"According to the story, Al Capone's niece became terribly ill after drinking spoiled milk, and in response, the notorious Prohibition-era gangster supposedly lobbied the Chicago government to require expiration dates. However, there's no hard evidence that this ever actually happened. Also, if you look at the dates on packages, you'll notice that they aren't actually "expiration dates." These dates are usually labeled as "best before" or "use by." They provide guidance on freshness, but there are several important caveats to that."
"In the United States, the only product that is legally required to have a "sell by," "use by", or "best by" label is baby formula. Every other product you buy has a date that was added voluntarily by the manufacturer. Since the labeling is voluntary, manufacturers decide how to define these dates. Federal regulations require it to be true; a company can't say a product will be good long after it will have definitely gone bad."
Food date labels originated in the 1970s and indicate peak freshness rather than an absolute safety cutoff. Common labels include "sell by," "use by," "best by," "best before," and similar phrases that guide freshness and purchasing decisions. Only baby formula legally requires such labeling in the United States; all other dates are voluntary and set by manufacturers. Federal rules require truthful dating but allow manufacturers discretion in definitions and timing. These dates help consumers judge how long items like meat, dairy, and produce remain fresh, but they do not always indicate when food becomes unsafe and can be subject to caveats.
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