It is difficult to find food product or goods of non-food appointment which would be stored eternally and at the same time it was suitable for the use. On packing or a container of products the producers surely specify an expiration date, but sometimes, buying a product, it is possible to meet the inscription "period of storage", and not each consumer knows in what distinction of these concepts.
What is an expiration date
The baking plate is understood by an expiration date a period of time upon termination of which the product is unsuitable for use or the use. The producer, establishing an expiration date, confirms time frames of the guaranteed quality of goods.
The products on which the obligatory expiration date is established include: perfumery and cosmetics, food, household chemicals, medications. On packing of any given goods information on an expiration date can be placed in several ways: "it is suitable during", "use to", "it is suitable to". At the same time on perishable products the boundary expiration date "hour, day, month" has to be specified. For goods which are suitable for use up to 3 months – "day, month". If the expiration date is higher than 3 months, then information "month, year" is placed.
The products with an overdue expiration date aren't recommended to be used if it is food or medicines. It can cause allergic reactions, disorder of health and poisoning, and even to lead to irreversible consequences.
What is a period of storage
This term means the period throughout which the product, on condition of observance of rules of storage, doesn't lose the properties which have to correspond to technical and normative documents. After a period of storage the food product can remain suitable for the use, however its quality characteristics can be a little reduced.
Generally the storage period is established on types of the food products which aren't demanding accurately limited expiration date, for example, vegetables and fruit. The period of storage is counted of date of production, and specified on packing or a container in two ways: "store to" with the indication of date, or "store during" with interpretation of number of days, months, years.
The quality of goods depends not only on correctly established storage period, but also from properly the created conditions for this purpose. At the same time it is necessary to consider major factors which promote damage of goods - it is the increased humidity, a frost or, on the contrary, too high temperature of air, direct sunshine.
In spite of the fact that at first sight these concepts have much in common, it is necessary to study attentively the expiration dates or storages specified on packing and to understand in what their difference. It is the key to successful high-quality purchase of suitable goods, and will exclude the use spoiled, hazardous to health, products.