[sgerenser]

Have you talked to the food bank about their policy on past-date canned food? I know at least one food bank where they told people not to donate any food past the date as it will get tossed (plus additional staff and volunteer labor to sort through the stuff). I assume this is common for liability reasons at least.

[gus_massa]

Some cans have a long time until expiration date, like 3 years. If the GP keeps the cans for 2.5 years and then donate them when they still have 6 month left until the expiration date, is that enough time for the food bank to use them?

[sodality2]

When I volunteered at my local food bank turnaround was relatively quick. I remember sorting through paper-covered cans just three weeks after we collected the Canstructure donations to the food pantry centers. However, I don't know how soon they were handed out to people; probably pretty quickly (<1 week) because there wasn't much stock in the building.

It probably depends on location and population.

[lookalike74]

Most food banks in the U.S. use tolerances that go months beyond the dates on packaged and canned foods and also take into account the integrity of the cans/packages. Fresh prepared foods like bakery items are repackaged for quick redistribution. Fruits/veggies (which are a very small portion of what food banks get) are distributed according to their condition but otherwise spoil the same there as anywhere else. And larger foodbank systems distribute things to the agencies - where people who need food actually go - using these guidelines and sometimes have the same food storage methods as grocery distribution centers might. Liability is a concern, but more in the sense of distributing healthy, useful food vs lawsuits.

[hcknwscommenter]

Sounds like someone at the "at least one food bank" doesn't understand that there literally is no liability for past-date canned food. I am pretty sure dates on canned food wasn't a thing when I was growing up. It's just another way of prodding the customer to consume.

[thaumasiotes]

> It's just another way of prodding the customer to consume.

Not really; expiration dates are printed on food (including canned food) because customers want them. Manufacturers are responding to, not attempting to drive, customer demand.

[pempem]

Not sure that's true: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1rZAT2GtmI

[thaumasiotes]

That video doesn't even address the question. It says, correctly, that the dates have no particular meaning and are generally unregulated. It doesn't say why they're there.

[pempem]

Hah okay: thats a fair point and I googled this just for you - and for future me.

Marks & Spencer introduced them in 1970 in the UK (1) It's true there was a survey of consumers and folks favored them, but I will refrain from posting the enduring veracity and reflectiveness of a survey and point out that consumers likely wanted dates that meant something

They are often meaningless and we can assume the consumer wasn't in love with dates that are more complex than not.

1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sell-and-best-date...