[Gn2Dlnd]

Um, here's the deal on "expiration" dates: Companies want you to buy more of their product. The date printed on meat and dairy is a "sell by" date. The product should be good in a cold refrigerator for a week after the date. Dry goods, canned goods, etc., sometimes have a "best by" date. Ignore this, it's a completely arbitrary number. If its gone rancid, you'll smell it. Otherwise, use the groceries you've paid for. Macaroni and cheese in a box is something that would take a year or so to go funky. Of course the company is going to tell you to throw it away if its past the fake date. They want you to give them more money.

I once had a customer call me, demanding to know why my product didn't have an expiration date. When I explained to him that my product was good for at least a month, if stored in a cool place more like 90 days, he would not be mollified. "Every other product has an expiration date! Why doesn't yours?" I couldn't convince him that this was not true. Go through the grocery store, there are still plenty of products that don't suddenly and magically "expire" from one day to the next. When he suggested that I might be looking at a lawsuit, I thanked him for his suggestions, told him to throw away my product, and, if he really felt the need, I would notify my insurance company and lawyer. What a maroon.

So, it boils down to this. Keep the fridge door closed. Store your dry goods in a cool, dry place. Don't buy dented cans. Close the fridge. Keep meat in the coolest part of the fridge and freeze what you're not going to use in 3 days. Don't stand in front of the fridge with the door open. Processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and lunchmeat are full of preservatives, keep them until they smell odd. Eggs last forever.

And close the damn fridge door!