Re:Show HN: I made a website to search for half loaves of bread
by hcknwscommenter on Wednesday April 13, 2022 @10:58AM
(#31015432)
Sounds like someone at the "at least one food bank" doesn't understand that there literally is no liability for past-date canned food. I am pretty sure dates on canned food wasn't a thing when I was growing up. It's just another way of prodding the customer to consume.
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Re:Show HN: I made a website to search for half loaves of bread
by thaumasiotes on Wednesday April 13, 2022 @12:23PM
(#31016604)
> It's just another way of prodding the customer to consume.
Not really; expiration dates are printed on food (including canned food) because customers want them. Manufacturers are responding to, not attempting to drive, customer demand.
Re:Show HN: I made a website to search for half loaves of bread
by pempem on Wednesday April 13, 2022 @08:31PM
(#31022035)
Not sure that's true: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1rZAT2GtmI
Re:Show HN: I made a website to search for half loaves of bread
by thaumasiotes on Thursday April 14, 2022 @05:37PM
(#31033630)
That video doesn't even address the question. It says, correctly, that the dates have no particular meaning and are generally unregulated. It doesn't say why they're there.
Re:Show HN: I made a website to search for half loaves of bread
by pempem on Sunday April 17, 2022 @11:55PM
(#31067239)
Hah okay: thats a fair point and I googled this just for you - and for future me.
Marks & Spencer introduced them in 1970 in the UK (1) It's true there was a survey of consumers and folks favored them, but I will refrain from posting the enduring veracity and reflectiveness of a survey and point out that consumers likely wanted dates that meant something
They are often meaningless and we can assume the consumer wasn't in love with dates that are more complex than not.
1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sell-and-best-date...