# Popcorn Expiration date: 2047 - how is this possible?



## blueagent1999 (Jan 20, 2018)

i bought a bag of popcorners today but i saw that the expiration date on the bag clearly reads "BEST BEFORE - 2047", how on earth is this even possible?

are these chips even safe for consumption if they added enough preservatives to keep it edible until 2047?

i ate half a bag already and i think i'm going to be sick....ugh....


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## fatsquirrel (Jan 20, 2018)

These already look like shit on the packaging, why on earth would you eat them to start with?
Also, I wouldn't touch it with a stick. I prefer real food


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## smf (Jan 20, 2018)

According to their web site, there are no preservatives.

https://ourlittlerebellion.com/index.php/snacks/pop-corners/carniva-kettle-pop-corners.html

"Yellow corn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane sugar, corn starch, sea salt."

As long as it's processed right then they kill all the bacteria and then seal it. The best before date is likely a guess, food is still safe to eat past it's best before date. It might just be a bit chewy.

I went on a health kick, green smoothies etc & wouldn't buy these, I'm sure Donald Trump would though.


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## ThoD (Jan 20, 2018)

Why the hell would you eat that over homemade popcorn?:/ As for expiration, corn, if fried hard enough to explode twice, can actually last for 20 years with no preservatives because there's nothing left on it that can be used as nourishment for microorganisms and stuff to grow on it. That "snack" is basically corn turned to ash then painted over


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## Veho (Jan 20, 2018)

blueagent1999 said:


> i bought a bag of popcorners today but i saw that the expiration date on the bag clearly reads "BEST BEFORE - 2047", how on earth is this even possible?


It's not. Can you take a picture?


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## Haymose (Jan 20, 2018)

I'd eat it. Before 2047 to ensure best flavor.


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## blueagent1999 (Jan 20, 2018)

i took a pic of the expiration date:

https://imgur.com/a/CAUcX

correction: it reads "best by 2043" by the way.


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## Pleng (Jan 20, 2018)

It says best before July 11 2018 (maybe 20:43 is the time; but that's pretty specific...)


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## DinohScene (Jan 20, 2018)

Best before July 11, '18.
2043 could indeed be the packaging time as in hour 20: minute 43.


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## blueagent1999 (Jan 20, 2018)

Pleng said:


> It says best before July 11 2018 (maybe 20:43 is the time; but that's pretty specific...)



ahhhh, the whole "best before JUL1118 *2043*" had me really confused, thanks for clearing this up for me.



ThoD said:


> Why the hell would you eat that over homemade popcorn?:/ As for expiration, corn, if fried hard enough to explode twice, can actually last for 20 years with no preservatives because there's nothing left on it that can be used as nourishment for microorganisms and stuff to grow on it. That "snack" is basically corn turned to ash then painted over



very interesting find! it reminded me of that Y2K episode in family guy where peter finds a Twinkie factory after a nuclear apocalypse or something. i guess popcorn is another thing you can munch on after the nukes fall.


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## ThoD (Jan 20, 2018)

blueagent1999 said:


> ahhhh, the whole "best before JUL1118 *2043*" had me really confused, thanks for clearing this up for me.
> 
> 
> 
> very interesting find! it reminded me of that Y2K episode in family guy where peter finds a Twinkie factory after a nuclear apocalypse or something. i guess popcorn is another thing you can munch on after the nukes fall.


Most probably it's July 18 and 2043 is either production line or time, but if you look at snacks made of corn, some very processed ones can last an extremely long time. I once found one that lasted up to 2039 (it literally read "best by 1/1/2039"). Was crap though, just awful snack


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## leonmagnus99 (Jan 20, 2018)

nvm that is confusing

edit: @ op sometimes the very same thing happens to me too with some products, but worse than what is shown for you.

at times the date on certain things can be so confusing.

but even when the date seems okay, do not eat stuff when it taste like sh1t.


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## Dionicio3 (Jan 20, 2018)

Salt helps preserve food items for a long time


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## ThoD (Jan 20, 2018)

Dionicio3 said:


> Salt helps preserve food items for a long time


Salt helps a little if at normal amount. In order to preserve for long time there needs to be a ton of salt in order to drain all liquids (eg: dried jerky).


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## Axido (Jan 20, 2018)

There's food that's edible without any side effects for years and years and doesn't really get bad at all. Salt for example only has an expiration date (over here at least), because pre-packaged food items (or ingredients like in this case) aren't allowed to be sold without one. Other food items that don't really expire are:

- Vinegar
- Spaghetti
- Rice
- Sugar
- Cornstarch (or cornflour, whatever word you prefer)
- Liquor (as I like to say "Liquor doesn't go bad, it only gets stronger" )
- Maple sirup
- Clarified butter
- Honey
- Water (though you shouldn't take that for granted unless it's distilled water)

So, if you got something that is made solely out of those products, your food might survive longer than you will.
Canned food btw is non-expirable (if that's even a word) as long as it's unopened and the can is unharmed.


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## ThoD (Jan 20, 2018)

Axido said:


> There's food that's edible without any side effects for years and years and doesn't really get bad at all. Salt for example only has an expiration date (over here at least), because pre-packaged food items (or ingredients like in this case) aren't allowed to be sold without one. Other food items that don't really expire are:
> 
> - Vinegar
> - Spaghetti
> ...


Expiration date doesn't mean it's inedible past that date, it just means that after that point it loses it's taste and healthy benefits. Iodine salt turns into plain salt some time after it's expiration date, so there's a reason for it. Honey hardens and it's saccharide turns into the type sugar has, making it less healthy. Butter and milk products lose their taste or turn sour, but don't expire as long as they are kept in a airtight container (eg: closed milk bottle) and so on. Water loses it's minerals after a decade, spaghetti develops mold and basically everything at some point needs replacing.


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## _Chaz_ (Jan 20, 2018)

blueagent1999 said:


> are these chips even safe for consumption


Sure, until 2047.
But seriously, grains tend to have ridiculously long shelf-lives when packaged properly (i.e. foil-lined bags filled with nitrogen instead of oxygen). In fact, it's not uncommon for military rations from decades ago to still have edible components despite using, for the most part, natural ingredients.
Finding the list of ingredients for this product (specifically the "Carnival Kettle" variety) wasn't too tough, and it's a lot more concise and natural than I originally would have thought.


			
				Our Little Rebellion said:
			
		

> *Ingredients:* Yellow corn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane sugar, corn starch, sea salt.


That said, it IS still a junk food. So while it is safe to eat, and the ingredients don't raise any red flags unless you're going paleo (why would you be eating corn anyway?), it's probably not what I would call "healthy", but you could very easily do a lot worse.


fatsquirrel said:


> I wouldn't touch it with a stick. I prefer real food


What a sad ploy for validation.


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## Axido (Jan 20, 2018)

ThoD said:


> Expiration date doesn't mean it's inedible past that date, it just means that after that point it loses it's taste and healthy benefits. Iodine salt turns into plain salt some time after it's expiration date, so there's a reason for it. Honey hardens and it's saccharide turns into the type sugar has, making it less healthy. Butter and milk products lose their taste or turn sour, but don't expire as long as they are kept in a airtight container (eg: closed milk bottle) and so on. Water loses it's minerals after a decade, spaghetti develops mold and basically everything at some point needs replacing.



Though I don't disagree with most of what you said, those are some special cases, especially iodine salt and saccharine (which would still be fine after losing their special healthiness factor).
Distilled water (which I preferred to recommend over regular water, since you never know what's in that stuff) shouldn't have lots of minerals to begin with, hence the term "distilled" (or "purified", if you like that better). Honey, btw, can be heated a few times to become liquid again. 
Everything needing replacing at some point might be right in general, but I'm thinking in the dimensions of only a lifetime, so I that's a tough statement for me personally. When speaking of hundreds of years and more, I'd totally agree with that.


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## blueagent1999 (Jan 21, 2018)

wow thanks for sharing all this invaluable knowledge on food with me everyone! i'm a huge junk food maniac but from now on i'll be more careful with what i put in my mouth. 

thanks again for all your help everyone!


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## jefffisher (Jan 21, 2018)

i a gogurt last year i found in my uncles old couch that had expired 14 years prior, tasted fine. expiration is more of a suggestion in most cases.


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## RayD97 (Jan 21, 2018)

I enjoyed this


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## Justinde75 (Jan 21, 2018)

black magic


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## wormdood (Jan 21, 2018)

Pleng said:


> (maybe 20:43 is the time; but that's pretty specific...)





DinohScene said:


> 2043 could indeed be the packaging time as in hour 20: minute 43.


so i am the only one who worked in a factory that made food . . . these numbers represent the batch number and the d4ip represents the factory (or vice versa)


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## ThoD (Jan 21, 2018)

jefffisher said:


> i a gogurt last year i found in my uncles old couch that had expired 14 years prior, tasted fine. expiration is more of a suggestion in most cases.


As I said in a previous post, milk products NEVER expire provided that they remain sealed. If it's not opened, then the worst that can happen is for the taste to be kinda bad, but it's 100% just as healthy for you to consume.


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> As I said in a previous post, milk products NEVER expire provided that they remain sealed. If it's not opened, then the worst that can happen is for the taste to be kinda bad, but it's 100% just as healthy for you to consume.



Milk products do expire.
Honey never expires.


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## ThoD (Jan 21, 2018)

DinohScene said:


> Milk products do expire.
> Honey never expires.


As long as they aren't opened, things like milk and yogurt NEVER expire, but the taste does go bad. That is because they are sealed without air, so there's no way for bacteria to grow in/on them. However, things like cheese do expire as normal, since it doesn't come packed airtight (or if it does, it still wasn't in a sterile environment at the factory). Honey does expire after 19-22 years if we are talking about 100% bee honey, but can last up to 30 years with proper packaging.


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> As long as they aren't opened, things like milk and yogurt NEVER expire, but the taste does go bad. That is because they are sealed without air, so there's no way for bacteria to grow in/on them. However, things like cheese do expire as normal, since it doesn't come packed airtight (or if it does, it still wasn't in a sterile environment at the factory). Honey does expire after 19-22 years if we are talking about 100% bee honey, but can last up to 30 years with proper packaging.



Milk expires, yogurt expires.
Idk what kind of chemical rubbish you're eating but shit like that does expire.
But, if you're so confident about it, I dare you to keep a packet of milk in the fridge and drink it after a year past its sell-by-date.

And no, honey never expires.
Archaeologists discovered jars of honey inside the pyramids, crystallized but perfectly edible after thousands of years.


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## dimmidice (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> As long as they aren't opened, things like milk and yogurt NEVER expire, but the taste does go bad. That is because they are sealed without air, so there's no way for bacteria to grow in/on them. However, things like cheese do expire as normal, since it doesn't come packed airtight (or if it does, it still wasn't in a sterile environment at the factory). Honey does expire after 19-22 years if we are talking about 100% bee honey, but can last up to 30 years with proper packaging.


Why would milk products never expire? Take me through your logic here.


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## ThoD (Jan 21, 2018)

DinohScene said:


> Milk expires, yogurt expires.
> Idk what kind of chemical rubbish you're eating but shit like that does expire.
> But, if you're so confident about it, I dare you to keep a packet of milk in the fridge and drink it after a year past its sell-by-date.
> 
> ...


For starters, let's get something out of the way. Expiration dates don't mean a thing, what they are for is to show when is the latest point in time you can consume something without it having lost it's taste. What do you think the "best before" means? Now, about milk and yogurt... Both are made in sterile environments and at the point just before they are packaged, they get filtered and packaged airtight, making it impossible for bacteria to grow in them. If opened at least once after that point, then they do expire normally, but if they remain closed, the taste may go incredibly sour, enough to make you puke, but they are exactly just as edible and healthy as they were when packaged. Without air and sealed right after sterilization, there can't be any microorganisms, bacteria, etc. growing. Do you understand how it works? It's like meat, it only rots if there's oxygen. Dry it (water contains oxygen too) and keep it in a airtight package and it can last for hundreds of years.

As for the example about honey you mentioned...


ThoD said:


> Honey does expire after 19-22 years if we are talking about 100% bee honey, but can last up to 30 years *with proper packaging.*


The jar in question wasn't broken or anything, it was filled all the way up with honey and sealed tight, so again, no air, means no expiration.


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## dimmidice (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> For starters, let's get something out of the way. Expiration dates don't mean a thing, what they are for is to show when is the latest point in time you can consume something without it having lost it's taste. What do you think the "best before" means? Now, about milk and yogurt... Both are made in sterile environments and at the point just before they are packaged, they get filtered and packaged airtight, making it impossible for bacteria to grow in them. If opened at least once after that point, then they do expire normally, but if they remain closed, the taste may go incredibly sour, enough to make you puke, but they are exactly just as edible and healthy as they were when packaged. Without air and sealed right after sterilization, there can't be any microorganisms, bacteria, etc. growing. Do you understand how it works? It's like meat, it only rots if there's oxygen. Dry it (water contains oxygen too) and keep it in a airtight package and it can last for hundreds of years.
> 
> As for the example about honey you mentioned...
> 
> The jar in question wasn't broken or anything, it was filled all the way up with honey and sealed tight, so again, no air, means no expiration.


So your claim is that if you keep sterilized milk closed it'll last forever. Would this then not be true for a lot of  products? Milk definitely does not "NEVER" expire as you claim. It'll last a long time when sterilized and sealed but not forever certainly. A few months, a few years perhaps even.


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> For starters, let's get something out of the way. Expiration dates don't mean a thing, what they are for is to show when is the latest point in time you can consume something without it having lost it's taste. What do you think the "best before" means? Now, about milk and yogurt... Both are made in sterile environments and at the point just before they are packaged, they get filtered and packaged airtight, making it impossible for bacteria to grow in them. If opened at least once after that point, then they do expire normally, but if they remain closed, the taste may go incredibly sour, enough to make you puke, but they are exactly just as edible and healthy as they were when packaged. Without air and sealed right after sterilization, there can't be any microorganisms, bacteria, etc. growing. Do you understand how it works? It's like meat, it only rots if there's oxygen. Dry it (water contains oxygen too) and keep it in a airtight package and it can last for hundreds of years.
> 
> As for the example about honey you mentioned...
> 
> The jar in question wasn't broken or anything, it was filled all the way up with honey and sealed tight, so again, no air, means no expiration.



Then why aren't you drinking milk that passed its sell-by-date by a year or two?

I'm sorry but that just isn't applicable in the real world.
It might be under extreme ideal conditions but ask your physician if it would be a good idea to drink year old milk.
I'm pretty sure you'll get laughed at and get a *no* in response.

Milk isn't packaged in a 100% sterile environment, neither is yogurt.
There's always bacteria present during production.

There's some rules set up about contamination in food products.
<X amount of insect parts.
<X amount of bacteria.

Again, if you're so confident that your milk has an indefinite shelf life, please, visually record yourself drinking years old milk.
And keep the camera rolling for an hour minimum.
I'll bet you 10 quid that you'll regret it within the hour.


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## ThoD (Jan 21, 2018)

dimmidice said:


> So your claim is that if you keep sterilized milk closed it'll last forever. Would this then not be true for a lot of  products? Milk definitely does not "NEVER" expire as you claim. It'll last a long time when sterilized and sealed but not forever certainly. A few months, a few years perhaps even.


If you want to go about it like that, then yes, it won't last forever, it will only last until the carton gets too old and starts breaking down or until the glass bottle starts having it's atoms come loose.



DinohScene said:


> Then why aren't you drinking milk that passed its sell-by-date by a year or two?
> 
> I'm sorry but that just isn't applicable in the real world.
> It might be under extreme ideal conditions but ask your physician if it would be a good idea to drink year old milk.
> ...


Those "rules" are different per country and in Europe at least, milk needs to be processed in a 100% sterile environment after it's collected (meaning from point of pasteurization to packaging). And bacteria packaged in milk develop almost instantly, reason it goes bad if left open and out of the fridge for more than a couple minutes. Yogurt is filtered right before being packaged (as prior to that it's impossible) and sealed tight, so it's similar case. I'm talking about things from actual production lines, not your grandma's cow milk in case you still haven't gotten that. In the US though where they allow up to 93% rot/bacteria on food and 76% insects/dirt, yeah, milk shouldn't even be consumed


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> Those "rules" are different per country and in Europe at least, milk needs to be processed in a 100% sterile environment after it's collected (meaning from point of pasteurization to packaging). And bacteria packaged in milk develop almost instantly, reason it goes bad if left open and out of the fridge for more than a couple minutes. Yogurt is filtered right before being packaged (as prior to that it's impossible) and sealed tight, so it's similar case. I'm talking about things from actual production lines, not your grandma's cow milk in case you still haven't gotten that. In the US though where they allow up to 93% rot/bacteria on food and 76% insects/dirt, yeah, milk shouldn't even be consumed



Well, if you're so certain of it being safe.
Then why aren't you drinking year old milk then?

No food that gets processed is 100% sterile, unless you bombard it with radiation.
Which isn't done.


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## 330 (Jan 21, 2018)

Liquid honey does *not *spoil for a combination of two factors. First, the high sugar concentration kills any bacteria that reproduces by osmotic lysis and no life form can survive for long. Second, the low moisture level makes sure that no organism can develop anything. This is true as long as the moisture level is under 18%.

Basically, any food that meet these two criterias can virtually last forever. They may lose some taste or health value but they're still perfectly edible.

As for milk, only the powder one can last for an indefinite period of time.



By the way, one should always follow the expiration dates if you don't live in a bunker. I have no idea why someone would go on and keep food for more than 6 months. Hell, I do have a bunker and replace the emergency food every 2 years (and before anybody asks yes, I donate it while they're still long before expiration dates).


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## DeadlyFoez (Jan 21, 2018)

jefffisher said:


> i a gogurt last year i found in my uncles old couch that had expired 14 years prior, tasted fine. expiration is more of a suggestion in most cases.


You are disgusting and should be put down.


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## ThoD (Jan 21, 2018)

DinohScene said:


> Well, if you're so certain of it being safe.
> Then why aren't you drinking year old milk then?
> 
> No food that gets processed is 100% sterile, unless you bombard it with radiation.
> Which isn't done.


For the simple reason that I can hardly afford to get enough food to get by every month, if I got milk in the fridge it doesn't last even 3 days, I drink a lot of it and eat a mountain of food (got a health condition requiring me to eat almost 8 times the normal amount). And just to end this, go read how bacteria develop and how production lines are for things like milk.



330 said:


> Liquid honey does *not *spoil for a combination of two factors. First, the high sugar concentration kills any bacteria that reproduces by osmotic lysis and no life form can survive for long. Second, the low moisture level makes sure that no organism can develop anything. This is true as long as the moisture level is under 18%.
> 
> Basically, any food that meet these two criterias can virtually last forever. They may lose some taste or health value but they're still perfectly edible.
> 
> ...


The only thing I keep for so long it could go bad is flour (too lazy to cook with it), but besides that, I always replace everything withing 2-3 months, unless it's things like cans. And thanks for the explanation. Honey hardens when exposed to air for too long though, reason I said that in such a case it will spoil (it won't be liquid anymore so things can develop on it's crust).


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## Clydefrosch (Jan 21, 2018)

note that like 2 years in the future is about the longest best before time they can put on anything that isn't canned i think.
like, salt has a best before date cause the date is mandatory and has to be within regulation.


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

ThoD said:


> For the simple reason that I can hardly afford to get enough food to get by every month, if I got milk in the fridge it doesn't last even 3 days, I drink a lot of it and eat a mountain of food (got a health condition requiring me to eat almost 8 times the normal amount). And just to end this, go read how bacteria develop and how production lines are for things like milk.
> 
> 
> The only thing I keep for so long it could go bad is flour (too lazy to cook with it), but besides that, I always replace everything withing 2-3 months, unless it's things like cans. And thanks for the explanation. Honey hardens when exposed to air for too long though, reason I said that in such a case it will spoil (it won't be liquid anymore so things can develop on it's crust).



Still doesn't change the fact that milk and yogurt expires ;')
Mate, you're full of shit.

I know how production lines work.
Hell, me bf worked on a production line before and he says that it isn't brilliantly clean as you're made to believe.


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## 330 (Jan 21, 2018)

DinohScene said:


> Hell, me bf worked on a production line before and he says that it isn't brilliantly clean as you're made to believe.


Hey, a little OT here, but is it true that people spit in some boxes?


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

330 said:


> Hey, a little OT here, but is it true that people spit in some boxes?



He hasn't seen it but he would do it.
Also asked him if it gets checked, he said "checking for what!?" so yeh, you can safely assume that production lines aren't as hygienic as you are taught to believe.


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## 330 (Jan 21, 2018)

DinohScene said:


> He hasn't seen it but he would do it.
> Also asked him if it gets checked, he said "checking for what!?" so yeh, you can safely assume that production lines aren't as hygienic as you are taught to believe.


I'm liking the reply for honesty. As for the rest... gross XD


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## leon315 (Jan 21, 2018)

why on this earth are there still anyone would eat those popcorns when u can buy mais and cook them at home?? it's ez cheesy


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## DinohScene (Jan 21, 2018)

330 said:


> I'm liking the reply for honesty. As for the rest... gross XD



Well, you wouldn't know who has spat in your jar of peanut butter or box of chocolates or w/e.
You'd eat them without thinking about it.

Just the flow of how everything goes n what not.


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## Pleng (Jan 22, 2018)

ThoD said:


> Expiration dates don't mean a thing, what they are for is to show when is the latest point in time you can consume something without it having lost it's taste. What do you think the "best before" means



I don't know how it works where you're from, but everywhere I've lived there are two types of expiry date: "best before" and "use by". Both pretty self explanatory... And milk has always been sold with "use by" dates.


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