One of the features of Blogger (and
likely many other blogging programs or whatever these things are called) is
that I can track the number of views for any given article posted here.  By far, the most popular article has been “Best-By
Dates:  What Those Numbers Stamped on
Cans Really Mean.”  It was one of those
articles that I wrote but kept pushing out because I never imagined that people
would actually want to read it.  Since
that time, I have been absolutely floored by the response, but also by the
sheer numbers of people who automatically throw good food away because it’s a
little past the date stamped on the container. 
Everyone’s got experience with milk that’s a little past date, but most
don’t know that that experience doesn’t translate to other foods.  Those dates stamped on food are for the convenience
of the manufacturers and grocery store personnel to aid in the timely rotation
of stock.  The food manufacturers don’t
share that info, and they make bank because the people are uneducated. 

The same beliefs hold true for
medications.  Even if government programs
and public service announcements encouraging the “proper” disposal of unused
prescriptions fail to get the people to act, most will throw out medications
when they pass the expiration date stamped on the package.  They’re completely unaware of the research
that has been conducted on the efficacy of medications long past the dates on
the bottles.

Unfortunately, we can’t assume that
this holds true for everything.  We can’t
just hang on to all older foods and medications and believe they will be safe
and efficacious.  There are some
significant exceptions to be aware of:

  • Baby formula.  This is the one food that, according to US
    law, must be dated.  And that’s because
    of the vitamin content for nourishing infants. 
    Even a small loss of vitamins can be detrimental to development.  However, passing that use-by date does not
    mean that the formula is unsafe or toxic. 
    It only means that the vitamin content may not be at full potency.  The formula can still be sold in stores, and
    that’s why it can occasionally be found on discount grocery store shelves at
    drastically reduced prices.
  • Liquid medicines.  These all diminish in efficacy much faster
    than their dry counterparts.  But it
    doesn’t mean that they automatically become unsafe.  In general, they just become less
    effective. 
  • Hand sanitizer.  The alcohol in alcohol-based hand sanitizers evaporates,
    and when the concentration dips below 65-70%, the sanitizer becomes less
    effective to totally ineffective.  The
    solution
    is to use much more and rub it around much longer.  (However, rubbing
    alcohol in sealed bottles does not deteriorate or evaporate.  It can
    still be effective 20 years down the road.)
  • Hydrogen peroxide has a very short
    shelf life.  It is stored in brown
    bottles because it decomposes when exposed to light and/or air.  If it has passed its date or if the bottle has
    been opened for more than a few months, it’s no longer sanitizing or
    disinfecting anything.

  • Liquid bleach has a longer shelf life
    than hydrogen peroxide, but not by much. 
    As it is an important disinfectant as well as means of water
    purification, fresh stock should always be in the family’s rotation.  Those who find it difficult to stock that
    much liquid bleach may wish to consider the pool shock option.  Those granules store well for several years.

Links to related posts:

Best-By Dates:  What Those
Numbers Stamped on Cans Really Mean 

Shelf-Life Extension Program 

How To Use Calcium Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) for Water
Purification 

How To Purify Water with Bleach