I regularly buy such food.

I find that buying whole lettuces is wasteful as I don't; get to eat them before they expire in the fridge. We have 'packed in nitrogen' 'salads' which i often buy for 1/2 or less the normal price - they often are a day or 2 before the 'use by' date - kept in the fridge I but enough to last several day - anything up to a week - if unopened they will brown slightly after several days. They don't affec.. affec.. affec.. affect me.

Dried foods - such as pasta, sugar tea bags will last for years if kept in a sealed container in a cool dry dark place.

Teas bags WILL go stale though... :-)

Honey cannot 'go off' - it used to be used as a wound dressing from Roman times - some things cannot 'go off' as bacteria need moisture to breed - 'preserving' with salt, sugar, honey, drying has worked for centuries - it's only the frenzy of 'refrigeration' that has brainwashed people.

Canned good - depends on the content - some goods will go off - they may not be totally sterile - but canned soups, baked beans, spag, etc will last for years. Expeditions to darkest Africa used to depend on this...

Bread, will last in the freezer for months.

Butter, cheese, and the like will not freeze, but will last longer in the freezer - cheese will change texture, etc



I'd say tell the lady if the 'helpers insist on 'un-helping' her that she tell them that perhaps she will start looking for other help as they ARE WASTING HER MONEY.