Why Does Bottled Water Have an Expiration Date?
If you’re buying bottled water, you may wonder why it has an expiration date. Some manufacturers stamp the date on the bottle. It’s a process that saves manufacturers money, but it doesn’t actually change how the product is produced.
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Bottled water manufacturers have been printing the expiration date on the bottle for some time. It’s important to know how to handle a bottled water that is past its expiration date. This way, you can ensure that the product is fresh and tastes the best it can. But it can also be a health hazard, as the plastic will leach chemicals into the liquid.
The Food and Drug Administration has not officially regulated how long bottled water can last. However, most bottled water producers have given their bottles a two-year expiration date. In theory, that means that a two-year-old bottle of water should be safe, as it hasn’t been exposed to heat, chemicals, or anything else that would cause it to go bad.
While the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to put an expiration date on their bottled water, the law doesn’t prevent them from doing so. Manufacturers must produce the bottles in a manner that meets good manufacturing practices. They should be refrigerated when they’re opened, and they shouldn’t be kept near household chemicals, or exposed to intense heat.
As long as the bottles are properly sealed, it’s unlikely that they’ll become contaminated. However, if the bottle is left open for an extended period of time, the flavor of the water may change. Because of this, some bottled water companies include a “best before” or “use by” date on their labels. These dates don’t guarantee that the water will be free of contaminants, but they do show consumers the quality of the product.
The government’s requirement that food and beverage products have expiration dates has been a controversial subject for a long time. Some people believe that the bottlers of bottled water are trying to get consumers to buy new water, and they can point the finger at consumers who don’t drink their bottled water by the date on the label. Ultimately, the decision is up to the consumer, but some experts say it’s a good idea to check the expiration date before purchasing bottled water.
The New Jersey Department of Health has stated that it’s not required by federal law to print an expiration date on bottled water. However, some manufacturers include a date on their packaging in order to comply with the state’s law. Other bottles have a “best before” or “use before” date, which is meant to reflect the manufacturer’s best quality standards.
Despite the fact that some bottled water companies have begun giving every bottle a two-year expiration date, it’s a guessing game. Since it’s easy to get inaccurate information about how much time a product is likely to last, a lot of bottled water makers have gone back to putting an expiration date on each bottle.