"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Sheldon wrote:
>> On Oct 6, 1:29?am, "Default User" > wrote:
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>> Glasswalker wrote:
>>>>> Hey all.
>>>
>>>>> Just wondering how long deli meat can be expected to store in the
>>>>> fridge? I'm talking about meat (in this case salami, pastrami, and
>>>>> pepperoni) sliced and purchased from the deli in the local
>>>>> supermarket. This deli in particular wraps the meat with some
>>>>> paper, and then puts it in a zip top bag with a slider zipper.
>>>
>>>> Read the "use by" date on the package.
>>>
>>> What package? He's talking about stuff purchased from the deli. I've
>>> never seen any dates on those.
>>
>> You never will. If they have a scale that generates a weight/$$ label
>> it will also print the date of sale, but not a use-by date.... pre-
>> packaged, factory sealed cold cuts are labeled with a *sell*-by date
>> but not a use-by date. Even fresh meats have no use-by date, only a
>> sell-by date. But then Jill is different from the rest of us, she has
>> a butcher buddy who fills her personal needs.
>>
> You're just jealous because you never thought about asking the butcher to
> grind meat for you. At any rate, I don't buy cold cuts. I despise cold
> sandwiches. But I'm pretty sure at the deli they can slap on a sticker
> that
> says "use by".
>
I would think the supermarket/deli would be opening themselves up to a
liability lawsuit if they did that. A 'use-by' date only applies to the
unopened package. In this case the unopened package would be the entire
hunk of bologna or cheese or whatever that the deli cuts from. Depending
upon when they cut into the primary cut, how quickly it is being sold and
how it was handled, as Sheldon says, the clock is ticking.
Janet