Does expiration date matter?

[space1101]

I recently ordered a case of Nature's variety cat canned food from Petflow.  I'm very disappointed.  The expiration date is April 2012, four months away from now.  Does it matter the expiration is so near?

Wouldn't the nutrition get lost with time after being manufactured?

 

[Willowy]

That's the sell-by date. Canned food stays good for a long time (basically forever if air doesn't get in. But flavor and texture will suffer with age). I wouldn't feed canned food that's 10 years expired, but I'd be OK with one or two years past that date.

I did notice that canned food expirations dates are closer than those of dry food. It's kind of alarming how long dry food lasts! I've seen some dated 5 years from now.

 

[space1101]

Ok, thanks. I guess it is not so bad then...

 

[jennyr]

People have opened and tested canned food that is up to 50 years old and it has been OK to eat! Not that I would do that, though . Seriously, up to at least a year after the date on the can, assuming there are no dents or water damage, and that it has been kept in reasonable condition, should be fine. I agree that I would be more worried about dry food.

 

[ducman69]

Are you sure its the sell by date?   

These should be considered "quality" rather than "safety" dates, as the food may be sterile, however, the quality of the food inside the can does degrade over time.     Luckily meat is a low-acid food, but the USDA indicates it should still be used within 2-5 years of manufacture or the color, texture, and flavor will be poor as while its sealed from bacteria the acids still alter the food inside the can.

 

[ducman69]

I did notice that canned food expirations dates are closer than those of dry food. It's kind of alarming how long dry food lasts! I've seen some dated 5 years from now.

It makes sense since the food is dry and therefor won't degrade in quality while packaged like the wet which is more or less constantly marinating in its own juices. 

 

One thing of note though is that I believe those dates count for while the bag is still hygienically sealed, since once opened to the air oxidation of the fats will naturally occur.   Shredded cheese often has a really long use-by date, but once you open the package you're really supposed to use it within a week.     That's one unfortunate thing about my autofeeders is that its not perfectly sealed, but my home stays at 45% humidity and below 78oF even during the summer so I'm not too worried.  Just as an added precaution though, after filling the reservoir I seal the lid to the container with black electrical tape so exposure is minimized.

 

[space1101]

Are you sure its the sell by date?   

These should be considered "quality" rather than "safety" dates, as the food may be sterile, however, the quality of the food inside the can does degrade over time.     Luckily meat is a low-acid food, but the USDA indicates it should still be used within 2-5 years of manufacture or the color, texture, and flavor will be poor as while its sealed from bacteria the acids still alter the food inside the can.

I checked Nature's variety's website, it says the shelf life is 2 years from manufacture, and they normally stamp the date as 2 years from manufacture.  

So does that mean the quality of the canned food isn't altered as long as it is within 2 years of manufacture date?  

Should I worry about the vitamin inside?  Has it lost some vitamin ?

I've never gotten canned food that are going to expire soon.  That's why I'm worried.

 

[parsleysage]

Shredded cheese often has a really long use-by date, but once you open the package you're really supposed to use it within a week. 

Uh.... oops.  I'm surprised I'm not dead.  Of course my butter has been expired for about a month but I'm still using it, too.

 

[Willowy]

How soon are you going to use it? It may start to lose nutritional quality after that date but I doubt it'll lose so much as to be unsafe, as long as it's used within a year or so.

Well, yeah, all "expiration dates" are assuming the package is unopened. . .just try to keep open canned food for 2 years from date of manufacture! :tongue2:

 

[ducman69]

Wait a second... why does the label say cheddar cheese, but there's blue cheese inside.  Oh well.  Nomnomnom! 

 

[feralvr]

I believe the date stamped on the bottom of the cans is the "best by" date. My daughter is a manager at Petco and when the can's reach that date they throw them out I tell her to bring them home to me and I will feed them to my feral's (within a two month period though) The date is stamped on the can to tell the consumer that they are guaranteeing the can to be good until the end of that month and year. I personally would not feed my six any wet food past that "best by" date. With my luck lately, they would all get sick .....

 

[meuzettesmom]

I once bought a fowl ordered can chicken from Natural life. It wasn't suppose expire until three months after I bought it. But it was bad. I took it back, open can and all. Evidence. Maybe it depends on the heat and the freezing conditions too. I never did buy another can of that. Meuzette put a thumbs down on that one

 

[space1101]

Thanks alot for the information.

I  rotate different brands and flavours,  If their expiration date is too near to the date I buy it, I have to use that case right away, can't really rotate.  I thought stores sell nature's variety canned food quickly.  How do they  keep the lamb flavour from so far back? I am wondering if there is any online store that carries fresher canned food.   Does anyone know any online store where I can buy freshest cat cans with better expiration dates?

 

[annonymous]

I also ordered two cases of Instinct Healthy Weight canned food from Pet Flow. I checked the expiration date and found that it's in four months. I'm disappointed. I really hesitated ordering food online. I normally buy local.

 

[2bcat]

Oddly, I had the opposite experience recently. Bought a few cans at a small store and they were much closer to the best before date than what I typically receive from online stores. It's a small store and these items just must not sell that quickly for them.

A "fresh" can of cat food usually has a best before date over 2 years in the future from your purchase date. I think the date stamp is usually 3 years from date of packing. But cans are very stable ways of keeping food. Best before dates are for best taste and best quality, not for safety. And also for artificial throw out date so you buy more. ;-) Even human food is known to last several years in cans. Pop top cans are a little less stable I guess than the ones you need a can opener for, but as long as the top is intact it should be fine probably well past those dates.