Where Expiration Dates Came From
The origin of expiration dates is a classic life hack.
As they did, supermarkets and food suppliers voluntarily started including sell by dates on their food.
As time went on, sell by dates became common, but consistency didnt.
Other states, including California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia only require labels for milk and shellfish.
Because of that,we have different terminology that all means different things.
In most cases, those labels describe foodqualityand have nothing to do with foodsafety.
Expiration Date:Expiration dates are typically meant as a suggestion for the last date you might consume food.
For most packaged foods, these dates are usually left up to the food producers discretion.
Or sometimes, its just a taste test.
The numbers go down as the food gets older.
Salad dressings can start to taste rancid.
If its 6.0, would most people still find it reasonably good?
Absolutely, he says.
They rarely have anything to do with the safety of that food or eventual spoilage.
Thats the real problem with food expiration dates.
More importantly though, expired food isnt guaranteed to make you sick.
It just means that food doesnt taste as good.
Theres no label or timeline that guarantees your food is free from bacteria that may make you sick.
Bacterial growth is time and temperature dependent, so proper food handling is more important than a printed date.
Well, the sniff test is still your best option.
If it smells bad, itll taste bad.
Your eyes can also tell you a lot.
If foodlooksspoiled, it probably is.
We all have the innate ability to tell when food is appetizing or pungent and rotten.
Beyond that, there are some other basic guidelines that can help.The USDAs chartabove is a helpful starting guide.
Finally, yourbest bet is to store your food properlyso it actually lasts as long as its supposed to.
The fact is, the expiration dates, regardless of the language they use, mean little.
We can do much better with our eyes and noses.
Illustration by Sam Woolley.
