> >
> > > Hey! Beef jerky has an expiration date. Who knew?
> > >
> > > When I was at the grocery store this weekend, I picked up some vinegar. It had an expiration date on it. Vinegar goes bad? How can you tell?
> > >
> > > -Faux "I'm no Howard" Pas
> >
> > It gets cloudy and a sediment on the bottom. Years ago it was referred to as the "mother" I believe. Beef jerkey can get moldy.
>
> What about bottled water? We had some water that was sold in milk jug containers at a grocery store I worked at while I was in high school and it had an expiration date on it. Water? I thought it just evaporated.
>
> Wedge

FDA requires expiration dates on all food products. Laboratory stability test data must support this date. This includes package degradation and product-package interaction. A range of shipping and storage conditions are examined. People who perform this testing are often college educated and recieve annual salaries comparable to those of public school teachers.

In the case of water, package stability is the main issue. I live in earthquake country and it is recomended that bottled water and non-perishable food be kept on hand. It has been my experience that bottled water kept longer than one year has a good chance of escaping its plastic jug and infiltrating the surrounding territory.

At one year of age, this water would be perfectly acceptable under crisis conditions. I just pour it down the drain because under normal circumstances it tastes too much like the plastic jug for anyone to want to drink it.