Understandably, a fair amount of people will cross examine food that is past the expiration dates by several times even. And even when it still seems good, you question it again. The reality is that most foods will be good still, long after the expiry date stamped on the side of the product. It is really unknown how much perfectly good food is thrown away on an annual basis because of expiration dates.
Be aware, however, food is not the only things that expiration dates are applied to. Things like infant car seats and construction hard hats have expiration dates as well where the age of the product will impact the safety or usablilty of that item.
Arbitrary expiration dates are also applied to product coupons, credit cards and promotional offers. In these instances the date is chosen for security reasons or, most often the case, business reasons rather than any food safety concern. I have decided to present here the history, purpose and reality of expiration dates.
History of the expiration dates
Al Capone, an American gangster and businessman, fought to have an expiration date of some sort, or sell-by dates put on milk bottles. Supposedly he was moved by a relative becoming sick after drinking milk that had expired.
Expiration dates first started to appear in 1950 at a store called Marks and Spencers. However it wasn’t until 1970 that ‘sell-by’ and ‘best-by’ tags were added to most supermarkets. In the 1970’s grocery shoppers made quite a stir asking for more information about the quality of food on supermarket shelves. Under pressure from activists, including the distribution of pamphlets deciphering sell-by codes, food makers began to put dates on their labels.
In February of 1973, the New York Times ran an article stating that – Food dating is found to please customers and reduce losses. The piece pointed to a study conducted by the USDA and the Consumer Research Institute, a group backed by food manufacturers, which concluded that open dating had slashed the number of complaints by consumers buying stale food or spoiled milk, in half.
To this day, Expiration dates are not required on food items with the exception of infant formula which is required to have a ‘use-by’ date. It seems it is purely by consumer request and manufacturer concession.
Purpose and reason for expiration dates
There are two terms used by different countries and companies for and by operation of law and liability reasons. The legal definition and usage will vary between countries and products categories. Different terms may be used for products that tend to spoil like milk and those that are shelf stable like dried foods.
The term use by is often applied to things such as milk or even meat that are very likely to spoil and become dangerous or deadly to those eating them very shortly after that date. Products labeled as such should NOT be consumed past the date shown.
The term best before is applied to things that may deteriorate slightly in quality but are highly unlikely to become dangerous on or shortly after the date. Things like dried bulk foods, boxed foods and spices etc… These products can be eaten on or after their best before date at the discretion of the consumer. Storage and handling will affect whether and when an item will go bad or spoil, so there is inherent variability in expiry dating.
Open dating is the use of a date stamped on the package of a food product to help determine how long to display the product for sale. This benefits the
consumer by ensuring that the product is of best quality when sold. An open date does not supersede a use-by date, if shown, which should still be followed.
The ultimate purpose of the expiration date system is dual in nature. To protect the consumer as well as the product manufacturer. Most U.S. expiration dates are used as guidelines based on normal and expected handling and exposure to temperature. The USDA has a webpage about food product dating as well.
The reality and my experiences
In all frankness and reality, I have personally eaten canned foods that are years past the ‘best-by’ date. I believe, in these instances, it is all a choice of the individual, based on smell and observation of the food when opened as well as the type of food itself. I believe also that an individuals health will be a major factor in deciding if something is dangerous to eat. For instance, certain stomach ailments or diseases which wont allow proper digestion and also immuno deficiencies.
The smell test tells a lot. If it reeks or makes your nose curl its obviously bad. If it gives you pause, I still wouldn’t trust it. There will be some weird smells that are deceiving but the food may still be good. Experience will tell you what to look and sniff for.
Canned foods and dehydrated foods will last quite a long time and dry bulk foods like beans, rice, oats, flour, sugar and pastas could possibly last up to 25 years when stored properly. Even meat that is jerked and stored properly will keep for quite a while, however the sniff test is guaranteed to keep you safe on that one.
Plastics like hard hats and child car seats are probably good for a very long time. Much longer than the expiration date that is on the product will lead you to believe.
At your discretion
While here I am not telling you that it is ok to eat a can of food that is 20 years old, I am trying to keep you informed on the reasons, causes, uses and history of the expiration date system that has been developed. For the most part the ‘use-by’ dates are the red flags that should trigger caution and a further look into the quality of the food your looking to consume.
The ‘best-by’ dates are dates that are telling the tale of freshness that may be bygone times after that date but will most likely still be good.
All-in-all it is at the discretion of the consumer to determine whether or not they want to take that chance. I WILL say that if a can has swollen up it is bad!
I hope the information and opinions in this article was helpful and informative. If you have any comments, questions or input please feel free to do so in the box below.
Thanks
