What's the Expiration dates/codes on canned food?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
April 26, 2008 8:55pm CST
Can't find any other category to put this, so hopefully this category can help....
when shopping for groceries - like canned goods specifically - they used to have (and a few brands still do) the expriation date on the top of the can. THey'd even have "best if sold by.." and the date. Well, I just came from Target, looked at some Del Monte cans of green beans that were on sale for 58ยข. I looked for the expiration date and all that was there was a hodge podge of letters and numbers. I couldn't make sense of it, looking for months as numbers or years... but nothing. I took it to the register and asked and she didn't know but calle dup the marketing person and he said that most brands use a "julian" code (I assume that is the spelling!) and the only way you can know if the can is expired or not is to call the company and give them the string of letters/numbers. (or probably go online) I asked, "you mean Target doesn't even know if this can of beans has expired or not? You could be selling expired food and don't know it?" and he said, quietly, "well, theoritically yes, but things go rather fast here - it doesn't sit on the shelves long".
So my question... anyone know of the "system" to know the expiration of canned goods (or even sometimes on box dry goods) to know if you are buying expired food or not? I know that just cause it says "best if sold by" doesn't mean it expires that day, but just that stores have to pull it from shelves on that day. Doesn't mean the item is bad.
ANyone got any ideas or thoughts? I am looking to stock up on food now that prices are going up and find what I can on sale, but don't want to buy bad food either!
2 people like this
6 responses
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
27 Apr 08
I haven't yet encountered this method of coding products..seems a bit daft that you can't see for yourself the shelflife of a product you're paying for,and need to contact the company's customer services to work it out for You!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
27 Apr 08
That's what I thought. I thought it was mandatory to have the sell by date on all products. I'm going to ask at the grocery next time I go.
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
27 Apr 08
I had bought some chicken that had a Julian code on it and when I called the company - after waiting a long time and went through many different people - they gave me the date and I asked why can't they just put a regular expiration date on the product. Many people do not know how to figure out the Julian code, this just doesn't make any sense to me. Now when I go to buy something if there is no date or a Julian date I refuse to buy it.
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
27 Apr 08
Wow, didn't know it was that huge a use! I look on the meats at my store and there is a special box that says "sell by" and the actual full date - no appreviations. IF fresh meats didn't have it I don't know what I'd do. If they can't tell me how old things are, I'm not buying. BUt I wonder if this Julian code thing is the up and coming thing? That is scary. Amd tp ask an employee, you know you are only going to get a "oh, its still good". Without a code,they know nothing more than you do.
@RobinJ (2501)
• Canada
27 Apr 08
I have no idea how they read the codes nor does any one at one of the stores I shop at. I bought a pack of pudding cups for my granddaughter, and she kept spitting them out so I tasted it it was rotten, so I went back to the store and asked them what the expiry date was, they had no idea but apparently the warehouse was supposed to know, So I told them about the pudding, and the manager walked by at that time he said no way would they ever put out of date products on their shelves, so I said fine then please eat one of the puddings I even had brought a plastic spoon with me. He took of the top smelled it and said there is nothing wrong with this so eat it I said he took a huge spoon full and put it in his mouth, 30 seconds later he is running for the bathroom, and 10 minutes later sent back word for them to refund my money. As I was leaving I saw some one take the rest of the unopened cups and put them in the basket for the food bank. I haven't been back to that store since
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
27 Apr 08
Oh my gosh, you're kidding! Good for you - especially the spoon part! I can't believe he'd say that! I mean, with all the food that comes and goes, a bad one is bound to get in there at some point or another. Most just probably don't bother returning bad things. But good foryou that you did. Guess that manager was throwing up more than the pudding when he had to authorize your refund!
@gantwick (849)
• United States
27 Apr 08
I don't know how helpful this might be, but you could possibly get an answer from a food bank. A group of us from where I work went to the Tulsa (Oklahoma) area food bank warehouse one evening to sort the cans out. Several cans had no label, but the food bank people had a list of the numbers that correlated to what the cans held. I'm not sure if expiration date was included. But you might check with a place like the food bank, which occasionally has a re-labeling event.
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
27 Apr 08
there aren't any food banks around me. The one I worked at is in Odessa Texas! But I am going to ask at the grocery next time I go.
1 person likes this
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
2 Jul 08
First, I don't think cans of food ever expire, do they? I know when pickling your own foods, they can last up to 10 years, so why would the cans we buy in the store not last long? I don't know that I have ever seen a best till date on a can. Did they used to mark them or are they now marking them? I think I am going to go check my cupboard and see if any of them have a date on them. I'll be right back.
I'm back and you are right, some have best by and some don't. I have never noticed this before and I will now watch when I go shopping because I have a few cans that in my cupboard that are only good for another month or so. Some are good till 2010 I noticed. Well, we all learn something new every day and this is one of them. Thanks.
@jellyjam74 (205)
• Canada
28 Apr 08
this is how you break down the julian calendar used as best before on dates on food.
as an example, if the number is 323031:
323 is the number of the day of the year---the 323rd day of the year is november 21.
03 is the year---as in 2003.
and the 1 is just a batch number...
hope this helps
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
28 Apr 08
My number is I6AU192B space 01:09 space 1027. Might be Jan 2009 but others of the same were there and they had 1:11 and so on, almost like it was more the time of processiong than a date. I'm calling in AM to see. Good grief, why the number of hte day in the year - how complicated! 1/09 - how simple! Go figure...must have been created by a man - certainly not a mom!
@jellyjam74 (205)
• Canada
28 Apr 08
well that's just crazy! whatever happened to good old fashioned April 28, 2008 or something you would know what it is at a glance? i mean seriously! who has time to decipher all that when you're trying to get your grocery shopping done? and if one doesn't use the same format as another, you'd need a code book when you shop!lol
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
3 May 08
my thoughts exactly. I called Green Giant and it was I for Sept and 6 was for the year it was canned! you have to know that GG green beans are "good" for 2 years so this can expired Sept of this year. Good grief, why not just 9/09!!!
