Why don't canned goods in the U.S.A. have standardized dating?

[good_lookin_gus]

Seriously, I just wanted a snack before I go to bed. Why should it take nearly twenty minutes to determine that a can of sweet peas left behind by the old tenant probably expired before she even moved in?

[BizzaroStormy]

Seriously, I just wanted a snack before I go to bed. Why should it take nearly twenty minutes to determine that a can of sweet peas left behind by the old tenant probably expired before she even moved in?

if it wasn't on the top or bottom of the can, then they probably didnt put the date on it thinking that people would eat if before they went bad.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Since when do sweet peas make a good snack?

[Zincorium]

Properly preserved canned foods will last longer than they can accurately estimate. There is no date they can put on the can that will be truly useful information.

Improperly preserved canned foods will hurt you (botulism) after a few weeks. It will also bloat.

If the can looks good, no rust or dents, open it up. If the contents look and smell like normal canned food of that type, you might as well eat it.


On a side note, what countries do have standardized dating methods? And are those dating methods useful, or do they just lead to wasting perfectly good food?

[reorith]

Seriously, I just wanted a snack before I go to bed. Why should it take nearly twenty minutes to determine that a can of sweet peas left behind by the old tenant probably expired before she even moved in?

i have two sets of canned goods. one that i rotate through on a six month basis, the other that requires a twenty-four month cycle. check out the bottom of the can, it should have a date. also sweet peas? gross, you called that doom upon yourself.

[Rutskarn]

Well, it all started back when the slaves of the Ameriani Empire revolted against their cannery-running oppressors. They'd had enough of the long hours, the months at a time without rest or proper nourishment, and the bi-hourly floggings with a bit of dental floss and a bootlace.

Secretly, the cannery-worker underground set out to overthrow their reptillian overseers and take control of the factories. They had to time this perfectly, as the overseers would change locations frequently to prevent assassination. So the cannery workers took to inputting coded messages in the expiration dates of cans.

The first round of messages was put in to establish a code--to set up certain sequences of numbers as signifying certain letters. The second round established networks. The third, sent out in the darkness of night, was the kill message.

In one eventful orgy of death, the reptillians were beaten senseless with cans of tomato soup. The slaves became the new masters, and from that day forth, all cans carry encoded messages of jubilation and liberty.

[good_lookin_gus]

Since when do sweet peas make a good snack?

When you're also eating mashed potatoes.


On a side note, what countries do have standardized dating methods? And are those dating methods useful, or do they just lead to wasting perfectly good food?

Beats me. I just know the U.S. doesn't have them. Considering that many people store cans for a very long time, it might be helpful to include more than an arcane string of numbers that not even the producer's website will explain how to decode.

[Quincunx]

Since when do sweet peas make a good snack?

It's part of the "If you're not hungry enough to eat this, maybe you shouldn't be snacking" theory. Also, sweet peas grow quickly, but 30-45 days is still awhile to wait for truly snack-worthy sweet peas off the vine.

The cans here, from UK producers, have started to adopt the 'BBE' (best before) convention, so you can pick out the meaningful numbers in the string, but remembering that they label day-month-year, or year-day-month, or any which way but American, is another issue entirely. I can use a metric calendar but not think in one, thankyouverymuch.

Now if I could just figure out the Ireland-ian phrase for "these peas, out of half a dozen possibilities, do not contain godawful artificial mint flavoring". . .

[Don Julio Anejo]

Most canned foods can, in fact, last almost indefinitely. While I probably wouldn't recommend it, chances are nothing will happen to you if you eat a blast from the past canned in 1955 that you found in your uncle's bomb shelter. It does, however, depend on food types.

[Bouregard]

Seriously, I just wanted a snack before I go to bed. Why should it take nearly twenty minutes to determine that a can of sweet peas left behind by the old tenant probably expired before she even moved in?

After quickly checking my bombshelter supply cabinet the date was either at the top or at the bottom, exactly in the middle, also every can had one. So either Germany or Europe seem to have a standard there.
Maybe the print didn't survive the decades not well enough to be read after 50years, but the food is still good.

*edit* It seems that here in germany by law everything that can possible expire have to show a date. Even my honey should expire in 2 years.... mhm...

A few months back there was a TV show here in germany (Stern TV), that asked a food scientist what of varios food was edible/usable.

A 80 year old pack of sugar was just fine. Same with the coffee (lost quite a bit of flavour).
Canned fish 65 years old was edible.

[Jack Squat]

Divers have pulled canned foods out of 100 year old wrecks and eaten out of them fine, I think a couple years in a pantry will be fine.

If the can's not swelled or smells spoiled it's still good. IIRC, that date is how long the nutrition information is accurate, not how long the food is good. After the date, the nutrients start to break down by a significant amount, and the taste will wane, but it's still plenty edible.

[Eldan]

The same in switzerland, actually. Though, they don't put a "consume before" on cans, like they do on meat, vegetables, frozen goods and so on. Instead, cans get a "if correctly stored, will be edible unleast until...", with a date five years or so in the future. It's pretty stupid, but the law demands a detailed list of contents, and a date on all food products.

[Player_Zero]

Because they're all loners. I mean, what's the point? They're not gonna get along anyway even with a standardized system.

[Zincorium]

Because they're all loners.

We are?


I mean, what's the point? They're not gonna get along anyway even with a standardized system.

If you're making a serious, sober contention that anything short of complete barbaric anarchy stops a country from adopting specific standards for something like canned goods, there appears to be a gulf of understanding between us.

[Player_Zero]

It's a pun. Dating, see. Cans dating other cans.

I suppose it was a bit of a reach.

[Ormagoden]

We do have a standard.
Its called a Julian date its on everything that doesn't have an expiration date already.

[good_lookin_gus]

We do have a standard.
Its called a Julian date its on everything that doesn't have an expiration date already.

I wouldn't call that a standard when it can appear anywhere in the code, plus it's not even universally used.

[Zincorium]

We use Julian dates for everything maintenance related in the navy.

So elegant and logical next to the existing system, but also completely impossible to keep track of.