Expiration Date Guide

I was rummaging around in my car and I found a gallon of milk on the floor of the back seat(among other things).

As you can see, it expired on Christmas Eve. It's been sitting in my car for over a month. Surprisingly, it has not spoiled to the point where I can smell it inside the car.

I didn't throw it away. I think I am just going to let it ride and see what happens.

I know this is a crappy segue, but seeing expired milk that doesn't smell bad yet gave me an idea to write a handy guide regarding expiration labels. Here you go:

Expiration Date Guide

"Sell By" Date

The "sell by" date is often confused with the "use by" date. In actuality, the "sell by" date is simply a guideline for grocers to keep an item stocked on their shelves. If it's not sold by the date stamped on the carton, the product is replaced with something fresher. This doesn't necessarily mean that the product has spoiled. Milk, for instance, will typically will stay fresh for 5-7 days after the "sell by" date.

"Use By" Date

Much more straightforward, the "use by" date is the last day that the manufacturer can guarantee freshness. Although there still may be a 1-2 day period after the date printed where you can technically consume the product without getting sick, neither the manufacturer nor the retailer can guarantee freshness after this date. (This is also sometimes listed as a "Best Before" date.)

"Digest By" Date

This is the absolute latest date that the manufacturer recommends completing digestion of their product. Typically there will be no problems if you eat or drink it one night before the date printed on the label, but you may want to give it two days just in case of some unforseen intenstinal blockage.

"You Might Want To Disguise The Flavor With Some Chocolate Syrup On Or Around" Date

When using milk with a "You Might Want To Disguise The Flavor With Some Chocolate Syrup On Or Around" date, it's important to remember that the milk technically expires two or three days before the date printed on the label. If you reach the "chocolate milk" date and want to drink it plain or just use it for cereal, then you might as well throw it away. You will only enjoy this milk with a very heavy dose of flavored syrup. It also may work for baking.

"Don't Forget To Watch CSI On" Date

This date actually has nothing to do with the freshness of your milk, and is just a paid advertisement for CBS network encouraging viewers to watch the next episode of CSI.

"This Is Just Here To Confuse You" Date

This date has nothing to do with the freshness of your item, and sometimes is not even a date. Sometimes it will be a random string of letters and numbers, often containing a question mark. There's nothing else printed on the label, though, so you will sit there trying to decipher it, hoping in vain that you will be able to figure out when this food is supposed to expire.

Other times it will be a vague date like "07/07" where you're not sure if it expires on July 7th of this year or if it expired in the month of July in the year of 2007.

I hope this guide has been helpful for you. I'm sure you agree that it would be more convenient if there were a universal standard for dating milk cartons and other items, so that it's always clear when to use it and when to toss it. Unfortunately, there are just too many competing dairy providers, and at this point they just haven't come together to produce an industry standard.

Just pay attention to the labels, and remember: when in doubt, throw it out! Unless you have kids, because kids don't know the difference.

xoxoxoxo, Jeff