Feeding dry food that is close to "Best By" date

[catamarandy]

Hello everyone. I recently ordered two bags of TikiCat Born Carnivore dry catfood for my two precious furbabies from my usual online retailer. They arrived this week and I was shocked when I checked the Best By date on each of the bags - both are only two months away from their suggested Best By date, which is June 9 2020. Last month, I ordered the same food and it was a lot fresher, with a Best By date of May 2021. Even though that fresher bag still has a lot of food left, this evening I opened one of the bags I just received and the food smelled and looked ok. I gave some to one of my cats and she ate it right up, seeming to really be enjoying it. My question is - am I being overly paranoid about feeding my cats these bags of food, even if they don't finish them before June 9? Has anyone else ever fed a dry food that was close to its best by date or even fed it past that date?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Furballsmom]

Has anyone else ever fed a dry food that was close to its best by date or even fed it past that date?

Hi! I don't know, honestly - I've never been very careful about checking the date. I typically go by its odor to my own nose or whether Poppycat becomes reluctant to eat it.

 

[molly92]

Stores can't sell food that has gone past the best by date, but most rescues usually take donations of food that are 6 months past their best by date. You can contact Tiki Cat directly, but manufacturers usually say their food is safe 6 months past the best by date. I think it will be fine, as long as you keep opened bags in dry, air-tight containers.

Stores and warehouses are supposed to rotate their stock and sell the oldest food first, but mistakes do happen.

 

[MissClouseau]

If they can't finish by June 9, you can put the rest in the freezer. That would stay safe that way. Not sure if the taste would change though.