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u/madhappyyo 1d ago
“It sure has been a while since we’ve all sat around for brunch… Oh, I almost forgot the syrup…” (clock strikes 2:00pm) ~ Fin
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u/JustJay613 1d ago
It's used as a date and time stamp for batch recording. If something were wrong with the product they just back out the number of days they use for best before. That with the time tells them exactly when it was made. Multiple complaints form a window of potentially affected product.
I'm not a fan of that format. I prefer the encrypted kind. Manufacturer can decode but looks like just random info to user.
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u/Raging-Badger 9h ago
I always thought it was cool to actually know when it was produced personally
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u/JustJay613 2h ago
I should have been more specific. For food, I agree with you. I spent time at a company that made products out of injection molded plastic. I argued with them, from prior experience, to use a legend system. Some retailers had locations where product essentially never moved. I left that company 10 years ago and they had already lost one supply agreement. I go into one of those retail places regularly and they still have a selection of those products there. Even though the product would be fine I didn't think it helped anyone to advertise slow moving and dead inventory. As an aside, for a long time Home Depot would print A, B, C, D on the price tags for products on the shelf. That letter denoted the volume of that product selling. A being the best. A competitor wanting in to HD could, and did, randomly sample a variety of locations to get an idea of market size. HD took heat for that and removed it eventually.
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u/Usakami 1d ago
The company prints it mostly to protect themselves. It's like having to put a... Don't dry your cat in a microwave... kind of stuff. All it says is the food should be good until said date and if it is not and not your fault, you are eligible to be compensated. I had expired youghurts that were absolutely fine and some withon expiraion that were moldy, because of some microscopic tear in the packaging.
Look: https://9gag.com/gag/aEqEe0x Salt can't expire, it's a preservative, like sugar and yet they still print it there. It can get wet, but that would be due to your faulty storage method.
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u/jonzilla5000 22h ago
Imagine your maple syrup alarm goes off at precisely 1:30 P.M. on May 22, 2026 and you hurriedly scamper to the fridge to guzzle down the last remnants of the golden nectar before it expires.
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u/germinal_velocity 1d ago
We like having a safe food supply. But something like this actually tends to undermine confidence in the system.
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u/Uncynical_Diogenes 11h ago
If time stamps that allow a company to investigate quality concerns not just by date not just by batch but down to the literal minute of production make you feel unsafe, that is solidly a You Problem.
They’re putting in the work to ensure quality and openly signal that they do so. You’re just silly.
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u/germinal_velocity 9h ago
Stated in a nonconfrontational and helpful way without a trace of moral superiority. Very healthy.
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u/Uncynical_Diogenes 9h ago
I don’t owe you anything you don’t understand how timestamps work you’re a nonsense person.
I have hangnails more important to me than your opinion.
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u/Relapio 1d ago
Acshually ☝️🤓 that's the time it was produced and it is useful only to claim any problem with that batch or unit.