Use By Dates - truthful or not ?

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 11:48

Someone mentioned about food going off in another thread, and it reminded me of a theory I want to run by you.

I accept a lot of food goes off and you must replace it sooner rather than later, but I suspect a lot of food goes off a lot later than is specified on the jars / tins / etc

Take Pickles as an example - they are pickled (duh) - so surely they will last longer than the few months that is stated when you buy them.
Is just so you throw them away and buy a new jar... ??

How can they say for sure that in 8 months that food is completely inedible and must be discarded, but in 7 months 25 days, its perfectly fine to eat.

In the whole scale of this I know that it doesn't really matter, but I have always wondered if its done more for profits than for consumers...

Or am I completely mad ?

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 11:56

I agree with you in the "cover themselves" department.
Short term fresh food, dairy products etc - I normally follow the guidelines.

Condiments like Mint Sauce, Pickles, mustards, ketchup - I think they just make some very rough date up so you buy new ones before you need to...

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 11:57

Matblack said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4693520.stm

MB

Tinned Chicken !?!?

*vomits*

I wouldn't eat 1 day old tinned chicken.

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 11:58

merlin said:
I swear the tub of salt I have in the cupboards must be four years old.

Does it have a 'use by' date on it ???

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 11:59

fatiain said:
My dad ate a tin of beetroot from Captain Scott's last expedition (1912) in about 195something.

And I bet that said it had to be eaten by 1913... (actually I don't think they would have had any date son them back then)

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:01

i know nothing said:
Exactly, nothing to do with profit, everything to do with protecting yourself (as a Company) from consumers.

See I agree. But I think *some* products have a lot shorter length of use-by than they need to, but I am refering to those items that have a long shelf life in the first place.

So something that is said to last 1 week, probably last 7-10 days. Thats down to personel preference.

Some (but not all) products that lasts 12 months, probably in fact last 2 years, but they want to encourage sales... so they encourage you to replace it.

I bought some powdered english mustard. Thats had around a 4 month use by date - 4 months - surely that lasts a whole lot longer than that ! (this is when my theory started to take shape)

Pinkeyes · 10 Feb 2006 at 13:03

i know nothing said:
Exactly, nothing to do with profit, everything to do with protecting yourself (as a Company) from consumers.

I usually stay away from those shelves too - I try to buy only what I go in for.
I did however buy some dramatically reduced bottles of beer from our local co-op not long ago. I wanted beer anyway, so I thought, why not.
I actually think I enjoyed them a whole lot more knowing they were half the price they should have been....