Food bank volunteers were shocked to discover that a donated canned good item had expired years ago — 25 years ago, to be exact. 

Volunteers at the Sunderland and County Durham Food Bank in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England, recently received a glass can of Uncle Ben’s Gratin’s Dauphionise Cheese & Onion Sauce for Potatoes. 

A worker was checking new donation items at the food bank when the individual noticed the label was faded and the contents looked "a little grey," according to SWNS.

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Upon looking further, the worker discovered the sauce had expired on June 9, 1998.

Sutherland and Country Durham Food Bank manager Jonathan Conlon told SWNS, the British news service, that it was the oldest item they had ever received. 

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"We sometimes get things that are a couple of years out of date, and occasionally at harvest festival time, for example, we get things that people have cleared out from the back of their cupboards," he said. 

Conlon said this cheese sauce can set a record for how far back the expiration date was on a donated item. 

"It’s not that unusual to get the odd donation that is out of date, maybe a year or two — but this is the record," he said.

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Conlon joked that the 25-year-old can was even older than some of the food bank employees.

He also added that although the food bank isn't sure of the canned item's origin, it must have come from a personal donation.

"It couldn’t have come from donations at a supermarket because everything is in date," he said.

As for whether or not the food bank will be opening the can or throwing it away, Conlon said the center is actually going to display it at their location.

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The food bank posted an image of the can on social media to remind followers to check expiration dates before donating food. 

Some foods that are known to be OK to consume after their best-by date include dry goods, spices, packaged snacks, condiments and hard cheeses. 

Foods such as honey, vinegar and white rice never expire. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Sunderland and County Durham Food Bank for further comment. 

Fox News Digital's Maeghan Dolph contributed to this report. 

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