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{{Short description|Length of time that a commodity may be stored before it degrades}}
[[File:Expiration.jpg|thumb|This pack of diced pork says 'Display until' 7 May and 'Use by' 8 May.]]
 
'''Shelf life''' is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed.</ref> In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a supermarket shelf (unfit for sale, but not yet unfit for use). It applies to [[cosmetics]], [[food]]s and [[drink|beverage]]s, [[medical device]]s, [[medicine]]s, [[explosive]]s, [[medication|pharmaceutical drug]]s,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.pharmtech.com/protecting-solid-dose-shelf-life|title=Protecting Solid-Dose Shelf Life|last=Forcinio|first=Hallie|date=2 October 2018|work=Pharmaceutical Technology|access-date=8 November 2018|publisher=UBM|issue=10|volume=42}}</ref> [[Chemical substance|chemical]]s, [[tire|tyre]]s, [[Electric battery|batteries]], and many other [[decomposition|perishable]] items. In some regions, an advisory ''best before'', mandatory ''use by'' or ''freshness date'' is required on packaged perishable foods. The concept of [[expiration date]] is related but legally distinct in some jurisdictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/fact-sheets-and-infographics/date-labelling/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633|title=Date Labelling on Pre-packaged Foods|first=Government of Canada,Canadian Food Inspection Agency,Public|last=Affairs|website=www.inspection.gc.ca|date=21 March 2012 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
 
==Background==
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Shelf life is the recommended maximum time for which products or fresh (harvested) produce can be stored, during which the defined quality of a specified proportion of the goods remains acceptable under expected (or specified) conditions of distribution, storage and display.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gyesley |first= S. W. |date=January 1991|title=Total Systems Approach to Predict Shelf Life of Packaged Foods|publisher=[[ASTM International]].: Food Packaging Technology|pages=46–50|editor1-first=DK|editor1-last=Henyon|id=ASTM STP 1113-EB|doi=10.1520/STP14842S|chapter= Total System Approach to Predict Shelf Life of Packaged Food Products |isbn= 978-0-8031-1417-3 }}</ref>
 
According to the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA), "canned foods are safe indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures, or temperatures above 90 °F (32.2&nbsp;° C)". If the cans look okay, they are safe to use. Discard cans that are dented, rusted, or swollen. High-acid canned foods (tomatoes, fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months; low-acid canned foods (meats, vegetables) for 2 to 5 years.<ref name="USDA-FAQ">{{cite web|title=Food_Product_Dating|url=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating|access-date=2015-04-24}}</ref>
 
"Sell by date" is a less ambiguous term for what is often referred to as an "expiration date". Most food is still edible after the expiration date.<ref name=CA-EXP>''See'' {{cite web |url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/nutrition/expiration_dates.htm |title=Expiration dates |publisher=Consumer Affairs |access-date=11 November 2011}}</ref> A product that has passed its shelf life might still be safe, but quality is no longer guaranteed. In most food stores, waste is minimized by using [[stock rotation]], which involves moving products with the earliest sell by date from the warehouse to the sales area, and then to the front of the shelf, so that most shoppers will pick them up first and thus they are likely to be sold before the end of their shelf life. Some stores can be fined for selling out of date products; most if not all would have to mark such products down as [[Food waste|wasted]], resulting in a financial loss.
 
Shelf life depends on the degradation mechanism of the specific product. Most can be influenced by several factors: exposure to [[light]], [[heat]], moisture, transmission of [[gas]]es, mechanical [[Stress (physics)|stresses]], and contamination by things such as micro-organisms. Product quality is often mathematically modelled around a parameter (concentration of a chemical compound, a microbiological index, or moisture content).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Azanha |first= A.B.|author2=Faria |date=July 2005 |title=Use of mathematical models for estimating the shelf-life of cornflakes in flexible packaging|journal=Packaging Technology and Science |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=161–222 |doi=10.1002/pts.686 |s2cid= 136702424|doi-access=free }}</ref>
 
For some foods, health issues are important in determining shelf life. Bacterial contaminants are ubiquitous, and foods left unused too long will often be contaminated by substantial amounts of bacterial colonies and become dangerous to eat, leading to [[food poisoning]]. However, shelf life alone is not an accurate indicator of how long the food can safely be stored. For example, pasteurized milk can remain fresh for five days after its sell-by date if it is refrigerated properly. However, improper storage of milk may result in bacterial contamination or spoilage before the expiration date.<ref>{{cite web|title=Can You Drink Milk Past Its Sell-by Date?|url=https://www.healthyeating.org/Milk-Dairy/Dairy-Facts/Milk-Storage-Handling/Article-Viewer/Article/1587/Can-You-Drink-Milk-Past-Its-Sell-by-Date.aspx|website=Dairy Council of California|access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref>
 
=== Pharmaceuticals ===
The [[expiration date]] of pharmaceuticals specifies the date the manufacturer guarantees the full potency and safety of a drug. Most medications continue to be effective and safe for a time after the expiration date. A rare exception is a case of renal tubular acidosis purportedly caused by expired [[tetracycline]].<ref>{{cite journal | pmc = 1395800 | pmid=15266231 | volume=6 | issue=2 | title=Recycling expensive medication: why not? | journal=MedGenMed | pages=4 | last1 = Pomerantz | first1 = JM | year=2004}}</ref> A study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covered over 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The study showed that about 90% of them were safe and effective as long as 15 years past their expiration dates. Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, said that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most expired drugs are probably effective.<ref>{{Cite news
| last=Cohen
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| date=2000-03-28}}</ref>
 
Shelf life is not significantly studied during drug development{{dubious|date=February 2012}}, and drug manufacturers have economic and liability incentives to specify shorter shelf lives so that consumers are encouraged to discard and repurchase products. One major exception is the [[Shelf Life Extension Program]] (SLEP) of the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] (DoD), which commissioned a major study of drug efficacy from the FDA starting in the mid-1980s. One criticism is that the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) refused to issue guidelines based on SLEP research for normal marketing of pharmaceuticals even though the FDA performed the study. The SLEP and FDA signed a memorandum that scientific data could not be shared with the public, public health departments, other government agencies, and drug manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usamma.army.mil/dod_slep.cfm |title=US Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA) |publisher=Usamma.army.mil |date=2013-11-20 |access-date=2014-02-08 |archive-date=2015-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318065350/http://www.usamma.army.mil/dod_slep.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> State and local programs are not permitted to participate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2009/2009-03-27-max_st_local_med_cntr.html |title=Maximizing State and Local Medical Countermeasure Stockpile Investments Through the Shelf-Life Extension Program. |publisher=Upmc-biosecurity.org |access-date=2014-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118131537/http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2009/2009-03-27-max_st_local_med_cntr.html |archive-date=2013-01-18 }}</ref> The failure to share data has caused foreign governments to refuse donations of expired medications.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/archive/200003/msg00076.php |title=Essentialdrugs.org |publisher=Essentialdrugs.org |access-date=2014-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211033851/http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/archive/200003/msg00076.php |archive-date=2013-12-11 }}</ref> One exception occurred during the 2010 [[Swine flu (outbreak in the US)|Swine Flu Epidemic]] when the FDA authorized expired [[Tamiflu]] based on SLEP Data.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm154962.htm |title=Stockpiled Antivirals at or Nearing Expiration |publisher=Fda.gov |access-date=2014-02-08}}</ref> The SLEP discovered that drugs such as [[Cipro]] remained effective nine years after their shelf life, and, as a cost-saving measure, the US military routinely uses a wide range of SLEP tested products past their official shelf life if drugs have been stored properly.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.usamma.army.mil/assets/docs/dlar.pdf {{Webarchive| title=Materiel quality control storage standards regulation | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209041117/http://www.usamma.army.mil/assets/docs/dlar.pdf | archive-date=2017-12-09 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Heat Sealing Film for Permeability Test.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Package testing]]: heat sealing film for evaluation of shelf life of lettuce]]
 
=== Packaging factors ===
[[Preservative]]s and [[antioxidant]]s may be incorporated into some food and drug products to extend their shelf life. Some companies use [[induction sealing]] and [[vacuum]]/oxygen-barrier pouches to assist in the extension of the shelf life of their products where oxygen causes the loss.
 
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Just as temperature increases speed up reactions, temperature decreases reduce them. Therefore, to make explosives stable for longer periods, or to keep rubber bands springy, or to force bacteria to slow down their growth, they can be cooled. That is why shelf life is generally extended by temperature control: ([[refrigeration]], [[insulated shipping container]]s, controlled [[cold chain]], etc.) and why some medicines and foods ''must'' be refrigerated. Since such storing of such goods is temporal in nature and shelf life is dependent on the temperature controlled environment, they are also referred to as [[cargo]] even when in special storage to emphasize the inherent time-temperature sensitivity matrix.
 
[[Temperature data logger]]s and [[time temperature indicator]]s can record the temperature history of a shipment to help estimate their remaining shelf life.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meyers |first= T |date=June 2007 |title=RFID Shelf-life Monitoring Helps Resolve Disputes|journal=RFID Journal |url=http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3357/1/128/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511212848/http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3357/1/128/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 11, 2008 }}</ref>
 
According to the [[USDA]], "foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely.".<ref name="USDA-FAQ" /><!-- Excerpt: "product dates aren't a guide for safe use of a product ... Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn't matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely." -->
 
==Packaging==
Passive barrier packaging can often help control or extend shelf life by blocking the transmission of deleterious substances, like moisture or oxygen, across the barrier.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.pharmtech.com/protecting-solid-dose-shelf-life|title=Protecting Solid-Dose Shelf Life|last=Forcinio|first=Hallie|date=2 October 2018|work=Pharmaceutical Technology|access-date=8 November 2018|publisher=UBM|issue=10|volume=42}}</ref> [[Active packaging]], on the other hand, employs the use of substances that scavenge, capture, or otherwise render harmless deleterious substances.<ref name=":0" /> When moisture content is a mechanism for product degradation, packaging with a low [[moisture vapor transmission rate]] and the use of [[desiccant]]s help keep the moisture in the package within acceptable limits. When [[oxidation]] is the primary concern, packaging with a low [[oxygen transmission rate]] and the use of [[oxygen absorber]]s can help extend the shelf life. [[Produce]] and other products with respiration often require packaging with controlled barrier properties. The use of a [[modified atmosphere]] in the package can extend the shelf life for some products.
 
==Issues associated with sell by / use by dates==
According to the UK [[Waste & Resources Action Programme]] (WRAP), 33% of all food produced is wasted along the [[cold chain]] or by the consumer.<ref>Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK, WRAP 2009</ref> {{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} At the same time, a large number of people get sick every year due to spoiled food. According to the [[WHO]] and [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]], every year in the USA there are 76 million [[foodborne illness]]es, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs237/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040227020759/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs237/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 27, 2004|title=WHO - Food safety and foodborne illness<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
 
According to former UK minister [[Hilary Benn]], the use by date and sell-by dates are old technologies that are outdated and should be replaced by other solutions or disposed of altogether.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/kitchen-bin-war-tackling-the-food-waste-mountain-1698753.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Kitchen bin war: tackling the food waste mountain | first=Rachel | last=Shields | date=2009-06-07 | access-date=2010-05-23}}</ref> The UK government's [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] revised guidance in 2011 to exclude the use of sell-by dates. The guidance was prepared in consultation with the food industry, consumer groups, regulators, and [[Waste & Resources Action Programme]] (WRAP). It aims to reduce the annual £12bn of wasted supermarket food.<ref name="guardian government bins">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/15/food-waste-sellby-dates | title=Government bins 'sell-by' dates to reduce food waste | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=2011-09-15 | access-date=September 15, 2011 | author=Batty, David | location=London | quote=The "sell-by" date on food packaging is to be removed in a bid to cut the £12bn worth of food needlessly binned every year. [...] The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs produced the guidance in consultation with the food industry, consumer groups, regulators, and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).}}</ref>
 
==Regulation==
{{Globalize|article|Anglophone|2name=[[English-speaking world|the English-speaking world]]|date=December 2014}}
 
===Canada===
[[File:Best before Canada.JPG|thumb|A best before date used on the bottom of a box in Canada]]
The [[Canadian Food Inspection Agency]] produces a '' Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising'' which sets out a "Durable Life Date".<ref name="durable">{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/guide-to-food-labelling-and-advertising/eng/1300118951990/1300118996556|title=Food Labelling for Industry|first=Government of Canada,Canadian Food Inspection|last=Agency|website=www.inspection.gc.ca|date=18 March 2015 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/guide/ch2ae.shtml#a2_11|title=Food Labelling for Industry|first=Government of Canada,Canadian Food Inspection|last=Agency|website=www.inspection.gc.ca|date=18 March 2015 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> The authority for producing the guide comes from the [[Food and Drugs Act]]. The guide sets out what items must be labelled and the format of the date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/consumer-centre/food-safety-tips/labelling-food-packaging-and-storage/date/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633|title=Date Labelling on Pre-packaged Foods|first=Government of Canada,Canadian Food Inspection Agency,Public|last=Affairs|website=www.inspection.gc.ca|date=21 March 2012 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> The month and day must be included and the year if it is felt necessary and must be in the format year/month/day. However, there is no requirement that the year be in four digits.<ref name="durable"/>
 
===European Union===
In the EU food quality dates are governed by Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, "On the Provision of Food Information to Consumers".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&from=da |title=Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011, on the provision of food information to consumers... |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref>
 
====Germany====
In Germany, practices differentiate between the "Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum" (MHD), roughly minimum shelf-life and "Verbrauchsdatum", which is more in line with the common expiry date. Products that spoil quickly, such as minced meat, have to be given a Verbrauchsdatum and are barred from sale upon expiry. Other products are given Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum, which is set by the individual producers of said product and do not bar the product from being sold past the date determined. Products with an expired MHD may be sold if the seller is satisfied that the goods are in perfect condition. Accordingly, it follows that the customer is not entitled to compensation if he unintentionally acquires a product with an expired shelf life, provided that the product can still be regarded as faultless. Neither the MHD nor the Verbrauchsdatum provide legal rights if a product is no longer fit for consumption before the indicated date and the manufacturer can prove the credibility of his claims.
 
The MHD has been criticized for possibly causing food waste. For example, the then Minister Christian Schmidt complained that many still edible foods with an expired MHD would be thrown away by consumers who would misunderstand the MHD as an expiration date.<ref>{{citation|periodical=Deutschlandfunk|title=Lebensmittelverschwendung - Haltbarkeitsdatum - künftig ohne?|language=de|url=http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/lebensmittelverschwendung-haltbarkeitsdatum-kuenftig-ohne.724.de.html?dram:article_id=354639|access-date=2018-03-25}}</ref>
 
===Hong Kong===
In Hong Kong, prepackaged food which from the [[microbiology|microbiological]] point of view is highly perishable and is therefore likely after a short period to constitute an immediate danger to human health, are required to use the 'Use by' label instead of the 'Best before' label. Examples include pasteurised fresh milk, packed egg and ham sandwiches, etc. Dates are usually presented in the DD MM YY (or YYYY) format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/files/Read_the_Food_Labels_e.pdf#Page=4|title=Centre for Food Safety|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>
 
===United Kingdom===
According to the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]], dates must be in the day/month or day/month/year format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb132629-food-date-labelling-110915.pdf|title=Guidance on the application of date labels to food|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> Technical expertise should be hired for regular end of shelf life safety and quality testing. Shelf life trials should be conducted using the same ingredients, equipment, procedures and manufacturing environment as will be used during the actual production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fdf.org.uk/corporate_pubs/shelf-life-guidance.pdf|title=Do's and Don'ts of Setting The Shelf Life|access-date=2019-04-01|archive-date=2019-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401134243/https://www.fdf.org.uk/corporate_pubs/shelf-life-guidance.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===United States===
Sale of expired food products, ''per se'', is lightly regulated in the US. Some states restrict or forbid the sale of expired products, require expiration dates on all perishable products, or both, while other states do not.<ref>{{cite web|title=Get Your Money's Worth at the Grocery Store|url=http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/119195/ocn793126312.pdf|website=State Library of Massachusetts|publisher=State of Massachusetts|access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref> However, sale of contaminated food is generally illegal, and may result in [[product liability]] litigation if consumption of the food results in injury.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Buzby|first1=Jean|last2=Frenzen|first2=Paul|title=Food safety and product liability|journal=Food Policy|date=December 1999|volume=24|issue=6|pages=637–651|doi=10.1016/S0306-9192(99)00070-6}}</ref>
 
After losing a lawsuit, pharmacy chain [[CVS Pharmacy|CVS]] implemented a system that causes its registers to recognize expired products and avert their sale.<ref>http://www.consumercal.org/article.php?id=1779 @1:40</ref>
 
Voluntary industry guidelines announced in 2017 from the [[Grocery Manufacturers Association]] and the [[Food Marketing Institute]] recommend using only "best if used by" or "use by", to avoid confusion that leads to [[food waste]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515841132/new-guidelines-seek-to-provide-clarity-on-food-expiration-dates|title=New Guidelines Seek To Provide Clarity On Food Expiration Dates|website=NPR.org|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> In 2019, the [[Food and Drug Administration]] urged food manufacturers to adopt the voluntary standards.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/05/23/726 To Reduce Food Waste, FDA Urges 'Best If Used By' Date Labels]</ref>
 
====Federal regulation====
The [[Food and Drug Administration]], which regulates packaged foods and drugs, only requires a use-by, or expiration, date on infant formula and some baby foods, because formula must contain a certain quantity of each nutrient as described on the label.<ref>{{cite web|title=Did you know that a store can sell food past the expiration date?|url=https://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/transparency/basics/ucm210073.htm|website=FDA|publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration|access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref> If formula is stored too long, it may lose its nutritional value.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Magoulas|first1=A.K.|title=$AVE Money by Knowing When Food is Safe|url=https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2014/08/save_money.html|website=FoodSafety.gov|publisher=U.S. Department of Health & Human Services|access-date=30 May 2017|date=7 Aug 2014}}</ref>
 
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates fresh poultry and meats, only requires labeling of the date when poultry is packed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Food Product Dating|url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating|website=USDA|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref> However, many manufacturers also voluntarily add sell-by or use-by dates.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yee|first1=Aubrey|title=Food Expiration Dates|url=http://www.sustainableamerica.org/blog/food-expiration-dates/|website=Sustainable America|access-date=30 May 2017|date=24 Sep 2012}}</ref>
 
The DoD Shelf-Life Program operates under the DoD Regulation 4140.1-R, DoD Material Management Regulation, (<ref name="DoD 4140.27‑M Shelf-Life Management Manual">{{cite web|title=The DoD Shelf-Life Program - Shelf-Life Management Manual - DoD 4140.27-M - Chapter 1, General|url=https://www.shelflife.hq.dla.mil/policy_DoD4140_27.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101033246/http://www.shelflife.hq.dla.mil/policy_DoD4140_27.aspx|archive-date=2007-01-01}}</ref>)
<blockquote>
A. There are items in the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Federal Supply System that require special handling due to certain deteriorative characteristics. These items are to be properly maintained to ensure that the customer is provided fresh, useable material. The purpose of this Manual is to establish a shelf-life program and process, with special emphasis on those items having these known deterioration characteristics, to mitigate the risk of shelf-life expiration and lapses of shelf-life items/material beyond their inspect/test dates.<br />
 
B. Provide policy and basic procedures for the management of both non-consumable and consumable shelf‑life items that may be hazardous material (HAZMAT) or non-hazardous material, spanning all classes of supply and stored at all levels of the Federal Supply System. Shelf-life management for hazardous material follows the same procedures as those for any shelf-life items, except that hazardous material should receive priority processing over non-hazardous material. Issues and guidelines concerning the acquisition, storage, handling, transportation, and disposal of hazardous material are addressed in Chapters 3 and 5 of this Manual. Class I perishable subsistence, Class III bulk petroleum, Class V ammunition, and Class VIII-B blood, are excluded from this Manual and shall continue to be managed in accordance with existing regulations. Commodities excluded from this Manual may be represented by their respective DoD Component to the DoD Shelf-Life Board. The definitions for “classes of supply” may be found in Appendix 16 of DoD 4140.1-R.<br />
 
C. This Manual endorses the pollution prevention measures in DoD Instruction 4715.4 for hazardous material (HAZMAT) minimization (HAZMIN), as well as, the establishment of hazardous material control and management (HMC&M) philosophies which include consolidation and reutilization practices that embrace HAZMIN and HAZMAT elimination to reduce the hazardous waste (HW) stream.<br />
 
D. Appendices A through K augment this Manual and furnish additional information germane to the DoD Shelf-Life Management Program. Appendix L serves as a quick reference index to this Manual.
</blockquote>
 
==Beer==
 
===Freshness date===
A ''freshness date'' is the date used in the American brewing industry to indicate either the date the beer was bottled or the date before which the beer should be consumed.
 
Beer is perishable. It can be affected by light, air, or the action of bacteria. Although beer is not legally mandated in the United States to have a shelf life, freshness dates serve much the same purpose and are used as a marketing tool.
 
===Beginnings of freshness dating===
[[Eugene Selvage#Lucky Lager Brewing Company|General Brewing Company]] of San Francisco marketed their [[Lucky Lager]] Beer as "Age Dated" as early as late 1935.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XaEfHBz2uaYC&q=Lucky+Lager+Beer+Age+Dated&pg=PA72|title=Great American Beers: Twelve Brands That Became Icons|first=Bill|last=Yenne|publisher=Voyageur Press|access-date=1 September 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781610603966}}</ref> They stamped a date on each can lid to indicate that the beer was brewed before that date. This was not to ensure that the beer was "fresh" but to ensure that it had been aged properly. So many breweries had rushed beer to market before it was ready when Prohibition ended, that customers were wary of getting "green" beer.
The [[Boston Beer Company]], maker of [[Samuel Adams (beer)|Samuel Adams]], was among the first contemporary brewers to start adding freshness dates to their product line in 1985. For ten years there was a slow growth in brewers adding freshness dates to their beer. The practice grew in popularity after the [[Anheuser-Busch]] company's "Born-On dates" starting in 1996.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} Many other brewers have started adding freshness dates to their products, but there is no standard for what the date means. For some companies, the date on the bottle or can will be the date that the beer was bottled; others have the date by which the beer should be consumed.
 
==Related concepts==
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Some glues and adhesives also have a limited storage life, and will stop working in a reliable and usable manner if their safe shelf life is exceeded.
 
Rather different is the use of a time limit for the use of items like vouchers, gift certificates and pre-paid phone cards, so that after the displayed date the voucher etc. will no longer be valid. Bell Mobility and its parent company, BCE Inc. have been served with notice of a $100-million class-action lawsuit alleging that expiry dates on its pre-paid wireless services are illegal.<ref>[http{{Cite web|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/100m-class-action-alleges-expiry-dates-bell-pre-150805068.html] {{webarchive|urlarchiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516235849/http://ca.news.yahoo.com/100m-class-action-alleges-expiry-dates-bell-pre-150805068.html|dateurl-status=dead |title=News & Analysis &#124; Yahoo News Canada|archivedate=May 16, 2012|website=Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines}}</ref>
 
== See also ==
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* [[Redox]]
* [[Shelf stable]]
* [[Yellow sticker]]
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