Does Snickers Expire? How Do You Know If It’s Gone Bad?

When it comes to expiration dates, sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether or not to eat a chocolate bar that has stayed unopened after the expiration date. When it comes to Snickers and its ingredients, it is debatable whether you can still eat this type of candy bar after its labeled date has expired. So, does Snickers chocolate bar expire, and how can you determine if it has gone bad?

Snickers do expire, so it is wise to check the expiration dates on the package and read the label about keeping it safe. If it has not been opened, you might eat your Snickers even after the date expires. If you store your Snickers in a cold and dry place, it will be good for up to 12 months. 

If you want to learn more about storing Snickers properly, and the ways you will know that it is safe to eat it, you should read this article until the end. I will elaborate on how you can determine whether your Snickers has expired, and what will happen if you eat a chocolate bar whose expiring date has passed. It is good to know these kinds of details about food, especially chocolate, so you would know how to store them properly and not waste any more food.

Does Snickers Go Bad?

Some people believe that chocolate cannot go bad due to the fact that it is in a firm shape, and its ingredients will not be spoiled even if they sit untouched for a long time. It is a common belief that it will probably get really dry and even more solid but nothing will really happen to the compounds of the chocolate. However, this is not entirely true information, especially when it comes to Snickers. 

Snickers is in fact, quite a delicate chocolate bar considering that it contains caramel and peanuts. These ingredients are known to have the tendency to go bad, especially when they are combined, meaning you have to be really careful with the expiration dates, and the storage places for your chocolate. The ingredients included in Snickers can go bad really quickly if they are exposed to a high temperature. 

That is why the way you store your chocolate is of crucial importance.

• If you leave your Snickers in a room with a high temperature (let’s say around 77°F+), it will go bad with more ease than if stored at a lower temperature (in a kitchen cabinet for example). Also, exposure to the light (from sun) doesn’t help either.
• On the other hand, if you store your Snickers on a lower temperature (kitchen cabinet, fridge, basement), your Snickers will be just fine.

How Long Does Snickers Last?

Generally, chocolate bars like Snickers can easily last for one year without changing their texture, taste, or color. It is known that all Snickers chocolate bars have expiration dates that last for twelve months, so it is recommended that you follow the guidelines given on the Snickers package. You also need to consider how you store your Snickers in order to be sure that it is safe to eat. 

However, the above-mentioned details refer to the Snickers chocolate bar that has not been opened. If you have already opened your Snickers but you cannot finish it all at once, you might leave it for one or two days. In these two days, your chocolate bar would probably be fine, and nothing harmful could happen to you if you eat it. 

Again, you have to put your Snickers in a dry and cold place, so no damage would be imposed on it. Some people choose to store their Snickers in the fridge, so no warm temperature would affect it in any way. 

In addition, if you store your Snickers in the fridge, you will have the option to store your chocolate for quite longer than two days. Snickers can last in the fridge for about three to six months. Also, you might decide to store it in the freezer, meaning you will get the chance to keep your chocolate bar in a good condition for about a year. 

How to Store a Snickers Bar?

If you read the Snickers label, you should see that the manufacturer recommends storing the chocolate bar in a cool and dry place. Therefore, you should use a cupboard or a similar place in your house where your Snickers would be properly safe. Make sure that this place is not close to some source of heat because it will make your chocolate bar go bad. 

You might wonder whether the fridge is the appropriate place for storing Snickers, but the answer to this question is quite debatable. For instance, if you place Snickers in the fridge, you will surely preserve the ingredients in a safe manner, but your chocolate bar would get quite more solid than its original structure. This means that you will have to wait for your Snickers to warm up before eating in order to feel its original taste. 

Some people tend to put Snickers in the freezer since that is the safest way to store your chocolate without worrying that it will go bad. On the one hand, this is good because you can keep your chocolate bar for a long time. On the other hand, you will need to wait for your Snickers to defrost for quite some time if you intend to eat it, so if you are in a hurry this would not be a good option. 

How Do You Know When Snickers Expire?

Firstly, you will need to check the date on the package. It is required by law that all products have included expiration dates on their packages, so there must be one on the Snickers package as well. You will find the date and determine whether the chocolate bar has expired or not. 

However, since it is confirmed by the USDA that the dates included on the packages refer to the best quality or flavor, many people tend to eat Snickers even after its expiration date. [1] This means that the date that is put on the package determines when the chocolate bar is best to be eaten, but it does not refer to safety. So, if you open your Snickers bar and it seems like everything is okay, then you should go on and consume it without any worry. 

If you want to check whether your Snickers chocolate bar is entirely okay, then you should first inspect the texture. If there is no change in texture and flavor, then your Snickers is totally fine. However, you should also check if there are dots or cracks, or any appearance of mold in order to be on the safe side. 

How Do You Read Snickers Expiration Date?

As I already mentioned, the law requires that each type of food includes an expiration date on the package. This means that every Snickers chocolate bar has this kind of date, and it is usually found at the back of the chocolate bar, in the corner. Sometimes, there are two dates – the first one represents the date of production, while the other one the date of expiration. 

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However, if you read the Snickers label carefully, you will notice that that is not an expiration date in particular. In fact, it is information about the date to which the product is “best used by”, meaning its flavor and quality are guaranteed to last as much. It does not mean that after the date, the chocolate bar would go bad. In the picture above, the best-used-by date is the 15th of May 2022.

Can You Eat Expired Snickers Chocolate?

If you eat Snickers after its date has expired, there is nothing to worry about. If there are no signs of change in the texture or flavor, your chocolate bar is safe to be eaten. Usually, if a chocolate bar has gone bad, you will notice a lot of changes on the surface of the chocolate, or even the appearance of mold. If you do not see anything like this, then you can freely eat your Snickers and not bother about the date. 

In conclusion, the expiration dates of Snickers do not mean that you cannot eat your chocolate bar and that it has gone bad. They only refer to the quality of the flavor, i.e. they represent the guarantee of the manufacturer. As long as you store your Snickers properly, it will be good for eating for a long time.