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What do you think the percentage is of Americans who throws out good food (even junk food) based on the expiration date? I mean - they do so not because the food might be stale but because they believe it suddenly became possibly toxic to eat.
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What's the percentage for non-food stuff like soap? The other day I noticed my liquid hand soap has an expiration date for whatever reason. I better hurry up - I only have two years left of it being safe.
I started thinking about it after I read this...
"Good thing I read the labels and dates before I opened or ate anything. I avoided potential food poisoning and/or a trip to urgent care by paying attention."
It's from an Amazon review. After they checked the label - they learned the package was delivered with an expiration date two weeks past. They are talking about a Ruffles potato chip variety pack.
A lot of this stuff isn't becoming "unsafe" per-say but "inert". Chemically processed components have a shelf life that deteriorate over time. So a liquid soap can congeal or lose its potency or develop a weird smell over time. Gasoline evaporates, leaving behind a gum that can clog engine parts. OTC pharmaceuticals like aspirin lose potency of their active ingredients and become what amounts to a salt pill.
A lot of these dates are simply there for the sake of liability. If you use a ten-year-old hand cream and it gives you eczema as a result, the manufacturer isn't liable. But this stuff doesn't magically become lethal the day after the "use by" date.
nice!