[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...