In article .net,
Edward Greeley wrote:
:OK, Jeff, I LOOKED at a jar of Hellman's "REAL" Mayonaise that is in my
:fridge which bears a "Best if used by" date of Oct 11 05. The label
lainly, clearly and specifically states: "REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING".
:
:The list of ingredients includes WHOLE EGGS and EGG YOLKS. Ain't NO WAY
:I would use the stuff if it had been stored at room temp for any length
f time (say, more than a couple of hours max) 'cause I've had food
oisoning before and it's not a lot of fun.

You'd best stay away from restaurants and deli shops then. In those
places a jar of mayonnaise will get opened in the morning and sit out at
room temperature the whole day. And the health inspectors have no
problem with that, BTW.

The list of ingredients also includes vinegar, and the acidity of
commercially made mayonnaise is high enough to prevent the growth of
bacteria that cause food poisoning. The belief that commercial
mayonnaise is a likely source of food poisoning is one of those bits of
folk wisdom that just ain't so, like the once almost universal belief
that tomatoes were poisonous. Home-made mayonnaise, though -- now
that's an entirely different matter.

FWIW, the jar of Kraft mayonnaise in my fridge also has no mention of
refrigeration on the label. The only reason I keep it refrigerated is
because I use so little of it that a jar lasts a year or more. Let's
see, it says here, "Best if used by Feb 2004." Yup, still fine! Must
have been a good vintage.

--
Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "rnichols42"