Yeah, in the US food generally is labeled with a 'best by' date, not an expiration date. That date s pretty arbitrary. I'm not a huge fan of Cliff Bars but I wouldn't hesitate to eat one a year or two past its date so long as the packaging was intact.
In Europe too most of the expiration dates are of the "best by" kind. IMHO, they are mainly a way for food producers to cover their backs in case of legal problems, and to push consumers to throw away perfectly edible food in order to buy new products.
Fortunately, steps have been teken recently by local governments to reduce such waste. Now many products could be sold past their "best by" dates at a discount, provided they are appropriately labelled, and in many regions products retired from the stores must be donated to local food banks.
Previous Topic
Index
