About this episode

This episode explores the myths and realities behind food expiration dates and their impact on consumer spending.

Most of the dates on your food aren't required by any law and weren't checked by anyone. This episode follows the story from a persistent Al Capone myth about spoiled milk, through the shoppers who cracked grocery stores' secret shelf codes in the 1970s, to the one government study that found the whole dating system doesn't reliably measure freshness at all. Plus the single food category where an expiration date actually is required, and the on-air moment I learned all of this the hard way. 📩 Sign up for exclusive emails and behind-the-scenes context: https://www.lieswebought.com/ 📱 Follow along on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebought Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/

People in this episode

Host: Emily Rask

Topics covered

• expiration dates
• food waste
• corporate strategy
• consumer behavior
• freshness
• grocery stores

Keywords

• expiration dates
• food waste
• Al Capone
• grocery stores
• freshness
• shelf codes
• consumer behavior

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Patreon, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook

More episodes of Lies We Bought

• Extended Warranty: The Fine Print Industry Built on Fear · September 8, 2026 · 17 min
• Guess What Day Is It?: The Line That Took Over Wednesdays · September 1, 2026 · 19 min
• Social Comparison: The Joneses Were Never Real · August 25, 2026 · 17 min
• The Salt Conspiracy: From Ancient Currency to the Himalayan Pink Marketing Trap · August 18, 2026 · 22 min
• An Apple a Day: How a Dying Industry Invented a Health Myth · August 4, 2026 · 22 min
• War on Drugs: The Famous TV Ad That Lied to America · July 28, 2026 · 23 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Lies We Bought podcast page.