By” date on the packaging is not always an exact expiration date, rather a “Best Quality” date. This date refers to the time period during which the product should be consumed for optimal quality, not necessarily safety.
The most common cause of butter going bad is through rancidity, which occurs when butter is exposed to oxygen and/or heat. Rancid butter is not normally harmful immediately. I would frequently discard butter when the date printed on the package had passed. However, I later found this was often unnecessary. Many times, the butter was still perfectly good.
By understanding the shelf life of butter, you can make wiser choices. You can decide what to do with your butter based upon more than just a calendar.
butter
source: Pixabay
How Long Does Butter Last?
Like anything else that is perishable, the length of time that butter will last is dependent upon a
