Sell-by Dates

I've always thought sell-by and use-by dates are an insult to our common sense.  We have eyes to see and noses to smell whether food is bad or not, and for things like biscuits, well, it's a question of whether you don't mind them a bit soft.  Out-of-date biscuits, for example, aren't going to do you any harm.

What does do harm to the whole world is the amount of food waste this creates as children are raised who take them seriously.  A young neighbour whose whole family lives on benefits came to borrow some bread.  She said, on reading the label, "You'd have had to throw this away anyway tomorrow, it's out of date". When you come across one such opinion you know that it must be that of many more and I find that very distressing.

But this was meant to be on a lighter note altogether, because I saw some envelopes that had a sell-by date.  I thought it was a joke.  However, now they are past that date, and of course they were self-stick and don't self-stick any more.  Did the manufacturer hope I would now throw them away and buy some more?  Well, I'm not, of course, but have to look for the cellotape every time I use one.  Never saw what was wrong with licking them myself.  At least my tongue is always where I know where to find it!