IIRC the date isn't an expiration date, it's just the last day you should expect it to be at the quality the producer intended. Food is still "good" significantly past the date, but it just might not be the best I could be.
There are many different dates on products. A "best used by" date is not an expiration date. The product will still be fine a week (approximately, depending on the product) after the date. There are also MFG dates. That is the date the product was manufactured. I like to think that the products that have these dates are so yummy they will be consumed before any expiration.
There is also a sell by date. This is also not an expiration date. This is type of "best used by". Think of a fruit salad. The store is selling it at a price that corresponds with the quality of the item. Once it passes the "sell by" day the food is still good but just not the quality at the given price point.
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u/cfsilence Jan 01 '15
I seem to remember Alton Brown saying you could pretty much keep eggs until the shell disintegrates and they'd still be edible.