CVS lawsuit makes us wonder: What's the oldest food in your kitchen?
In my mother's cabinet is a can of sardines from the 60's. I'm sure of this because whether or not the food's gone bad, the font expired in 1972. It's always a bad sign when you don't recognize the packaging, or worse it gives you flashbacks. And do they even sell sardines anymore? Mom grew up in the era of suburban bomb shelters, which may explain why she eats canned fish and doesn't believe in expiration dates. Especially when it comes to pantry items.
Mom's not so different from CVS. This week, the drug store giant agreed to compensate the state of Pennsylvania and its consumers after stocking it's shelves with expired food products. According to the website WalletPop:
"The settlement announced today by state Attorney General Tom Corbett is the latest in a string of cases nationwide that includes New York,California and Connecticut. In Pennsylvania, consumers had complained about expired over-the-counter drugs, infant formula, baby food, dairy products and other food."
Expiration dates are there for a reason, though some believe in unwritten dates. (Cereal, still a good a year after it's expiration date? College kids, weigh in here.) But sometimes, the food that lives in your pantry isn't even intended for consumption. It's apocalypse, break glass in case of emergency sustenance. It also makes your pantry look more complete. In my case, it's a bottle of ketchup and it's in the fridge. I'm pretty sure it expired 4 years ago. But it still looks exactly the same. Anyone else, want to back me up: What's the oldest food item in your kitchen?
