I'm one of those food label readers. However, I'm not reading for nutritional content. I'm reading for the expiration date.
I've been told that I have an extraordinary sense of smell and taste. Mom, roommates, and Partner often coming to me asking, "Does that smell okay?" or "Taste this. Is it okay?"
I don't mind smelling, usually, but I'm not going to blindly taste something. That's what expiration dates are for.
Unfortunately, expiration dates come in several formats:
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sell by date
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use by date
- best by date
- expires on date
I know that all dates have a built-in safety factor so that if it expires tomorrow and I accidentally take it the next day, I'll be okay. However, I've still often wondered why the difference in dates. Just tell me when I should not eat it or drink it and I'll probably be able to do the rest.
One of our local newspaper columnists has answered my long-unanswered question about the different dates. Apparently, dates are related to quality and freshness determined totally at the discretion of the manufacturer. Obviously, a manufacturer wants its product to taste and smell good when you buy it and eat it, so that's understandable.
"Sell by" means that the store should not sell it past the date.
"Use by" means that the product has reached its prime and will start to look bad, smell bad, or taste bad, but it won't kill you. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Do I trust the manufacturer with my life? LOL
"Best by" is the same as "Use by."
"Expires by" are usually on drugs and some liquids.
Some of Jim's blog entries
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