According to Eat By Date, once opened, all milk lasts four to seven days past its printed date, if refrigerated. If unopened, whole milk lasts five to seven days, reduced-fat and skim milk last seven days, and non-fat and lactose-free milk last seven to ten days past its printed date, if refrigerated.
There’s a huge difference between milk date labels that say “sell by,” “use by,” “best if used by,” and “expires on.” “The phrase ‘best if used by’ is used to indicate quality only—even after this date, food is safe to eat. Another phrase, ‘expires on,’ is used to indicate the day that deterioration begins, after which a product may become unsafe to consume,” says Lindsey Pasieka, an investigator for ConsumerSafety.org. “‘Sell-by’ dates tell a milk seller, like a grocery store, when the product should leave the shelves–either in a customer’s arms or in the trash. For many, ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ are essentially marketing terms. These allow milk producers to tell consumers when the peak freshness of the product is. They do not indicate the exact date the milk will ‘go bad.’” Read more HERE.