Checking Expiration Dates

I have been a merchandiser for many years. I work for a merchandising company that represents many large manufacturers. One of my duties is to check product rotation and pull expired. Well, don't bother reaching to the back of the shelf unless I have recently been to that store and rotated that product. Grocery staff is low paid, part time, and way over worked. If the stockers actually took time needed to stock incoming product to the back they'd probably be fired for not being able to complete shelf stocking in time allowed. Fact is very few items will actually be properly rotated, and yes this includes Dairy, Frozen, and even meat. I know because I spend a lot of time pulling expired product (carts full) in these and all other catagories. Walmart is one of the worst for non-rotation. Honestly thier stockers don't care, and neither does management because they get credit when the merchandising reps bring them a cart full of expired product.

Also you don't have to spend a whole lot of time worrying about expiration dates. Most canned and boxed food is safe and fine to eat waaay past the date on the package. Same is true of Frozen and Dairy, albeit tos a somewhat lesser extent. Eggs when refridgerated are good for at least 6 months, the carton is probably dated for 2. If packaged food looks and smells good it most probably is, especially if only a few months after date. Manufactures don't do anything magic to come up with the date, they are required to have one so it's just a guess. In fact the only item the health dept. will cite a store for having expired onthe shelf is baby food. I spend a lot of time pulling expired baby food, from the back of the shelf.