Why Do Bottles of Water Have Expiration Dates?
It's summertime. It's hot and sunny and you reach for a cold bottle of water .
You crack open the seal and as you bring the bottle to your lips, you notice the
expiration date two months ago. You thought the bottle seemed a little dusty.
Should you worry?
Of course not water doesn't go bad. Having a freshness date on a bottle of
water makes about as much sense as having an expiration date on sugar or
salt.
There are several reasons why water bottles come with an expiration date. The
main one is government bureaucracy: water is a consumable food product, and
as such, it is subject to laws requiring expiration dates on all consumables,
from bologna to lemonade.
Besides that, the expiration date on bottled water has certain benefits for the
manufacturer.
Although water, in and of itself, does not go bad, the plastic bottle it is
contained in does "expire," and will eventually start leaching chemicals into the
water. This won't necessarily render the water toxic, but it might make it taste
somewhat less than "mountain spring fresh." If consumers contact drink
companies to complain that water they bought several years earlier tastes bad,
the bottlers can point out that it's their own fault for not drinking it by the
expiration date.
Furthermore, many companies bottle water using the same machines they use
to bottle sodas and other beverages which do expire and should carry an
expiration date. It's easier and more efficient to simply put a stamp on all the
bottles (whether needed or not) rather than dedicating a special machine just
for bottled water.
Finally, expiration dates are usually only one element of a printed code that also
identifies the date, bottling plant, and other information. Even though the
expiration date itself is meaningless in terms of water going bad, the
manufacturing information could be useful in tracking down contamination,
bottling errors or product recalls.
# Issued_on_public_interest
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