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Milk is a staple in many homes. Whether you pour it in your coffee, use it in a recipe, or drink it by the glass, you want to make sure milk is fresh and safe. Spoiled milk can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Milk can spoil before the expiration date, or still be safe to drink after the date, depending on how it’s stored.

Here’s how to preserve milk freshness and ensure the milk you’re consuming won’t make you sick.

How Can I Tell If Milk Is Spoiled?

There are signs of spoiled milk, such as:

• Best-before date — Use this date as a guide, not a guarantee. If properly stored (both pre-purchase and at home), milk may be safe to drink for up to a week after the best-before date. But improperly stored milk can spoil before the best-before date arrives.
• Color — Throw away milk that has a slightly yellowish or greenish tint. Keep in mind that spoiled milk can also appear white, so color shouldn’t be your only test.
• Smell — Fresh milk has a very mild scent. If milk smells sour or off, don’t risk drinking or cooking with it.
• Taste — If milk smells and looks fine, but you’re still unsure it’s safe to drink, you can try tasting a small amount. If the milk tastes sour or just not right, spit it out and pour the rest of the carton down the drain.
• Texture — If you’re not sure if milk is safe, pour some into a clear glass. If you see lumps (curdling), it’s no longer safe to consume.

What Happens if You Drink Spoiled Milk?

If you drink milk and then realize the expiration date has passed, you shouldn’t worry. If the milk tasted, looked, and smelled fine, it likely hasn’t spoiled.

But if the milk you drank tasted off or was curdled, you may or may not get an upset stomach. If you do experience symptoms, they may be mild. If you have vomiting and diarrhea, drink liquids like juice and broth so you don’t become dehydrated.

If you experience severe vomiting or diarrhea, you should go to the emergency department.

How Can I Keep Milk from Going Bad?

Milk can spoil before the best-before date if not stored correctly. Here are some best practices for storing milk to keep it safe:

• Close the cap tightly — This helps keep bacteria out and prolongs milk freshness.
• Consider freezing milk — If you won’t use milk by its best-before date, you can freeze it. Frozen milk will taste best if you thaw and consume it within a month of the freeze date.
• Don’t drink milk straight from the container — Bacteria from your mouth can transfer into the container and grow in the milk.
• Don’t leave milk out — Milk shouldn’t sit out at room temperature for more than two hours. (On a hot day, one hour.)
• Keep it cold — Milk should be stored below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but keeping milk at a colder temperature will make it last longer. The U.S. dairy industry recommends storing milk between 36 degrees and 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid putting milk in the fridge door, where the temperature can change more often.
• Keep milk cold during your grocery trip — Add milk to your shopping cart last, so it stays cold. Consider bringing a cooler to transport milk and other refrigerated or frozen items home.
• Use clean containers — If you pour milk into a pitcher, make sure it’s clean and was dried with a fresh dish towel or paper towel.

Is Raw Milk Bad for You?

The difference between raw and pasteurized milk is that pasteurized milk undergoes a germ-killing process. To kill harmful bacteria, milk is heated to a high temperature for a certain length of time. Nonpasteurized or raw milk can contain dangerous bacteria, including listeria, salmonella, and E. coli.

Before pasteurization, milk was the second-most common source of foodborne disease, after contaminated water. Today, pasteurized milk is rarely a source of food poisoning.

The bacteria in nonpasteurized milk can cause serious foodborne illness, or food poisoning, when ingested. Children under 5, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk. But even people outside of these groups can get very sick from raw milk.

Symptoms of foodborne illness can include chills, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Some people may think that raw milk from a certain farm is safe because people haven’t reported getting sick from the milk. But even the cleanest farms can’t prevent milk contamination, and it only takes one contaminated batch to cause serious illness.

Why raw milk isn’t healthier than pasteurized milk

Some people may drink raw milk because they’ve heard it has more nutrients. But raw milk isn’t more nutritious than pasteurized milk.

Another myth is that raw milk contains healthy bacteria. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raw milk doesn’t contain the healthy probiotics, or “gut bacteria,” that humans need. Instead, bacteria in raw milk come from infected udders, farm equipment, or the soil and manure.

Federal health experts recommend avoiding raw milk and raw milk products, including yogurt, butter, and cheese.

Is Milk Healthy?

There are many benefits of pasteurized milk.

Milk and dairy products are an important source of nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D, which help maintain strong bones. Milk is also a good source of protein.

But dairy products are also high in saturated fat, a type of fat that can cause plaque buildup in arteries.

To get the nutritional benefits of dairy products while avoiding the downsides, opt for low-fat options like skim or 1% milk and yogurt. Consume high-fat dairy — whole milk, cheese, cream, ice cream — only occasionally, rather than as a daily part of your diet.

To cut down on fat intake, you can also consider low-calorie alternatives to cow’s milk. Remember to store plant-based milks in the fridge after opening — and keep in mind that many of these products only keep for a week once opened.