– How do they determine the food products expiry date?

Question

Like how can a canned tuna stay edible after almost a year? or other products such as chips or chocolates, etc.

In: 3

Answer 1

Some OK answers here- yes, unless it’s baby formula an actual expiration date isn’t required by law, and yes, some are well by dates, not expiration dates. But, manufacturers can have a ‘shelf life study’ or an aging study done. Basically, they have the product put into an accelerated aging chamber, and remove it at specific intervals to test for bacteria and things of that nature. The accelerated aging chamber is sort of like a controlled oven, and increases degradation and bacterial growth along a known curve. The study then gives enough information to estimate expiration times.