I buy about all my meats from Kroger and WalMart that are at their expiration dates. I visit both stores most mornings to find the best deals. Otherwise, I couldn’t afford it.
I’ve eaten cans of soup, meats, etc that are over a year past their sell-by dates and haven’t had any problems.
You can bet your bippy at some near day in this country’s future, people aren’t going to be so worried about ‘sell-by’ dates - they’ll be worried if they can even get the expired stuff.
Roger that. I figure that so long as they look OK (that's the MOST important), and they're prepared or frozen immediately, they'll be fine. I get great steaks at my local store that way, all the time. 'Tis pretty much the only way I can afford them.
Don't get me started on dry, prepared foods (think, rice dishes, etc) with sell-by dates on them. It's dry. It's sealed. What the heck is going to happen?
Being curious about the longevity of such things, they fed it to one of the cats which the museum kept for rodent control. The cat suffered no ill effects.
Lasting even longer than canned food is the dried food. I have stuff in my basement with advertised 25 years of shelf life. There is no danger in eating it even after that time (as long as it remains sealed and dry). The major problem is the loss of flavor.