jon88 ([info]jon88) wrote,
@ 2009-04-30 09:19:00
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Consumer alert
Just noticed the "use by" info on a bag of dried fruit on hand:

BEST BEFORE 08:28
07OCT2009

Holy cow. I hope I don't oversleep that day.

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[info]uncanny_npl
2009-04-30 06:56 pm UTC (link)
I think what I would do is get down to the kitchen early that morning and keep watch, see what happens. It might be really cool.

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[info]ucaoimhu
2009-05-01 03:22 am UTC (link)
No, no. His bag of dried fruit isn't going to change. There's another bag of dried fruit out there that's just getting better and better with age, and as of 8:28:17.4406 on 10/7 his bag will only be second best.

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[info]elainetyger
2009-05-06 03:26 am UTC (link)
New York State does not require an expiration date on a food product. It requires batch numbers (changed every shift or at other similar convenient intervals) on potentially hazardous foods like meat or eggs, low-acid canned foods, and certain other products, which do not include dried fruit. The FDA requires batch numbers on all interstate wholesale commerce IIRC.

We recommend some form of batch numbering at wholesale even when not required. The purpose of the batch is to track foods from producer to consumer in case there is a problem requiring action such as a recall. Often, a firm will use a sell-by date as a convenient method of batching, using a date one month, three months, or a year out from when it is manufactured. It is also a convenient way for a retailer to track how long an item has remained on the shelf in order to decide whether it is moving well enough.

When I judge whether a food is "wholesome" and "merchantable" meaning it is good enough to legally sell in NY State, I don't look at the date but at the condition of the food. My favorite is when bags of flour are infested with grain moths on the shelf and I seize them for destruction and the store owner complains that they are not yet expired. I say that the bug didn't read the bag before it decided to bite a hole in it and climb in.

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