Pluggers by Rick McKee for March 04, 2023

Fine-print eyestrain? Here’s a shortcut: Looks for bulges, leaks, and rust.

If not there, taste it and if it tastes ok enjoy; hell we ate K rations from WWII (1943) in the late 60s while we were cleaning out a government warehouse, no one got sick, and no expiration labels anywhere.

Wow, that’s the good stuff, from before they changed the formula.

Reminds me of a strip from “Mafalda”… :D :D :D

And if you saw Reagan movies in theaters when you were a kid, you are most definitely a plugger.

I remember my father enjoyed canned sardines and spam when I was a kid, which he probably got from his WWII rations while stationed in England.

Better yet.. my mom would buy maple syrup in gallon cans, separate it and seal it in pint jars. When we were cleaning out her pantry, we found a whole hoard of pint jars dated the week Nixon resigned. I still have two of them.

Nixon’s Maple Syrup, from the expiration date of Nixon’s presidency. How sweet!

Did they have dates on cans in 1980?

The only time I really pay attention to food expiration dates is when I donate to food pantries… they won’t accept donations that are past the expiration date.

When I purchase stuff I usually write the date on it when purchased. Try to do FIFO with most food ;-)

My sister died in March and when cleaning out her kitchen, I found cans of food exp 1978!

Definition of Use By/Expirartion Date = Manufacture want you to throw out perfectly good product and buy miore to keep them in business. One has to use their own judgment based on type of packaging, condition of packaging and how stored if an item past it’s Use By/Expiration Date is still good.

We were moving our Lions Club out the back of the local fire hall. There was one locked cupboard that wasn’t ours and no one had the keys. The mayor came down and took the doors off and found it was full of fire department stuff including a six pack of Centennial Beer (Canadians will remember)

When I was in the SF Bay area, a radio DJ had an Oldest Food contest. Had to be unopened and have an expiration or best by date. The first caller had something that was 19 years old. No one beat that.

Our family has had a decade long disagreement about expiration dates and I’ve done a bit of research to defend my pantry:

Food expiration dates refer to quality, not safety, which means a lot of foods are OK to eat past their so-called “expiration” dates, they just might not be as nutritious. Often the only time you have to worry is how long the food container has been open/unsealed. If a can an is in good shape, with no rust/big dents/swelling, the food inside should last for years. Packaged goods tend to get stale or take on an off taste after the “best used by date.” That’s the reason it is called ‘best used by’.

“Sell by” dates often just refer to the time they have to be removed from the grocery shelf in order to make room for the next shipment.

According to the internet, there are some foods that aren’t good to keep around too long:

— Egg substitutes that come in a carton only last around 5 days after being opened, and 10 days unopened. Eggs themselves are fine for 3 to 5 weeks. To be really sure, fill a bowl with cold water and place the egg inside. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh. If the egg sinks to the bottom but stands on its point, it’s still good but needs to be used soon. If the egg floats to the top, discard it.

—Soft [aged] cheeses only last a few days after they have been opened.

—Cold pressed [unpasteurized] juices.

—Fresh berries. Toss them or freeze them after a week.

-Jarred condiments. Once they are unsealed, they are quite susceptible to bacteria. An easy check is if liquid has formed on the top. [I do remember catsup bottles being left on the tables in my hometown cafe back in the ’60s until they were complete empty - never refrigerated. They would be wiped off when the tables were cleaned before closing and maybe if they got really gunky during the day.]

My wife’s aunt fixed sloppy joes from a can that was swollen. She wanted to know if I wanted any . No thanks! Her and her son didn’t get sick.

If it’s been expired for that long, I’d chuck it.

I was an adult then, so that can’t be THAT old ….

For the most part, expiration dates are a way to increase sales. I worked for a soft drink company. Anything in glass or cans will last a long time after the expiration date. Plastic allows the carbonation to escape which results in flat soda. The lack of carbonation allows air into the soda which allows bacteria to develop.

Unfortunately,been there,done that……

I’m in.. especially if you include spice*s.

And are still willing to eat it!!!

Guilty.

Most Sell By, Use By and even Expire dates are a ruse to stimulate people to throw away perfectly good product and buy more.

If it’s swollen- -trash it!!!

You’re a plugger if you know WHEN the Reagan administration was.

There’s no convincing some people that “best by…” does NOT mean “turns inedible at 11:59:59pm on…”

You’re a REAL plugger if you find a can from the days before expiration dates. :)

I guess I’m much more cautious than most people because I had food poisoning once. Not from canned food, but from a restaurant. I ended up in the emergency room to get the vomiting stopped. Needless to say, I didn’t eat at that restaurant again!

Had some canned fruit that might have gone back to the Carter era. I ate it.