Expiration Dates

April 2026

By Richard Fleming

Expired bottle of oregano, photo by Richard Fleming

One of many characteristics that distinguish older folks from the younger generations is the vast array of expired products which fill our homes. Adults of all ages have items scattered around – in pantries, in the back of shelves, hiding in the garage, and in the refrigerator – that are past their expiration date. But in my experience, the silver generation stands out in both the quantity of such products and how far out-of-date they are.

When our kids are visiting, they occasionally rummage around the kitchen in search of food or the bathroom in search of some over-the-counter meds. And it is not unusual for one of them to come up to me holding a bottle in their hands, shaking their head, and saying, “You do know this is expired, right? Why is it still in the medicine cabinet?”

I often counter with, “You do know those expiration dates are not really valid, right? It’s still in the medicine cabinet because it is fine to use products for some time after their alleged expiration date.”

They come back with, “But this thing expired five years ago.”

At that point, there is little I can say, and I sheepishly acknowledge it might be a good idea to just put it in the trash.

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I must say I am actually amazed at how many expired items my wife and I have. From old jars of canned tomatoes, to small containers of oregano and paprika, to anti-histamines and decongestants, to you-name-it, we have a lot of too-old things scattered widely throughout our house. I recently found a container of baking powder whose smudged expiration date was so old I could no longer make it out. Was the “use by” date May 2024 or Apr 2014? It was impossible to know.

It is true that many expiration dates are a bit flexible. As far as food, milk can usually be used for at least several days after its “use by” date. Eggs are usually safe for several weeks after. A lot of non-refrigerated food stuffs can be used for years, like salt, sugar, white vinegar, and others.

For many non-food items, like lotions, cleaning products, etc., expiration dates tend to be suggestions more than mandates. As far as OTC meds, if they’ve been kept at a stable temperature, they are almost always good for a year or so after their “use by” date.

But it is true that for many products, expiration dates offer a reasonably good idea about when they need to be discarded.

It would be interesting to have a contest with other seniors to see who can lay claim to possessing the most out-of-date product. I’m sure there are decent, high-minded people living among us who retain some goods or products that expired at some point in the prior century. If you feel like sharing this information, please consider posting in the comments section.

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So why does this happen? Why do old people have so many more old products than younger folks? And why are our expired goods so much further out-of-date than those found in younger folks’ homes?

I suspect it is partly connected to the problem that many seniors have with clutter. Our homes tend to acquire and retain stuff. Stuff of all kinds. It is almost like the force of gravity in old people’s homes grows more powerful over time. This force pulls in a constantly increasing stream of items over many long years. And it becomes increasingly difficult for these products to escape the gravitational field.

Another factor is that many seniors try to be thrifty souls. We hate to throw out things that might be usable or edible even if they are past their expiration date. Is the “use by” date really valid? Why buy a new container of coriander when that one on the shelf is only two (OK, maybe four) years out of date? Another factor is that if we buy a new jar, we are unlikely to use the whole thing up before it too expires, which would be wasteful. And does it even matter if the coriander in the old bottle is less pungent? I mean, who really likes coriander anyway.

OK, I understand I’m drifting into overt rationalization. I fit the pattern of old folks having a lengthy experience with deflection and rationalization. We’ve had years of practice. Being able to rationalize is in our job description. This does not mean our practice of ignoring “best by” dates is optimal. I will certainly agree we should be a bit more conscious of the need to dispose of items before too much time elapses post-expiration. We seniors need to be more responsible about de-cluttering our homes, and eliminating out-of-date goods fits right in.

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In closing, I need to mention the most important things in the home whose expiration dates merit attention. Their dates are important but can be very hard to decipher. I’m referring to the expiration dates of the people living in the home. My wife and I are in our, um, early-ish-70s. We have each had various health problems, but fortunately are doing fairly well, all things considered. It would be great to know our expiration dates. It would help with planning and budgeting. It would be useful for our kids and grandkids to know.

But there is no way to know our own expiration dates. And that is part of the mystery and magic of aging. So we will remain in place for the time being. That being said, there is room for debate on whether we’ve passed our “best by” dates, but let’s leave that topic alone for now.

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