Where Is Tic Tac Expiration Date? Can You Eat Expired Ones?

For many, just seeing a pack of Tic Tac instantly elicits an urge to pop one in your mouth. After all, they appear as sweet and harmless candy. But are Tic Tacs safe to eat, especially if it is past their expiration date? And how can you tell whether a pack of Tic Tac has exceeded its validity or not?

Every Tic Tac pack comes with a “best-by” date on the back of the case. If a product is past this date, it does not invariably become unusable. Rather you get the best quality if you consume it within the given time limit. So, you can consume an “expired” Tic Tac if it has only been a few days.

So many people indulge in Tic Tacs or similar mints regularly. But you should always consider the ingredients that make up your food, lest you want to eat something that puts your health in jeopardy. 

So, in this article, we will go over the nutritional content of this famous mint product and discuss its benefits and drawbacks. You will find the answer where to find the expiration date on Tic Tac, so you can always be sure that you are consuming a safe-to-eat treat.

How to Know if Tic Tac is Expired?

If you pick up any food product from your local grocery store, you will undoubtedly find some common denominators when it comes to packaging. All of them include a table containing their nutritional value, a list of ingredients or key elements, and some printed dates on any side of the container.

And a pack of a tic-tac is not exempt from this pattern. On the back of every Tic Tac container, you will find no more than 2 dates: one indicates the time of production and the other is the “best-by” date. In the picture below, you can see the package of Tic Tac that has only the “best-by” date.

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The term “best-by” sets it apart from the more traditional “expiration date”. But they essentially indicate the same thing. Use a product within that period and you can extract the most out of it. Leave it too late, and the product may start to develop defects or become contaminated.

So, always check the back of the Tic Tac you just purchased and make sure that the product is still viable.

Can You Eat Expired Tic Tac?

Any product, regardless of how beneficial it is for your body, has a certain time limit. Consume that product within that timeframe and you get the most out of said product. But wait too late and you might be putting yourself at great risk. This time limit that is given to almost all commercial products is what we usually refer to as “Expiration Date”.

This is particularly relevant for food products because you are putting them directly in your body. And if they spoil and rot, then you are taking a major health risk. 

Now, as we mentioned, all Tic Tac packs use a “best-by” date, which is a bit different from the “use-before” date. You can most likely still eat a Tic Tac even if it has recently passed its best-by date. The mint may not taste as fresh but you are likely not taking any risk if the pack was stored properly.

Also, the method for storing also plays a part in how fast food deteriorates. Frozen foods tend to last longer since they are preserved in colder temperatures. Cool temperature is less conducive for bacterial growth or decay. So, if the pack was in a freezer all this time, it may extend its expiration even further.

However, if the pack has well exceeded its best-by date, you should refrain from eating it. Be even wearier, if you find that the box is damaged or has a hole. Then it is most certainly not safe to eat.

Given its small size, eating one or two spoiled Tic Tac may only result in a minor stomach problem. But it can very easily spiral into a much worse fate. So, always check the dates before you buy and/or consume one. 

Is It Bad to Eat Tic Tac?

Some might find this a strange question. After all, how much harm can mint do to your body? Well, a Tic Tac is not just peppermint; there are other ingredients in the mix.

Checking the label on the box, the primary element of any Tic Tac, regardless of flavor, seems to be sugar or some sort of carbohydrate. It also contains some natural flavoring as well as artificial flavors and preservatives. 

Now, a Tic Tac does not incorporate peanut or gluten. And almost all of them are vegan-friendly. But they still contain sugars and artificial flavoring. This means that, when you eat Tic Tac, you are consuming empty calories. In other words, Tic Tac doesn’t provide you with any nutritional value, so we can say that it is bad to eat Tic Tac. 

In addition, anybody on a strict diet should consider the added effects of eating more than a handful of Tic Tac per day.

How Many Tic Tac Can You Eat a Day?

We are certain many of you have tried to answer this question as a challenge or competition with friends. You can eat as many as you want. But you should probably think of healthier options than simple mint to fill your belly.

Do Tic Tac Have Calories?

Speaking of the product description, every pack of Tic Tac features a table displaying the nutritional value of an individual mint. And for most variations of Tic Tacs, a single mint contains about 1.9 kcal. [1]