Expiration dates?!
Am I wrong - are expiration dates really just a way to get you to buy more food/product.whatever?
Answers: A friend of mine insists they are not accurate - I insist I abide by them no matter what.
Am I wrong - are expiration dates really just a way to get you to buy more food/product.whatever?
Unless your friend is a scientist and knows more than the average consumer, expiration dates are what they are. When in doubt, throw it out is my motto.
Your might get a day beyond the date, but beware, baking goods with expiration date will effect your baking, dairy and meat could give you food poison or worse, candy does not last beyond the date purchased so no worries. LOL
exp dates are there for several reasons, 1. the mfg of the product increases risk of exposure beyond that date, ie. decreased quality in taste, food poisioning etc. I work for a drug mfg and they put dates on products because the fda forces it. the products are good well after the date in most cases. some foods become a greater risk for food posioning past the exp date like meats, fish, but eggs are good long after if they are kept in the fridge. everything has an expected shelf life (expected) many factors change how long or short that expectation is, like is it still sealed, has it been left open for a while or exposed to warming when it should be kept at fridge temps etc. My mother-in-law will not drink milk past the exp date, I keep it till it is gone or smells bad and I have never had problems with it. I can say just yesterday I opened a jar of macadamia nuts that the exp date was last feb, 2/2007 and they tasted horrible, I only ate a few but I didn't get sick. Just use common sense and have a great day
expiration dates are real. there is a point at which different components of food will break down and become a possible health hazzard. such as milk. after the expiration date the company is telling you that the prime safety period has passed and they are no longer responsible for the safety of that particular food. milk, past the expiration date, may have a larger amount of bacteria in it than the milk company would allow in their fresh product,
a food may be consumed after the expiration date, but not long after that. you may expect the milk to go bad shortly after the expiration and it becomes your risk if you go ahead and drink it.
other foods baked products) expiration dates are determined by the freshness of the least stable ingredent in the product (perhaps eggs or fat). the taste may be affected by rancitity of fat included.
it's the manufacturer's way of telling you that they are not responsible for the old product because they have indicated that it MIGHT not be safe.