and adults. Let’s take a look into what happens if you eat expired veggie straws, do veggie straws even go bad, and signs that your veggie straws are bad.
Can Veggie Straws go bad?
Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws is one of the most popular makers of veggie straws and on their product packaging it states that they are made with no artificial flavors or preservatives.
Now this just means they do use natural preservatives like salt to extend the shelf life of the veggie straws. Salt is not only a flavor enhancer, but it is also used to prevent microbial growth and prevent spoiling.
Just like potato chips and pretzel snacks, veggie straws will have a “best by” or expiration date listed on the bag. This date is based on the quality of the taste and texture and is not the date the food item will go bad by.
Signs veggie straws have gone bad
After the “best buy” date, veggie straws are most likely to lose some of their flavor. They may taste stale or not as strong as a fresh opened bag would taste.
If a bag of veggie straws is left opened for a long period of time, they can absorb moisture from the air and make the texture start to soften. If your veggie straws are not crisp and crunchy, this is a sign that they have gone bad.
As with most snack foods, moisture is the number one way for veggie straws to go bad. This moisture can cause veggie straws to taste off or feel damp.
Can veggie straws have mold?
In their normal state, veggie straws are unlikely to grow mold because they are a low acidic food due to salt content.
If veggie straws are exposed to excessive moisture or organic materials, then it is possible for veggie straws to grow mold. For instance, if you pack veggie straws and a cut apple in the same container, the apple will start to rot and grow mold.
This mold can then start to grow on the veggie straws. Veggie straws by themselves with no moisture or organic material are very unlikely to grow mold. They need a catalyst in order to be a good habitat for mold.
What happens if you eat expired veggie straws?
The good news is that eating expired veggie straws is not likely to have any bad effects on your body. The most likely scenario is the veggie straws will not have potent flavor and may taste stale.
The odds of getting food poisoning are very low from eating expired veggie straws because they are basically made from dehydrated potato starch. Dehydrated potato starch is similar to instant mashed potatoes.
To find out more information about what is in veggie straws, check out “The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Veggie Straws.”
It has no natural moisture or additives that would cause bacterial growth. Only once moisture or organic material is introduced is it likely to grow bacteria. Bacteria is what normally causes food poisoning.
How do you keep vegetable straws fresh?
Once you open a bag of veggie straws, you will need to store the straws properly in order to keep them tasting fresh. The easiest way to do this is to use a chip clip or twist tie.
You can also use an airtight container or Ziploc style plastic bag. Some people like to keep their snack foods in the refrigerator, but this is not necessary.
If you store snack foods opened in the refrigerator, you are actually exposing them to moisture with the high humidity that exists within the fridge. This can allow food items like veggie straws to absorb moisture, odors, and possibly pick up bacteria from other foods.
My favorite way to store veggie straws is to make individual serving packs using small plastic snack bags. With two small kids, I can grab a bag for a snack and not have to spend more money on the small prepackaged bags.
We regularly take snacks when we go on adventures to local parks and outings, so having them pre separated just makes packing for day trips so much quicker.
This also lets my kids know how much they can eat in one sitting. If I let them eat straight out of the bag, they could consume a whole bag in one snack break.
If you are eating straight from the bag, make sure to wash your hands first. When you put an unclean hand in a bag of veggie straws, you are putting any bacteria on your hands on to the veggie straws.
Eating expired Veggie Straws
Overall, eating expired veggie straws is not a health concern. As long as the veggie straws are stored properly and not exposed to moisture or bacteria, they are perfectly fine to eat past the expiration date.
We tend to stock up on snacks and there are times that a bag will get forgotten in the pantry. I have opened veggie straws past their expiration date, and they still taste perfectly fine.
An opened bag of veggie straws can easily last a couple of months if it is closed and stored away from moisture. Opened bags of veggie straws don’t typically last over a month in our house because they come in relatively small bags.
To learn more about expiration dates on your favorite foods, check out “What happens if you drink spoiled rice milk?” and “What happens if you eat expired Greek Yogurt?“
