'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

Spilled Milk — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:47:31 GMT

Are you kidding me, Funny about Money? This isn't a shout out--it's a copy and paste job of the work you did for your own blog. This article does not properly cite it's main source (YOU!) and is profiting from your research and hard work. I'd be more angry than excited...

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

I Like To Eat — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:43:01 GMT

Food items do not have "expiration " dates (infant formula is different). Food items sometimes have dates that are referred to as or are called by all kinds of names, such as "best if used by" or "pull date" or "freshness date" and others, but these do not denote a date upon which the food turns bad.

Pharmaceuticals have "expiration dates".

In many cases it is simply a code for the manufacturer to know when it was made and when to pull it. In many other cases, it is a date or time at which the manufacturer knows their product will still be in great condition, up to and past the date.

The date does, however, give us a very good indication for a choice.... if something was made last week and another was made a year ago, guess which one I will chose to put in my cart.

In most cases a food who has passed its "date" is still very good, however, we all need to get better at understanding what to look for and how to keep ourselves safer and healthier.

The Food & Drug Administration has a web site www.fda.gov which has links to a huge database of information, much of which is available to all of us. Search on individual topics of interest or an Talk Papers and News Releases.

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

Stace — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:10:00 GMT

But what if it's just a date, doesn't say expires on, use by, etc. Just the date is there, like on Yoplait yogurt, should you eat it by the date on the foil lid or is it good for a certain time after that date?

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

the doctor — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:56:59 GMT

i not only check expiration dates,but, especially on perishables, compare the dates on individual containers of the same item.this can mean, for example, taking the gallon of milk from the back of the shelf. the store peronnel don't like it. too bad. i once had a boss whose favourite saying was 'he who has the most information wins '. for pete's sake, somebody went to the effort of putting the data there, you're an idiot not to take advantage of it.

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

knockdownbills — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:28:48 GMT

check expiration dates carefully when shopping. I am normally careful but just bought 2 packs of cubed ham, one had 3 weeks left but..the other one was 4 weeks past the date and had not been pulled by grocery store. I either eat the cost of product or make another trip to the store to return. What a pain in the neck.

re: 'Sell by': What the dates on packaged food mean

Funny about Money — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:44:58 GMT

w00t! Thanks for the mention! :-)