Food Expiration Dates

This is important info to know if you are going to be stockpiling. Estimate how much you'd use before it expires and that will help you not to over buy and waste. From HCW:

Expiration Dates -- list from the magazine "Real Simple"
http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple...676079,00.html

Foods
NOTE: Check refrigeration requirements for all foods after opening.

*soda, regular. Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date. Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.

*diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles). Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date. Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affect.

*coffee, canned ground. Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 1 month refrigerated. (I put my opened coffee in the freezer; a trick I learned on the Food Network. It keeps it much fresher, longer!)

juice, bottled (apple or cranberry). Unopened: 8 months from production date. Opened: 7 to 10 days.

ketchup. Unopened: 1 year. Opened: 4 to 6 months. (After these times, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)

maple syrup, real or imitation. Unopened or opened: 1 year. soy sauce, bottled. Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 3 months.

peanut butter, processed. Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months.

tuna, canned. Unopened: 1 year from purchase date. Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can.

mayonnaise. Unopened: Indefinitely. Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchased by” date. (After this time, color or flavoring may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)

salad dressing, bottled. Unopened: 12 months after “best buy” date. Opened: 9 months refrigerated.

olive oil. Unopened/Opened: 2 years from manufacture date. (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)

vinegar. Unopened/Opened: 42 months.


Make-up
nail polish. Unopened/Opened: 1 year from manufacture date.

nail polish remover. Unopened/Opened: Lasts indefinitely.

perfume. Unopened/Opened: 1 to 2 years.

lipstick. Unopened/Opened: 2 years.

mascara. Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 3 to 4 months.

foundation, oil-based. Unopened/Opened: 2 years from date of manufacture.

foundation, water-based. Unopened/Opened: 3 years from date of manufacture.

Cleaning supplies
windex. Unopened/Opened: 2 years.

metal polish. Unopened/Opened: at least 3 years.

wood polish (Pledge). Unopened/Opened: 2 years.

powdered laundry detergent. Unopened: 9 months to a 1 year. Opened: At least 6 months.

liquid laundry detergent. Unopened: 9 months to 1 year. Opened: 6 months.

bleach. Unopened/Opened: 3 to 6 months.


This website has more products listed in a table for easy viewing:Product Expiration

Expiration date terminology
These terms all apply to unopened products.

• Best if used by and use-by date: With emphasis on the best qualifier in this term, it means the product should retain maximum freshness, flavor and texture if used by this date. It is not a purchase-by or safety date. Beyond this date, the product begins to deteriorate, although it may still be edible.

• expiration date: If you haven't used the product by this date, toss it out. Other dating terms are used as a basic guideline, but this one means what it says.

• Sell-by or pull-by date: This date is used by manufacturers to tell grocers when to remove their product from the shelves, but there is generally still some leeway for home usage. For example, milk often has a sell-by date, but the milk will usually still be good for at least a week beyond that date if properly refrigerated.

• Guaranteed fresh: This date is often used for perishable baked goods. Beyond this date, freshness is no longer guaranteed although it may still be edible.

• Pack date: This is the date the item was packed, most-used on canned and boxed goods. It is usually in the form of an encrypted code not easy to decipher. It may be coded by month (M), day (D), and year (Y), such as YYMMDD or MMDDYY. Or it may be coded using Julian (JJJ) numbers, where January 1 would be 001 and December 31 would be 365. In even more convoluted coding, letters A through M (omitting the letter I) are often assigned to the months, with A being January and M being December, plus a numeric day, either preceded or followed by the numeric year.


Is food product dating required by law? No, it's voluntary. Except for infant formula and some baby food, product dating is not required by Federal regulations. However, if a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and day, immediately adjacent to the words "sell by" or "use by". Some states, such as Wisconsin, require dating of products such as milk.

There are several types of dates that might appear on food products:

Sell-By dates appear on highly perishable products such as milk, meat and bread. These dates tell the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product well before the sell-by date to have sufficient time to use it at best quality.

Best Before, Better if Used Before and Best if Used By tell how long the product will retain its best flavor and quality. You'll find these dates on baked goods, cereals, snacks and some canned foods. The food is safe to eat after the date, but it might be stale or changed in taste or texture.

The Expiration, Use By or Use Before date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. You'll find this type of dating on eggs, yogurt and other products requiring refrigeration.

A reasonable period of time may extend from

1-5 days for fresh meats;
3-7 days for perishable processed products such as milk;
3-5 weeks(!) for eggs.

If a food has developed an off odor, flavor or appearance caused by growth of spoilage bacteria, then discard it. Mishandled food should be discarded, even before the expiration date.

Purchase the product well before the expiration date.
If the food is perishable, take it home immediately after purchase and refrigerate promptly. Freeze it if you can't use it within the recommended time. Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn't matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen are safe indefinitely.