So you reach into your fridge, cupboard or other storage space for that favourite packaged food, or pull that bottle of pills or that tube of “whatever ails you” cream out of the old medicine cabinet when, suddenly you are struck by something which you may not have taken note of before.
A date, typically expressed month/year or, depending on the product, month/day. It may be accompanied, or preceded by the words” Best By” or “Use By”. You realize that the date -todayis past that printed on the package and…..you panic.
Well, relax. There’s no impending doom, and depending on the product, you may not even have to throw it away. Of course, foods like milk, bread, infant formula, some juices and other perishables are not to be consumed past the recommended date, on the peril of serious illness. But for many other packaged foods and pharmaceuticals, . the expiration dates are strictly “advisory” in nature and are left entirely to the discretion of the manufacturer, thus not truly indicative of an items true Shelf Life. So, what is this date? Rico Hoo, Category Manager at WISYNCo Group, explains that it is the “the last date by which a products flavor and/or quality is best, or the optimal period of time during which the manufacturer feels that their product will retain its original quality.”
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So you reach into your fridge, cupboard or other storage space for that favourite packaged food, or pull that bottle of pills or that tube of “whatever ails you” cream out of the old medicine cabinet when, suddenly you are struck by something which you may not have taken note of before.
A date, typically expressed month/year or, depending on the product, month/day. It may be accompanied, or preceded by the words” Best By” or “Use By”. You realize that the date -todayis past that printed on the package and…..you panic.
Well, relax. There’s no impending doom, and depending on the product, you may not even have to throw it away. Of course, foods like milk, bread, infant formula, some juices and other perishables are not to be consumed past the recommended date, on the peril of serious illness. But for many other packaged foods and pharmaceuticals, . the expiration dates are strictly “advisory” in nature and are left entirely to the discretion of the manufacturer, thus not truly indicative of an items true Shelf Life. So, what is this date? Rico Hoo, Category Manager at WISYNCo Group, explains that it is the “the last date by which a products flavor and/or quality is best, or the optimal period of time during which the manufacturer feels that their product will retain its original quality.”
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