Expiration date - Use by date

[Amish Country]

According to the web site www.snopes.com there is some evidence of instances where pancake mix used past it's expiration or use by date has become toxic due to mold contamination.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

[mixin]

Re: Expiration date - Use by date

From the Snopes site: Mix that is wrapped with a foil pouch, waxed paper or plastic should be ok to use beyond its expiration date. If the mix is contained only in a cardboard box, then it should be used by the expiration date. The cardboard box only type is susceptible to mold and that can cause problems with anyone who has mold allergies.
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I was glad to know this because I have thrown away a lot of mixes, even though they were additionally wrapped in plastic or foil, due to them being past their expiration date.

I just had a huge discussion yesterday with a store manager about selling moist cat food past its "best before" date. Some of the packs were dated best before 07/2009; so I questioned the quality of a product that was sitting around in some warehouse for 6 months. The discussion did not go well.