To think expiry dates are getting a bit silly?

[WhatsUnderAllTheClothesBrookeDavis]

I’ve noticed recently that expiry dates are getting really short. For example, crisps, which used to be at least a year, are now a few months. I bought a few boxes of celebrations in December to gift and had a couple left over- I’ve just checked and they expired in February! Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?

I’m sure I used to be able to buy Christmas chocolates and the best before was so long that I could’ve gifted them the following year!

You know those dates are a marketing ploy? I can't believe anyone checks them. It's just to make us waste and buy more. They should get rid of them entirely, and people use their eyes and nose to see if food is ok.

I agree @Rosesanddaisies1 , and for the chocolates we’ll eat them. However, for the purpose of, eg, regifting then the date matters. Also we have a large extended family and when we take snacks we pack extra for the other kids too but the short expiry dates mean this becomes an issue. I might be fine with disregarding expiry dates but feel uncomfortable giving another child a pack of out of date crisps. I know these situations aren’t going to pop up every day but it still makes it bothersome.

@Rosesanddaisies1 that’s all well and good for best before dates, with use by dates you can’t always see or smell bad bacteria that can make you unwell.

Have you checked for the date of manufacture? Because this doesn't mean they've changed how long they last, it could mean they made them a year ago and they've been sat in a warehouse ever since.

This

Yes. It’s the reason I’ve stopped shopping online. I’d end up with a fridge full of food that has to be eaten in two days. Even things like eggs that used to have a good three weeks on them now only have a few days.

Crisps have never been a year! I was a newsagent in the 90s, and the 12 week expiry date on crisis were one of the toughest things for us to manage!

Yes, I noticed that so much more of the food I buy has such a short expiry date! I never ever throw food away because of it, without clearly have checked if it's really inedible. But it still makes me nervous and makes meal planning more difficult.

Yeah, they seem to be passing old stock or something? Crisps and chocolate do go stale, the chocolate gets that white fatty stuff etc. so as gifts it's a big no. I bought Xmas dry goods for gifts and the dates were only just passing Xmas day. Also they now don't put them on fruit and veg anymore and I swear it's so they can palm off rotting ones!

I think it's more likely a stock control/rotation issue rather than manufacturers reducing their best before dates.
I have eaten After Eights and Roses a year past their best before date thanks to a colleague who decided to bring them in for a buffet. They were rank. All of the liquid had evaporated.
Best before dates are about food quality. Couple of weeks/months beyond the best before, they'll likely taste pretty similar, but much more than that the quality deteriorates.

Unless the shop you bought them in had them in stock for years? Or they've been passed around various stores?

Just bought some Sour Cream and chiili kettle chips and they had a year's best before on them.

I usually ignore best before dates anyway! As long as it smells okay.

I've never looked at an expiry date in my life and I'm not dead yet so I'm inclined to believe they're a bit of bollocks.

I think it depends where you buy them. Cheaper shops often have shorter life items.

I haven’t checked the manufacturer date on them to be fair- I’m surprised about the crisps, I was convinced it used to be a lot longer than it is now!

I agree about eggs too@Menomeno , they’re usually good far past their best buy date but with young kids in the house and bowel issues myself I don’t want to risk it being close to being bad! Its not always easy to tell.

I have Shredded Wheat for breakfast. On the bottom of the packet there's a little box with the words: 'Past my date? Look, smell, taste. Don't waste.'

Clearly some manufacturers also believe that best before dates shouldn't mean you should just chuck good, edible food in the bin.