So there I was, minding my own business, about to have my morning cereal, and out of some half-hearted caution, I checked the expiration date on the carton.
“Well hell” (says I to self) “This just says how long the store can SELL the milk, it doesn’t say how long it’s actually supposed to be GOOD, and this date is yesterday, so WTF?”
So i give it the smell test. I figure I can sniff out rancid milk, so I’ll give it a go.
It SMELLS fine. I mean, it doesn’t have that trademark sick-sweet-sour smell, no chunks, so I figure, milks’ good. I have my breakfast, and move on with my day.
On a whim, I decide to check some OTHER products for THEIR expiration dates. So I do. Everything has a fecking SELL BY date, but no USE BY date (except for the eggs). I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, WTF?
What are the guidelines for the length of time you can sell it vs. the length of time it’ll stay good?
Is there something that I’m missing? Has food packaging technology gotten so good that the product will live a longer life AFTER it’s been opened? I don’t understand.
I am confused. The “sell by” date is a guide to both customers and stores that the product should be sold or pulled from the shelf by that date. It doesn’t mean that the product expires on that date. Even if the product is sold on the “sell by” date, the product should normally have enough life left given a reasonable rate of use. A gallon of milk for example, will still have about a week of life left even if it is sold on the “sell by” date. Manufacturers don’t often put useful life estimates on their perishable food products because temperature, humidity, and other factors make it impossible for them to predict or control once it gets to your house.
Also, if it is February 3rd and the use by date on your milk is February 5th, a lot of people would panic and discard good milk. They do not know or care that the FDA allows pretty large windows for expiration of short-term consumables and that the milk will not instantly go bad or explode at 12:00 am February 5th. It is always a good rule to use short term consumables (a lot of dairy products and luncheon meats) within a week of opening them.