Ketchup is a condiment that has been around for a very long time and was once made up of various ingredients like fish, mussels, peaches, and mushrooms. Today, ketchup is made with tomato and long-lasting ingredients like vinegar and sugar that work to increase its shelf life, so as you accumulate the little condiment packets, you might forget if they’re still good.

Lynne Galia, a spokesperson of Kraft Heinz, stated that Heinz ketchup can last up to nine months on the shelf without compromising its tomatoey taste. However, if you leave your packets in your car, the heat can cause the ketchup to go bad faster, so you’ll want to look at it and see if the color has changed or if it has begun to separate to tell if it’s gone bad.

It’s important to look at the date on your sauces because, while ketchup might have a long shelf life, that’s not the case for other sauces. According to the USDA, “Best By” is the date the item tastes or appears at its finest, “Use By” states the advisable last day when the product is at its best, and “Sell By” is a date for grocers to determine how long an item has been displayed.