Food expiration date; how much do we/should we know?

All I can add is that any food product with a grain ingredient in it (wheat, corn, oats. rice, legumes) should be used before the expiration date to avoid having to deal with the hatching of the insects & worms. Keeping these items in a freezer STOPS the bugs from hatching.

Thanks for sharing those most interesting sites. In the past, I worked many years in Food Service & learned so many new & amazing things along the way. Most of what I learned, contradicted what my mom always told me when I first learned how to cook & bake. I suppose there are those who will still go by the old habits, but I go with what I learned while working in the FS. I learned a lot by working alongside/listening to, State Inspectors on the job site. I had to squash so many of the myths that I grew up with. I wonder also, how many people know how to properly wash & sanitize cutting boards. Remember when you first heard the phrase, "cross contamination?" Are your refrigerator & freezer settings correct?

When my grandma died in 1984 we cleaned out her freezer and found stuff in there that she froze when she lived on the farm which she left in 1952. No we did not eat it. My mom canned and froze lots of fruits, vegetables, and other foods which lasted a lot longer than the dates the companies put on the foods now days. I think they are just trying to be safe so they don't get sued. There are shelf life regulations though. Jeesh I sure stirred up a bee's nest sending that to you. Thanks for keeping us informed.

About a year ago in an effort to make a point to my sister (who is overly concerned about expiration dates, safety etc.). I ate an oatmeal with cream center cake that I found in an old camping mess kit that was over 38 years old - no adverse reactions.

having worked on a production line - Label supermarkets own Label crisps different supermarkets had different use by date on the same product being package at the same time

I always use my own mind to decide what to eat and what to throw away from my own fridge or larder

This is a great question thank you for posting it and thank you also for the sites this is some important info we all need to know,

I'd often wondered about that date.........thanks for the information.

Read, pay attention, and when in doubt, throw it out!

Thank you for information :)

if it looks good and taste,eat it