"W. Baker" > wrote in message
...
> Ozgirl > wrote:
>
>
> : "W. Baker" > wrote in message
> : ...
> : > Julie Bove > wrote:
> : > : I could be wrong here but I believe you said you either work at
> a
> : > food bank
> : > : or have worked at one. If this is true, I have a question. Do
> they
> : > take
> : > : expired food? This subject came up on a couponing site where
> many
> : > people
> : > : are saying they donate their expired food. But there is one
> woman
> : > there who
> : > : works at a food bank and she said they are unable to give it out
> and
> : > have to
> : > : just toss it. She said they toss most of the food donated
> because
> : > the cans
> : > : are dented or the food is badly expired. Some by as much as
> years.
> : > Yet
> : > : there are other people who claim their food bank does take
> expired
> : > food or
> : > : that they themselves have gotten expired food from a food bank.
> I
> : > know
> : > : there is no universal answer on this and each food bank would be
> : > different.
> : > : I just would never donate expired food. To me that seems like a
> : > mean thing
> : > : to do.
> : >
> : > : Thanks!
> : >
> : > The food banks I am associated with, both in NYC and Margaretville
> : > discard
> : > all expired food. I believe that it is the law in NYC. I,
> myself,
> : > have
> : > often used slighly outdated food with no harm. Of course, I do
> : > examine it
> : > to make sure the can and the contents are all OK.
>
>
> : Are they expired dates or best by dates? Canned food will last for
> years
> : after best by. Packaged or fresh obviously don't. I have received
> cans
> : past best by date from food banks and nothing wrong with them. Pity
> the
> : rules couldn't be bit more lenient especially for canned foods. I
> was
> : given a bunch of stuff when an aunt died and I made buttermilk
> pancakes
> : from a powdered mix in sachets that were 7 years past the expiry
> date. I
> : lived And the quality was great.
>
> It is the date that is usually eithe rstamped on the top or sometimes
> in
> raised letters on the top. I know that I keep my home made jam in
> jars
> that I sterilize for years on occasiona, but , appparantly, the
> government is trying to not have the peole at the food banks have to
> use
> an judgement once the date is passed. What I love is the guessy
> donations
> of cans with n paper labels, so you have no idea what is inside:-)

When I was a teenager a friend's father used to buy unlabelled stuff
very cheap. He wrote down the codes stamped on the bottoms of the can so
when he went to buy them he knew what he was buying.