How should I interpret this expiry date?
I have a just opened plastic 4L container of cranberry juice that I bought several months ago. The expiry date on the container is 14 DE 15. I don't know if that should be interpreted as 14 Dec 2015, or 15 Dec 2014.
In general I have this problem with many expiry dates and am curious if there is any kind of standard.
Best Answer
According to this government website from Canada, the date on your product should be read as 15th of December of 2014. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/fact-sheets/date-labelling/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633
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Quick Answer about "How should I interpret this expiry date?"
Is expiry date MA March or May?
Remember: "MA" is May/mai, and "MR" is March/mars. But if you forget when you see "MA" or "MR" on a package, here's a mnemonic: Say the letters "M A"\u2014 "emm may"\u2014 it sounds like "a May". Say the letters "M R"\u2014 "emm arr"\u2014 it sounds like "a Mar", missing only the end of the syllable, "...How do you read the 5 digit expiration date?
For canned food and ready-to-eat meals, check the packaging for a 5-digit code that signifies when the food was manufactured. In this code, the first 2 numbers stand for the year, while the last 3 represent the day of the year.How Are Expiration Dates Determined ? Are they just suggestions?
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Answer 2
Based on the comments below it looks like the first value may actually the year.
It's very unlikely that a can bought in late 2014 would expire in 2014 unless your store is carrying some very old stock. I have seen this type of expiration on other cans and it's been clear that the format is Day Month Year (31 DE 14 or 31 Dec 14). Seems like poor labeling on the part of the manufacturer by not including a 4-digit year.
Other formats I have seen are:
2015 Dec 14
Dec 14 15
Dec 14 2015
12 14 2015
I don't think I have seen a format where a two-digit year is the first value.
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