expiration dates?

Question

How do food manufacturers pinpoint expiration dates? Do the dates imply a certain time the product may expire, such as midnight or noon?

And exactly how accurate are expiration dates? I've had food that became rotten too early. But some other products, such as milk, seems to be safe until a day or two after the date.

Answer 1

expiration dates are not expiration dates they are really sell by dates and by law stores have to sell the product by that date or remove them from shelves if they are not sold.

Answer 2

Expiration dates are meant as guidelines as to how long the product will be the freshest.It doesn't mean that as soon as that day comes you should discard the product.I've had salad dressings in my fridge over a year past the expiry date and they're still good.Milk is okay for a few days after also
as long as it's kept cold it'll last longer.

Answer 3

The dates are estimates, so they definitely don't suggest that the product will expire at a certain time on a certain date. Found an interesting webpage on consumeraffairs.com.

Answer 4

They are only accurate when stored/handled under proper conditions. Refrigeration temperatures may vary from place to place and/or truck to truck(thermometers may not be accurate). Proper storage and handling is imperative to the shelf life of a product.