# Why is the sell by Date for lunch meat two months ahead but it has to be eaten within a week or so after opening? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992 "2026-07-29T03:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/41 "2026-08-05T01:08:49Z")
Yeah, no. I mean sure, that’s obviously what they mean, but isn’t what it says. If I told you I’d be at your house within 3 to 4 hours, you wouldn’t expect the window to start until 3 hours in. And in any case, there’s no value in such a wishy-washy window: there’s no way to apply that information in a meaningful way. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/42 "2026-08-05T01:22:50Z")
Don’t add lettuce to your sandwich and you’ll be fine. Maybe that should be included on the lunch meat label? 😃 Hormel might get blamed for an illness that the other sandwich ingredients actually caused. A sandwich could also include lettuce, tomato, mayo, musturd and onions. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/43 "2026-08-05T01:40:37Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > If I told you I’d be at your house within 3 to 4 hours, you wouldn’t expect the window to start until 3 hours in. Yes, I would, if you said something like _“Starting from now, I’ll arrive within 3 to 4 hours”_, like the package directions say _“After opening, use within 7-10 days”_. That definitely doesn’t mean that your window of arrival doesn’t even **start** until 3 hours in. It means _“I’ll get to you probably within 3 hours from now, certainly no more than 4.”_ Somewhat subtly, if you said _“I’ll arrive **in** 3 to 4 hours”_, I’d be more likely to interpret **that** as meaning _“the trip will take no less than 3 hours and no more than 4”_. But “within” suggests _“within a time period beginning at 0 and extending to maybe 3, maybe 4 hours”_. > [@phs3](#): > > And in any case, there’s no value in such a wishy-washy window: there’s no way to apply that information in a meaningful way. Well, I already agreed with you that the range of values makes the prescribed “window of usability” a bit wishy-washy, but I don’t agree that it makes it **meaningless**. The phrasing strongly suggests, and I think most consumers so interpret it, that you don’t really have to worry about spoilage potential for about 7 days after you open the package, but after 10 days you should definitely worry. How you’re supposed to assess your safety in the interim 3-4 days is, as I said, rather unclear. But yeah, those instructions are giving some meaningful information about the spoilage timeline, even if not as much as we might like. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/44 "2026-08-05T05:14:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A sandwich could also include lettuce, tomato, mayo, **musturd** and onions. If you get sick from eating that sandwich I think I’ve spotted the cause. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/45 "2026-08-05T13:34:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > How you’re supposed to assess your safety in the interim 3-4 days is, as I said, rather unclear. My guess is that you assess the safety the same as you do at any other time- if it looks or smells spoiled after three days, I’m tossing it. I expect the 7 to ten days is to avoid the complaints that will surely come if the package says 10 days and it spoils after 7. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/46 "2026-08-05T13:36:28Z")
And to reassure people who eat it for 10 days without incident. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/47 "2026-08-05T16:54:04Z")
If they had just said “use within 7 days”, then that wouldn’t mean “it has to last you exactly a week”. Using it all in the hour after you open it would qualify as “use within 7 days”, as would using half of it today and half of it tomorrow, as would saving two slices for five days from now, etc. If they say “use within 7-10 days”, then that means that it should definitely still be good 7 days later, and it’ll probably be good 10 days later, but after that, don’t count on it. Still a meaningful and sensible statement. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992/48 "2026-08-06T05:43:10Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > . . . and I think most consumers wouldn’t interpret it that way. I think you are right. It’s just common sense and most people can understand. The wording would have to be much longer to be absolutely literally correct and precise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992.md?page=2)