From what I hear they got the package date 2008 confused with the expiration date, which was 11/2010—Sad mistake—
Funny thing is that those of us 45+ grew up without expiration dates—we relied on our common sense and our senses....Most of us could see, taste or smell whether something is good or bad. If a cookie was 2 years past expiration, it would not pass the tests—I would not need an expiration date....
My children freak out if something is 12 hours after the expiration date. I tell them they can use their eyes & nose like we did. I knew no one who died from bad food or even got food poisoning when I was growing up. Maybe I am wrong, but I have always used freshness dates as a guideline.
the more food you throw away, the better for the food producers. They know this so they put bogus expiration dates on everything.
We are waiting out a cash flow crunch at the moment. It was a good time to triage the food stores. I discovered a package of canned tomato paste that was 14 months beyond the expiration date. I opened it with trepidation, but it was just fine, no oxidation of the can, no *off* flavor or smell or appearance.
A small can of Nestle Table Cream was just at the expiration and I was prepared to have to throw it out. It was just fine, as well and lasted 3 days in the fridge after being opened. We have forgotten venison in the freezer at times for over a year. As long as it was well wrapped, usually in a locker package, it was also just fine. If it got freezer burn for some reason, I cook it up for the dog. He is a picky eater and has never turned down slightly freezer burned meat.
I am also old enough to remember no expiration dates and that was a time when cans were not plastic lined and were just tinned steel. Even newly purchased canned vegetables could sometimes taste metallic and mushy canned veggies was the norm. Day old store-bought bread? That stuff is so full of preservatives, it takes months for anything to grow on it. Toast it or sprinkle on some water, tent it in foil and after 10 minutes in the oven, it tastes fresh.
The younger generations may need to go through hard times before they have enough experience to rely on their own senses. IMO, anyone complaining about a date when they are starving just isn’t hungry enough.
That’s funny about the expiration date. My kids freak out also if it’s past the expiration date.