> wrote in message
...
>I hardly ever see an expiration date on food anymore. So, what's the
>difference
> between the "sell by" date and the "expiration" date? I'm especially
> concerned
> with eggs and milk but also about other foods once they're opened.
> Thanks.

The sell by date is when they have to pull it off the shelf if it hasn't
sold. It may or may not be good at that point. If you have it at home it's
up to you to decide whether or not to use it. Most milk is still good 7
days after you open them.

Eggs are easy to tell if they are fresh or not. Put one in water. If it
sinks, it's still good. If it floats, toss it.

Once you open something it can go bad quickly. But it depends on what it
is. Here's some info.:

http://www.fmi.org/consumer/foodkeeper/brochure.cfm