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Expiration dates on our food keep us safe, right? They make sure we don't eat spoiled food. Interestingly enough, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to put any dates on their food products.
These dates are instead entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer. The FDA also does not preclude the sale of a food item that is past it's printed expiration date.
What many people don't realize is that these dates are advisory in nature and often don't represent the true shelf life of a product. Almost all food (with the exception of infant formula) has a longer shelf life than their printed date indicates.
A study by Reuters found that, on average, Americans waste 33 pounds of food a week by throwing out perfectly good products. This means that a family of four wastes 132 pounds of good food a month. So you may want to think twice the next time you want to follow that "advisory" expiration date.
