Good point Pete, It's time the bait suppliers started listening to us and putting either a date of manufacture or use by date on all packaging...
What do you think Paul?

Thanks for the responses lads.
The sealed tub of Hi-Nu-Val dates back to early winter 1998, when I was using substantial quantities in bait trials. This was supplied directly by Bill Cottam and Richard Skidmore, so there are no grey areas as to its date of origin.
Sad, I know, but one tub, kept in a dark storage area, was totally overlooked. The Complete Food Oil was the product that Bill recommended I add to the mix, and has always been kept refrigerated.
However, from the general consensus, my best option would seem to be to dump the lot. Regrettable, but safe.

Agreed, Pete B. This is why Nutrabaits prefer to supply shops with milk proteins on a little and often basis to shops, and not have vast quantities of them in storage in the factory. I can assure you the movement of bait in and out of the factory is rapid!
My late friend Alan Smith of Sensible Baits went down the road of putting a use before date on his baits, which I know Bill and Skid have also considered. Alan told me it was a disaster for him, because shops paid him for the bait within say 30/60 days. However, they couldn't get customers to buy the bait beyond their shelf-life date and then they were asking for refunds etc from Alan!!!
The solution for us lies in having knowledgeable carp anglers working in the shops who know how important fresh bait is and how to store it properly. Anglers like Neil Smith and Shaun Harrison do a good job in this respect. Unfortnately, some shops don't have real carp anglers working for them and I often see packets of baits displayed in windows or under bright lights!
Tony, the Hi-Nu-Val will have begin to denature but it will still be safe and edible - it will have just lost nutritional quality. I would not use it in a boilie where I am seeking to apply the HNV principle but I see no harm in adding it to groundbait with bread crumb or whatever. It will still be better than some other baits we regularly feed to carp! If the oil has also been frozen (in solid form) for that time ie.never thawed and re-frozen it should also be ok, especially as this version will have had anti-oxidants added to it. If it has been just refrigerated - kept cool and in semi-liquid form - then err on the side of caution and dump it.

[This message has been edited by Paul Selman (edited 12-09-2000).]