1917

As a creative writing major, I’ve always been fond of this poster.

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1918

They need to hook that up to a tomato.

1919

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1920

Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike “use by” labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, “best before” labels have nothing to do with safety and may encourage consumers to throw away food that’s perfectly fine to eat.
[…]

Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration — which regulates around 80% of U.S. food — has recommended that manufacturers use the labels “best if used by” for freshness and “use by” for perishable goods, based on surveys showing that consumers understand those phrases.

But the effort is voluntary, and the language on labels continues to vary widely, from “sell by” to “enjoy by” to “freshest before.” A survey released in June by researchers at the University of Maryland found at least 50 different date labels used on U.S. grocery shelves and widespread confusion among customers.

“Most people believe that if it says ‘sell by,’ ‘best by’ or ‘expiration,’ you can’t eat any of them. That’s not actually accurate,” said Richard Lipsit, who owns a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in discounted food.

Lipsit said milk can be safely consumed up to a week after its “use by” date. Gunders said canned goods and many other packaged foods can be safely eaten for years after their “best before” date. The FDA suggests consumers look for changes in color, consistency or texture to determine if foods are all right to eat.

1921

I don’t remember what I was watching but the show basically said for most food the Best Buy date favored the producer. Especially since it was their date. Something on the Food Channel I think.

1922

I don’t think having a shorter date necessarily favors the producer. If they set it too short and product doesn’t clear by that date, the store often discounts it (which if they have to do often enough, will lead them to discontinue the product), discards it at a greater loss, or even sends it back to the manufacturer. Consumers do the same—if they find themselves having to throw away (even if that was an improper understanding) a given product too often, they’ll switch to something else—they won’t just mindlessly continue to go buy more to throw it away again.

1923

What could possibly go wrong indeed.

1924

Good luck to public health officials trying to get the average American to distinguish between

“best if used by” for producer defined freshness or quality
vs
“use by” meaning NOT SAFE TO USE AFTER

1925
1926

Ok, I want one of those.

1927

Great, now I need one in case @TheWombat tries to invade!

1928

Now I need robodog equipped with MANPADS to defend against all you chuckleheads.

1929

Gonna need some EMP grenades to take down their shields.

1930

Nah, just throw a tennis ball the other way.

1931

I reported a Russian misinformation troll farm to Twitter 2 days ago and they’re still operating. And now they’ve cut moderation teams even more.

1932

We get one of these every year or two. So far as I know, none of these attempts have succeeded yet, but eventually one probably will…

1933

Those dodos are gonna be PISSED!

1934

Yeah, how many stories with mummies or vampires or semi-dead demon gods have the newly-awakened entities saying “Gee, thanks! Was getting sort of boring there, I appreciate the resurrection!. Have a cookie?”

1935

I hope so!

1936

How would anyone know, with the witnesses all being devoured?