Smoked Mackerel Fillets

[rutineli]

How long do smoked mackerel fillets that have been vacume packed to supermarket standards keep before they are unsafe to eat.
The label says "use by 21st December", which was a week after purchase but I do not believe that a smoked fish that is solidly protected from airborne bacterium and has subsequently been refrigerated at all times (except a half mile car ride home in the "Cold" boot of the car) presents a short to medium term risk.
What do you think ?

[whiffey]

I agree that it is almost certainly safe - as you point out, how on earth could pathogenic bacteria have got in and multiplied especially in the fridge ? Food safety is so much commensense. Having said that...... a pack of mackerel ? Maybe �1. For ultimate peace of mind don't eat it, but I'll bet it's perfectly safe. I have eaten runner beans that have been in my freezer for 5 years.

The logic is surely, if it was safe when it was vacuum-packed, then it must be safe now. At which point does it become 'dangerous' ? 3 months, a year ? And if so WHY ?

[Mortartube]

I would personally bin it. Not because of bacterial growth but fish in particular can undergo chemical changes (I believe that it is enzyme related) that can render it quite toxic and land you in hospital. I recall reading of some cases of this and I seem to recall that there is very little effective treatment for it, apart from trying to make you comfortable as it were. You just have to let the poisonong run its course.

[sense4all]

I have just googled and read a lot of scientific stuff ( from the FDA http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/ift2clos.html.. . BIN it!
I agree with you in principle but the stats. are not in your favour on this one.

[barb1314]

I work for a smokehouse and all our vaccuum packed mackerel is dated for 3 weeks chilled shelf life.

[rutineli]

Just in case anybody was wondering I ate the mackeral about three weeks out of date and I have survivedwithout so much as a fishy repeat .
Out ancestors devised smoking as a means of medium to long term preservation. They are all dead anyway but I doubt if many of them popped cloggs for ignoring "use-by " dates on their packaging.