Reddit Correctly Believes That Almost-Expired Salmon Should Be Half-Off

You may like it fried, boiled, or baked, but one way you shouldn't consume your fish is expired. When you eat fish after its expiration date, you're running the risk of developing ciguatera poisoning and scombroid poisoning, Family Doctor explains, worse so if it's undercooked. These two types of poisoning are different but do share some similar symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Ciguatera poisoning can cause muscle aches, numbness of the mouth and skin, itching and tingling, and difficulty feeling temperatures correctly, while scombroid poisoning is known to cause flushing and hives.

However, expiration dates tend to be a bit on the cautious side, meaning there are some dates you shouldn't pay attention to because the food isn't really spoiled. According to the National Resources Defense Council, 40% of purchased food — equaling $218 billion — is thrown away by Americans yearly, in part because they believe it's not fit for consumption. Although any date on the packaging is a good starting point for fish, you should check its skin for sliminess or its smell for an odor that might be more pungent than fresh fish if it's actually gone bad. Another way to cut back on food waste is to be aware of the expiration date before purchasing it, because surely, you shouldn't pay full price for something expiring within days, right?

Most grocery shoppers try to reach for the package with the latest expiration date — but they don't always have this option. That's what happened when one Walmart customer shopped for salmon, which was all set to expire the next day, as they shared on Reddit. Their post led to a discussion on whether or not stores should drop their prices on soon-to-expire items. "Never understood why Walmart doesn't give a bigger discount with meat that expires next day. Should be 50% off so it sells," one commenter wrote.

Though the price drop sounds sensible in theory, Reddit users explained why it probably won't happen. "Think about it, people would just always wait to the day of the massive discount and rarely buy it full price," one user wrote. Another commenter explained that the food is better off donated instead of discounted. "They can write off the sales price when they donate it. Why sell for a loss when you can write it off?" Unfortunately, though, a self-proclaimed employee of the store believes Walmart simply "tosses it" instead.

Still, even if OP's local store isn't donating to a food bank, the majority of Walmart stores likely are. According to Feeding America, Walmart has donated more than 7 billion pounds of food since 2005, as well as made monetary donations equaling $145 million. With food prices on the rise, it's understandable while the community would want discounts, but at least there's a chance the almost-expired food is going to a good cause.