OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article <j1TZg.4547$V6.2198@fed1read06>,
> Lobster Man > wrote:
>
> > Not feeling well this week, and I got tired of tea and mineral water, so
> > I bought some bullion cubes at the store. A hot cup of beef bullion is a
> > nice change of pace.
> >
> > Anyway, when I opened the jar, I was struck by the "Best used by" date
> > on the top of the jar. (And the date was only a little over a year in
> > the future...) It's not like a cube of mostly salt can really "go bad",
> > right?
> >
> > I assume it's some stupid FDA food freshness requirement. But it still
> > struck me as ironic.
>
> We have expiration dates on disposable GLASS PIPETTES at work. ;-)
>
> Seems to be a law about that somewhere...
>
> They are not even sterile.

They are probably sterile, but have an expiration date because of how
they're packaged. Folks buy all sorts of stuff for their first aid kit
that's marked sterile; bandages, cotton balls, cotton swabs... even
your tampons. But eventually due to how packaged those items should no
longer be considered sterile. Often medical supplies will say "sterile
unless opened", but how can you determine if it's opened... you can't
just by looking... just from age the seams of that packaging become
breached, all it takes is a pinhole... never trust a condom supplied by
another, especially not you guys when it's given by your girlfriend,
most especially not if she's been trying to get you to marry her...
never let her near your condom supply. Goes for yoose gals too, always
use your own. What a dilemma. Really, the only way is to go to the
drug store together.