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Can I still use this salt? (iili.io)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Well, I understand that with some years in an plastic bowl, the salt may absorb some substances and microplastics. But about Honey, what comes in glass jars? There they also put an expiration date, even though still edible honey has been found in several thousand years old Egyptian tombs.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The expiration date - unless it's a different legal definition where you are from - is not really about being edible, but just signifies the guarantee the producer gives, basically "up until this date we will guarantee this product will maintain the expected quality". In this case, I think it will be them not guaranteeing that the salt won't have drawn water from the air and clumped up or something like that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

i think what you are describing is the "best before date". the expiration date instead works as OP describes it: after the expiration the product should be tossed.

i usually see expiration dates on fish and meat. afaik honey never comes with an expiration date; the best before date is probably only relevant for the taste of the honey, not for its safety.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Oh, true, I did not realise "Best Before" exists in that way, due to English not being my first language. But yes, that makes a lot of sense.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's required by law so they have to put something.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)

As weird as it sounds, this actually isn't true in general. Except on baby formula, it's not required by federal law. Some states require it and some don't, but it's more or less put there voluntarily by everyone because they don't want spoiled stuff going around with their name on it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

Youre also more likely to replace it after its "expired"

[–] psud 2 points 6 months ago

If some states require use by dates, then companies selling nationally will put use by dates on their products whether they make sense or not

[–] ma11en 3 points 6 months ago

Probably down to the seals on glass jars with metal lids.

Plastic bottles same as previous answers.

[–] 5oap10116 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

As a plastics engineer, I would be more concerned with the heavy metals in Himalayan pink salt. Also, any microplastics wouldn't be "absorbed". If anything the salt would abraid the container through shaking which could scrape the walls and grind out some small particles over time. That being said, the plastics used for these types of applications are relatively virgin and frequently don't contain any additives aside from possible colorants or glass fill or something line that.