Consumers are stretching every dollar these days and that includes stretching the shelf life of their food. Several viewers wanted to know if expiration dates on food really matter.

Wherever you shop for food these days, you'll always come across a printed date on the package. That's the expiration date, a time frame that many are pushing to its limits.

When it comes to figuring out when to throw things out, consumers have different methods.

Some say they usually tell by the smell and the look. Others set a strict limit to no more than three days after the expiration.

Richmond County Environmental Health Manager, Mike Allison, says determining how long you can push items beyond their expiration date varies on the food.

“It's dependent on the food. Eggs for instance can be used for a week or so longer than the expiration date, Milk on the other hand may not be safe to drink,” said Allison.

Things can be tricky when determining if something is still safe to consume. Just because something is spoiled and smells bad, it doesn't necessarily mean it will make you sick.

“We're talking about the difference between spoilage and food safety,” says Allison. “If a food smells bad, that means spoilage bacteria has affected it.”

But “spoilage bacteria” isn't the stuff that will make you sick and figuring out if something is still safe to eat isn't always easy.

“On the other hand, if you have pathogenic bacteria such as E-Coli or Salmonella, you may not be able to taste it or smell it,” says Allison.

Your best defense against spoiled, bacteria infected food is a cold fridge below 40 degrees. If food is left out in temperatures above 40 degrees for more than four hours, Allison says you should probably throw it out instead of risking it.

“If it doesn't look good, and it doesn't smell good, I'm not going to eat it and you probably shouldn't either, nor should anyone else.”