Expiration dates on canned food......

[WILCO]

Seems to be varied trains of thought on this topic. How do you handle canned foods that have gone past their dates?

[Jim]

Janet and I have developed a dating system for the canned stuff we buy for storage. We open it and use it by 6 months after the termination date. So far, we have found nothing gone bad.

[375RUGER]

I think certain canned goods keep better than others. I've eaten C-rations that were O-L-D. They were fine. The other day I opened a can of tomato soup from my Grandpa's cabinet and could tell it was bad by looking at it. It was about 8 months out of date IIRC.
We try to do a 1 year max rotation from time of purchase. It's not too hard for the stuff I keep that I like, cause I'll just take it hunting and replace what I take with the same.

[DCP]

Taken from the internet so it must be true


One of the most frequently asked questions about canned food is its shelf life and "use-by" dates. The codes that are stamped on canned food are manufacturers' codes that usually designate the date the product was packaged. The codes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and usually include coding for time and place of canning. Most manufacturers offer a toll-free number to call for questions about canned food expiration dates. For a sampling of how to read product codes, See Below.

Remember, the code stamped on the can is when it was packaged. The general rule of thumb is that canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of purchase. It is recommended that all canned food be stored in moderate temperatures (75° F and below).

Many canned products now have a "for best quality use by" date stamped on the top or bottom of the can. "Expiration" dates are rarely found on canned food.



Canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of processing. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below). Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! We don't recommend keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging, it is edible.

[rush1886]

IMHO it boils down to what your mind tells you. As 375ruger says, some types keep better/different than others.

Personally, acidy foods, such as tomatoes and tomato sauce/soup, are always a bit riskier than others. We've eaten pinto beans, salmon and various vegies that were as much as a year beyond expiry, with no troubles. No doubt some of the "nutritional" value may be down, but it will take away the hunger pangs.

As long as the can looks good, ie not dented, no rust or corrosion etc, I'll open it and take a taste of the juice. If I do not detect any metallic taste, it's what's for dinner!

[longshot1154]

My wife throws stuff out on the expiration date, no matter what. Will not use anything past the date. I try to tell her that those are "best by" dates, but in her mind they have turned bad and there is no way I would even be able to get her to eat them. I would use them if it was left up to me.

[jmort]

As noted, canned food will last a long long time. Here is a great article that puts it all in perspective and the Internet Grocer is a great source for canned food.
http://www.internet-grocer.net/how-long.htm

[Wal']

When I was a kid growing up there were no expiry date on cans.............they just sat in the food cupboard until opened. :smile:

[Bill*]

When I was a kid growing up there were no expiry date on cans.............they just sat in the food cupboard until opened. :smile:

Well...with no expiration date they can't ever go bad, can they? :mrgreen:

[runfiverun]

if it taste bad don't eat it.
canning and bottling foods is so you can save it for later.

[TXGunNut]

I try to keep things rotated so canned goods are used within a year after the "best by" date, quality doesn't seem to suffer until about two years after that date. Edible depends on the consumer or the circumstances, I guess.

[Bad Water Bill]

Well I have SOME jars of jelly my wife canned that are still very tasty and spreadable.

The jars are dated 8 11 78. :grin:

[LUBEDUDE]

When they get old they make great exploding Targets!

Especially if they are bulging.

[Jim]

When they get old they make great exploding Targets!

Especially if they are bulging.

Yeah, if the top of the can is popped up, time to run a boolit through it.

[Phoenix]

http://www.stilltasty.com/

Good guide but even those have to be taken with a grain of salt. 99% of it all is CYA

I have eaten meat in the deep freeze from 15+years ago.
Have eaten home canned items that were pressure cooked that were well over 10 years old.

The rule form my childhood was it it has its vaccum, the liquid is clear, and it smells ok. Cook it well and eat away.

[Bad Water Bill]

Speaking of FROZEN food, A wile back someone was selling meat from a WOOLY MAMMOTH that had been found. No I do not know anyone that could afford the price they were asking. But then again how often can you sit down to one of these 10K year old porter house steaks?

[DCP]

Bill

This makes a interesting read.


http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/2555/prehistoric-meat-up

Speaking of FROZEN food, A wile back someone was selling meat from a WOOLY MAMMOTH that had been found. No I do not know anyone that could afford the price they were asking. But then again how often can you sit down to one of these 10K year old porter house steaks?

[Bad Water Bill]

Well didn't I say a WHILE back?

At my age that is just a short trip down memory lane.:bigsmyl2:

Thanks for taking the time to help a DIRTY OLD MAN:grin:

[Dale in Louisiana]

I was a stock boy in a grocery waaaaay back in the sixties. Expiration dates were not used. We had some items that sold slowly and they just sat on the shelf until they did sell, or the can swelled up.

Think about it, folks. Somebody said 'C-rations'. When I was in the army it was not a bit uncommon to be issued C's that were ten or more years old, many of the stored in plain ol' unheated warehouses for years.

The 'expiration date' is, for canned goods, a CYA thing. First, the American public is no longer smart enough to recognize a swollen can, and second, the canner worries about apparent quality changes. Expiration dates absolve him of both of these problems.

dale in Louisiana

[MtGun44]

If not bulged or smelling bad, I eat them.

Bill

[uscra112]

Yup. I have recently eaten canned soup that was bought in 1998. Still good. Canned beans, canned stew, canned meat, ditto. It may be arguable that some of the nutrition has been lost, but I've never opened any that were bad.

I do not have high confidence in pop-top cans, however. Those do leak in that thin area that tears when you open it.

And I would eat acid foods that were canned, (i.e. anything tomatoish). The acidity reacts with the can. Back when cans were still soldered, it was enough to give you lead poisoning.

[GaryN]

I think one of the reasons they put the best if used by date on cans now is so that people will throw them away and they can sell more. I know they do that with medicine. I always save my medicine. I read an article the other day where the army did a study to see how long medicine really lasted. They found that unless it was insulin or a medicine in solution that it lasted indefinitely. The army has a large stockpile worth many millions of dollars and they didn't want to have to keep throwing it away, hence the need for the study.

[lksmith]

I used to work at Walgreens and we managers had to rotate the foods to make sure they were "fit to sell" another manager and I got to playing around on the database and for all the Hormel meats (including spam) said "No known expiration date if can undamaged" so I would say if the can is OK the food inside likely is as well

[slim1836]

Well I have SOME jars of jelly my wife canned that are still very tasty and spreadable.

The jars are dated 8 11 78. :grin:
My congratulation's for being married that long.:smile:

Slim

[HangFireW8]

Food for thought: www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/man-tastes-64-year-old-can-lard

I used to eat my Mom's strawberry freezer jam several years after it was made. It only got thicker and sweeter.

These are extremes. There isn't a lot to go bad with sugar and pure lard. Both are used to preserve other stuff.

[Lead Fred]

Sell by date, isnt the cant eat it any more date.
Ive eaten C rats that are 25 years old. We were still using Vietnam issue ones in the late 80s before MREs took over.

[Bad Water Bill]

slim1836
Unfortunately she died in 1980 hence saving some of the jelly.

On board the U S S Randolph in 1958-9 we had many WOODEN bbls of salt pork with a painted date from WW2

Our supply officer fed us for 87 cents a day when the navy allotted a dollar and a quarter. Yes he got a promotion and yes what else can you eat hundreds of miles from a shore line?:evil:

[WILCO]

slim1836
Unfortunately she died in 1980 hence saving some of the jelly.

On board the U S S Randolph in 1958-9 we had many WOODEN bbls of salt pork with a painted date from WW2

Our supply officer fed us for 87 cents a day when the navy allotted a dollar and a quarter. Yes he got a promotion and yes what else can you eat hundreds of miles from a shore line?:evil:

Heart break and a w0w BWB. Thanks for sharing.

[Junior1942]

When I moved in my dad's house in 1989 I found four quart jars of figs canned by my mother in 1968. They tasted fine.

[MT Gianni]

No rust, no bulge no worries.

[Gee_Wizz01]

In the 70's I was issued C-Rations that were packaged in the early 60's and they were still good. I don't think there is anything in spam that can spoil, and I always keep a case around the house in my emergency stock for hurricane season. My Grandmother was a prolific canner, and I have eaten grape preserves and pickles that were at least 20 years old. These were canned in the old style mason jars with glass lids and they still had a vacuum when opened. We did have some pickles that had the metal lids that were rusted through and had gone bad. I keep a good quantity of can goods in my pantry and try to maintain at least a month's worth of non perishable food in the pantry for emergency situations and some can goods get past their exp dates. Unless the cans are bulged or rusty, they get eaten. The bulged cans do make excellent targets. I was also stock boy in a local grocery store in the late 60's and we always had fun with bulged cans. We would crush them in the garbage compactor which made for a great explosion.

G

[dakotashooter2]

My grandparents wouldn't have even THOUGHT about throwing it out..........................different mindset now days............

[Dale in Louisiana]

They put expiration dates on bottled water. 'nuff said.

dale in Louisiana

[dakotashooter2]

They put expiration dates on bottled water. 'nuff said.

dale in Louisiana

This truly is hillarious and makes you wonder if people really throw it out if it is past the date. I'm sure there are afew sheeple that do.................

I wonder how many realize that the water they are drinking is already billions of years old...........

[destrux]

If it smells fine and the can wasn't damaged, rusted, swelled up, or stored where the temp changes frequently then it's still fine to eat no matter how long it's been.

I've eaten canned beef that was over 10 years old. I will add that I didn't know how old the meat was when I was eating it. My uncle just mentioned afterward that he was surprised meat from the 80's still tasted that good (this was about 2001).

I've also eaten home canned vegetables that were over 4 years old. They were fine.

They never even used to put expiration dates on canned goods. For all we know we might have been eating corn that our grandmother bought for her pantry before we were born.

[destrux]

They put expiration dates on bottled water. 'nuff said.

dale in Louisiana

Yeah but plastic is permeable. Smoke and oil vapor and some other things will get through the plastic. I had a few gallon jugs of store bought spring water turn yellow sitting on the shelf in the basement. They smelled funny when I was dumping them out.

[Alchemist]

I found a can of chili in the pantry last week that was best by April 2010...it tasted the same as any other chili of that brand that I've ever eaten. Go by appearance of can (bulged or rusty=bad) and/or product and use common sense.

[LocoFixersbetterhalf]

If it's passed the "best by date" then it's tossed, I"m picky like that, but since we've had kids nothing ever stays in our pantry very long.

[bearcove]

Had some canned salmon that was dated 09. Smelled ok but was mush. Trashed.

[charlie3tuna]

If the can isn't swelling, not rusted or dented, and it smells OK, I'll eat it. There may be some loss of nutritional value, but so what?

When my brother served in 'Nam, they ate K-Rations (?) that dated from the Korean War. Said they tasted somewhat metallic but nobody died from eating them...charlie

P.s. thanks for info on medicines. Same thing my MD brother said. He is a good doctor but doesn't have the sense of a pissant. He sold a perfectly good AR recently for $2,100.00. Said he doubled his money. He needs the money like I need another hole in my head.

[MT Gianni]

A grocer friend says frozen cans or past experation date do not loose nutrition but taste, texture and color. Nutrition is still the same up to ten years past the ex. date.

[avmath]

The expiration date that appears on packaged food is confusing to a lot of people, mostly due to the phrases used, such as “Best Before". Is food still secure to consume on that date, or somewhat after that date? Let's think about saving cash by comprehending what that expiration date (http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2012/06/28/food-expiration-date/) means.

[Lloyd Smale]

what did your parents do when they didnt put dates on cans. I doubt they threw anything away. I think alot of it is just so that you do throw it away and buy more.

[starnbar]

Hey I use those cans if they aren't dented or swollen when you open em up if they smell ok what's the problem.

[MtGun44]

Bill -

Do you remember "Ran-do can-do"? My Dad was on the Randolph in the middle to late 50s. He was there when they
replaced the wooden deck with steel.

Bill

[gbrown]

what did your parents do when they didnt put dates on cans. I doubt they threw anything away. I think alot of it is just so that you do throw it away and buy more.

I'm not a big believer in conspiracies, but I've always believed that the FDA and/or the USDA mandated these as a way to raise production and stimulate tax revenue. Guarantees a built in turn-over of goods and therefore, additional taxes on wages and production. Suppliers and grocers can write them off as losses, we can't. Just raises the prices for us. I've used a whole lot of foodstuff that was 3 to 4 years out of date. Last year I finally used up an 8 oz.can of black pepper I bought in the mid '80s. I never could tell it lost its strength or taste. God gave us a redundant early warning system consisting of our eyes, nose and taste buds. That's what I use--I trust God, not necessarily my government agencies.

[oneokie]

A note on medicines; Tetracyclines deteriorate with age, turn into toxic to the liver compounds.

[bhn22]

Bill

This makes a interesting read.


http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/2555/prehistoric-meat-up

"as global warming thaws the permafrost". Somebody must have needed a research grant.

[jcwit]

A note on medicines; Tetracyclines deteriorate with age, turn into toxic to the liver compounds.

A note on the above





Tetracycline

Prescription drug, Over-the-counter drug

Consult a doctor if you have a medical concern.




Treats acne and skin infections.

By mouth: Side effects - Warnings - How to use

On the skin: Side effects - Warnings - How to use

National Library of Medicine







Brand names: Diabecline, Acnecycline, Tetra-abc, Dyabetex




Pregnancy risk: Category D (Positive evidence of risk)




Possible side effects: Diarrhea, Vomiting, Anorexia




May treat: Acne, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia bacteria infection, Syphilis, More


Being as I have none of the diseases listed I need not worry. LOL

[jcwit]

Wonder what the "Best if used by" date on a jar of honey is?


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/

[CastingFool]

Just a couple of days ago, I used up a can of evaporated milk that had a date of 0ct 2012, and it was fine.

[osteodoc08]

If not bulged or smelling bad, I eat them.

Bill

Same here. I used a can of corn that has a "best buy" date of 2011 to make some Taco Soup the other day. Smelled and tasted fine. I used it and didnt know the difference one way or another.

[osteodoc08]

As far as medicines go, the effectiveness is not guarnateed after the expiration date. I use years old medicine all the time.

As far as tetracycline, I'm not aware of it becoming "toxic" with age any more than it is "toxic" when fresh. Just dont use it in kids or pregnant women. It affects the growing teeth and can discolor them. Just about anything can be toxic if too much is ingested including water.

[bob208]

as long as the cans are not leaking or bulged . don't worry about it. I worked for a food plant. when the dates on the cans got old or close. they washed them off and put a newer date on them.

[ShooterAZ]

We keep them a couple years past exp date, then go through them periodically and donate them to food drive/shelter. I'm sure they are still plenty good.

[waksupi]

Speaking of FROZEN food, A wile back someone was selling meat from a WOOLY MAMMOTH that had been found. No I do not know anyone that could afford the price they were asking. But then again how often can you sit down to one of these 10K year old porter house steaks?

I figured you would have got sick of eating them all the time when you were a kid?

[mold maker]

While I don't care for bread or cheese that looks like a chia pet, canned foods don't go bad because of the date stamped on the can.
What better way could a producer get you to buy more, than to have you throw what you already have away? It's just a suggested age limit. Thats why most say "best by".

[Bad Water Bill]

Bill -

Do you remember "Ran-do can-do"? My Dad was on the Randolph in the middle to late 50s. He was there when they
replaced the wooden deck with steel.

Bill

Med cruise 58-59.

Won all 5 battle Es

Last cruise as an attack carrier.

Flight deck was steel and main reduction gear was still BOLTED together from the kamikaze attack. At flank speed it vibrated everything off of shelves,my shop was where the Jap plane hit.

First squadrons of A4Ds to go on a cruise(lots of grey hairs there).

[Bad Water Bill]

as long as the cans are not leaking or bulged . don't worry about it. I worked for a food plant. when the dates on the cans got old or close. they washed them off and put a newer date on them.

I just finished a jar of jelly my wife canned in October 1978. MMMM Good with a couple more to go.

[Bad Water Bill]

I figured you would have got sick of eating them all the time when you were a kid?

Tyrannosaurus rex for breakfast lunch and supper gets REAL boaring.:)

[a.squibload]

I threw out some honey just yesterday, was in the back of
the cabinet who knows how long. Plastic bottle had split, the honey
smelled like old socks or something. Wasn't much left in it anyway.

[6bg6ga]

Ever had food poisening? I had a case of it as a result of eating at a well known hotel after a wedding. I was one of about 50 people that came down with it. Its not a fun deal as I started getting sick at 5:00AM the following morning and was still sick until 8:00 PM that day.

I believe there is a lot of difference between something put up for military consumption than there is something purchased off the shelf. First of all don't believe the grocery store clerk that is trying to dispose of out of date canned goods from his shelf telling you oh ya there still good for another 6 months after the date stamped on the can.

My suggestion is to simply throw it away because like I said food poisening isn't any fun and can kill you.

[Artful]

Ever had food poisening? I had a case of it as a result of eating at a well known hotel after a wedding. I was one of about 50 people that came down with it. Its not a fun deal as I started getting sick at 5:00AM the following morning and was still sick until 8:00 PM that day.

Yep, No fun at all - was it catered food set out in a buffet?



I believe there is a lot of difference between something put up for military consumption than there is something purchased off the shelf. First of all don't believe the grocery store clerk that is trying to dispose of out of date canned goods from his shelf telling you oh ya there still good for another 6 months after the date stamped on the can.

My suggestion is to simply throw it away because like I said food poisoning isn't any fun and can kill you.
Actually on canned foods (industrial/institutional sized cans) - it's the same they just change the labels.

as far as throwing it away - to each person be true
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/foodpolicyinitiative/files/2013/09/dating-game-report.pdf

[6bg6ga]

Yep, No fun at all - was it catered food set out in a buffet?


Actually on canned foods (industrial/institutional sized cans) - it's the same they just change the labels.

as far as throwing it away - to each person be true
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/foodpolicyinitiative/files/2013/09/dating-game-report.pdf

It was food that was put together by the hotel in buffet fashon.

I read the articles from the links you provided..good info.

I've also seen cans that were buldged out either before or slightly after the exp date.

I guess to each his own.

[gray wolf]

Lots of food we get from the church and the food pantry is at or a little past date.
We eat it, no choice, road kill also. I hope we never get sick.
My poor sister in law is still in a wheel chair, breaths through her throat and is fed through a tube.
Can hardly speak, and needs constant care, one and a half years and just moved to a nursing home, 1 1/2 years at Gaylord hospital in CT. I pray for my poor brother every day and for her. ( Listeria) from some store bought food or some restaurant food, no one knows.

[bearcove]

Use your nose! If it smells right it usually is. Can goods seem to taste stale after 5 yrs but its calories if you want them.

To each his own choice, my MIL won't eat yesterdays leftover if they went in the fridge while still hot???

Restaurant food is a different problem, Outside sources and poor hygene.

[jethunter]

We try to rotate so everything gets used in a year but sometimes a can slips through. If it looks Ok, smells and tastes OK, then we eat it. Sometimes the texture changes on vegetables. Corn lasts a long time but peas and carrots go mushy. Still makes good soup or the dogs get it.

We've kept beef in the freezer for almost 3 years and it was fine. Wrapped in proper butcher's paper by a good local butcher.

[monadnock#5]

Available on Netflix: Arctic Passage: Nova

It's amazing sometimes what gets handed down from mothers, to children, grandchildren and on down the line. Even when the underlying facts have fundamentally changed with the passage of time. What happened to Captain Sir John Franklin and his crew was tragic beyond words, and it's a very good thing tin cans aren't tinned anymore.

[blackthorn]

Acidic foods, such as canned oranges, raspberries, etc. will not keep as long as non acidic produce. If a can looks swollen and when you push down on the top it will visibly depress and pop back up when you release the pressure, it needs to be thrown out! Tetra packs of milk close to the due date can be frozen but once thawed and opened they should be used ASAP.

[snowwolfe]

Finally, a topic that I am actually an expert on! I spent 21 years in the USAF and part of our job was inspecting food prior to the government buying it, while it was being served, and testing it in storage after the expiration dates were reached or exceeded.
It was called organoleptic testing and it was a fancy word for taste testing. In those 21 years I didn't learn any hard and fast rules other than letting your mouth and eyes be your guide. Any canned foods with sharp dents, pin holes, or swelling or flippers were immediately discarded. Vacuum packed meats that lost the vacuum was also tossed immediately.
Generally the less perishable the item the longer it could be used past its expiration date.

Food poisoning is a different issue altogether as some bacteria you ingest 5 days before could cause you to be sick while some, like staph, can make you sick in 4 hours. It is a real art trying to identify the source of an foodborne infection or intoxication.

[snowwolfe]

I'm not a big believer in conspiracies, but I've always believed that the FDA and/or the USDA mandated these as a way to raise production and stimulate tax revenue. Guarantees a built in turn-over of goods and therefore, additional taxes on wages and production. Suppliers and grocers can write them off as losses, we can't. Just raises the prices for us. I've used a whole lot of foodstuff that was 3 to 4 years out of date. Last year I finally used up an 8 oz.can of black pepper I bought in the mid '80s. I never could tell it lost its strength or taste. God gave us a redundant early warning system consisting of our eyes, nose and taste buds. That's what I use--I trust God, not necessarily my government agencies.

Actually the manufactures determine the shelf life. The government has nothing to do with it. The reason the manufactures are so conservative is due to current liability issues.

[WallyM3]

A bit OT, but the Pentagon commissioned a study to determine if the stock of prescription drugs they had that were "coded" might be OK.

The study concluded that most Rx meds had a shelf life of 10+ years.

Not the 1 year that is on the label.

[jcwit]

My wife and I shop at bakery outlet stores frequently, yes we buy day old bread and freeze it, same for sweet rolls. After all when one buys a loaf of bread at the store the next day it's a day old, right?

We just made a buy of tomato soup that was past "best if used by" lest than a week, Kroger brand, Tastes super, as good as Cambells, all for $ .33 cents a can, frozen Jacksonville brats past "use by" date $1.69 a lb package. A few weeks ago bought sliced ham for $ 14 cents a lb., frozen, ya it was good. Same deals for lunch meat.

YUP, I like livening where I live.

[a.squibload]

Now you got me checkin'. Was using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
to clean fresh epoxy around the edges of a knife handle,
the expiration date on the alcohol was in 2011.
That's weird, it seemed to work anyway...

[osteodoc08]

Available on Netflix: Arctic Passage: Nova

It's amazing sometimes what gets handed down from mothers, to children, grandchildren and on down the line. Even when the underlying facts have fundamentally changed with the passage of time. What happened to Captain Sir John Franklin and his crew was tragic beyond words, and it's a very good thing tin cans aren't tinned anymore.

They were also sealed with lead from what I remember.....and had leaking problems and the food was never really "preserved" well.

[osteodoc08]

And while were at it, make sure you COOK your food to its PROPER TEMPERATURE.

Watching a 4yo bleed out from uncontrollable Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome while seizing after injesting presumably contaminated beef the day before (from a local burger chain was my best guess as we had 2 cases in the same week after this said burger joint opened) in your hospital while waiting for life flight to get to a teritary care center and your doing all you can do will change your mentality on that burger thats slightly red in the middle. That situation still haunts me to this day and makes me tear up just writing it. That kid never made it. The other one did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic-uremic_syndrome

[Dale in Louisiana]

Now you got me checkin'. Was using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
to clean fresh epoxy around the edges of a knife handle,
the expiration date on the alcohol was in 2011.
That's weird, it seemed to work anyway...

Bottled water has an expiration date, for pete's sake!

I guess after that date, it turns to what?!?

dale in Louisiana

[WallyM3]

Distilled (!) water has an expiration date.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Distilled (!) water has an expiration date.

On the other hand, we use de-ionized water as coolant for some of my large electric drive equipment. It must be de-ionized so it wont conduct the 4160 volts on the equipment it is cooling. The water in the system goes through a de-ionizing filter, so it stays good. The water in the barrel will ionize over a period of time by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

But it's still water.

dale in Louisiana

[ksfowler166]

Seems to be varied trains of thought on this topic. How do you handle canned foods that have gone past their dates?
Serve it to your friends (or enemies) or use it as target practice. I am pretty sure that shooting a can of Spam would be the best possible thing to do with a can of Spam. Should make a nice meat shower if hit with a large caliber.

[6bg6ga]

WAIT!!! Spam has quite a following here. I'd never eat it myself.

[shooterg]

Used to go to the cannery with Grandma as a kid - we were eating food she canned years after she was buried. Guess she forgot to write the expiration date on 'em...

[a.squibload]

Nothin' like Spam, Spam, Spam, eggs & Spam for breakfast...

:>)

Actually it's only any good if you fry it, and the eggs help distract your taste buds.

[sprinkintime]

Wonder what the "Best if used by" date on a jar of honey is?

I understand that Honey never goes bad.

[Bad Water Bill]

I checked a bottle of "PURE HONEY" the other day and it had a USE BEFORE 2-20-2016 stamp on it.

Guess we better have a serious talk about sanitation with those bees.:)

[ksfowler166]

Honey does never go bad. Just warm it up and scrape the crud off the top and your good to go.

[retread]

Aboard ship the bedpans in sick bay(stainless steel) had expiration dates on them and it was required they be properly disposed of and replaced prior to that date. That's how much an expiration date means in most cases. I was in the canning industry for 30 years. If the container integrity was not compromised, no signs of lost vacuum, no off odor when opened, then you are good to go.

[osteodoc08]

The honey from big name companies is often produced in China. Part of the cleaning and processing causes it to "seperate" if left too long on the shelf. It's still ok, but I prefer honey from our local growers. It tastes better and never seperates (it shouldnt if natural). Or at least that's how my beekeeper friend tells it.

[a.squibload]

I'm no expert but I read that there's no international standard for "pure" honey,
so some places will add sugar of one kind or another. Not so terrible but they should
tell ya.

[avmath]

This be better known by the buyers; always check the expiration date. This can be a good thing for us buyers to lessen our cost for our food. Let's consider saving money by understanding what that expiration date (http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2012/06/28/food-expiration-date/) indicates.