# sell by dates



## josseffy (Jul 2, 2012)

if i have a product, ie bacon, which has a sell by date of, say, 10th july, and i smoke/cure it, so it is technically a different product, can i apply an extended sell by date ??


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## oldschoolbbq (Jul 2, 2012)

josseffy said:


> if i have a product, ie bacon, which has a sell by date of, say, 10th july, and i smoke/cure it, so it is technically a different product, can i apply an extended sell by date ??


josseffy,Welcome to the Forum , please check by our rollcal section : http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/133/roll-call    (point and click)

 and properly introduce yourself and let us know where you are from/at , this helps us to answer your quest with the proper info. for your area.

I'm thinking you are going to re-sell it? (I'm thinking not) , if for yourself- take care and check for spoilage.

If I might ask, what other product are you working on
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  What is your equipment and technique
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  

I'm thinking , Smoke your own Bacon Bellies , and save a lot of money and it will last a lot longer with no extra chemicals to enhance or preserve.

There will be more by in a bit to clarify more (the Bacon Guru's), so,

Have fun and...


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## chef jimmyj (Jul 2, 2012)

With regards to dating... http://www.fsis.usda.gov/pdf/food_product_dating.pdf

　

*What is dating?*

[font=Verdana,Verdana][font=Verdana,Verdana]"Open Dating" (use of a calendar date as opposed to a code) on a food product is a date stamped on a product’s package to help the store determine how long to display the product for sale. It can also help the purchaser to know the time limit to purchase or use the product at its best quality. It is not a safety date. After the date passes, while not of best quality, the product should still be safe if handled properly and kept at 40 °F or below for the recommended storage times listed on the chart (see below). If product has a "use-by" date, follow that date. If product has a "sell-by" date or no date, cook or freeze the product by the times on the chart below.[/font][/font]

*Is dating required by federal law?*

[font=Verdana,Verdana][font=Verdana,Verdana]Except for infant formula (see below), product dating is not generally required by Federal regulations. However, if a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and day of the month (and the year, in the case of shelf-stable and frozen products). If a calendar date is shown, immediately adjacent to the date must be a phrase explaining the meaning of that date such as "sell by" or "use before."[/font][/font]

[font=Verdana,Verdana][font=Verdana,Verdana]There is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the United States. Although dating of some foods is required by more than 20 states, there are areas of the country where much of the food supply has some type of open date and other areas where almost no food is dated. [/font][/font]

*However laws vary from state to state. You need to check local regulations.*

Are you in the retail Meat business? Or just looking to settle a difference of opinion?

Today is 7/2, if a Grocery Store has 50Lbs of Ground Beef labeled with the Sell By Date of 7/4 and tomorrow 7/3 they decide to make it in to Ready to Eat Meatloaf. It does not have to be sold by 7/4. It is assigned a new Sell by Date.  Going from one Raw product to another, technically, Raw product may be a different situation.

This is a good question for Pops. I'll send a PM to his attention...JJ


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## scarbelly (Jul 2, 2012)

We need more specific information to give you a safe answer. You wouldn't recure bacon so more detail is needed to help.


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## pops6927 (Jul 2, 2012)

josseffy said:


> if i have a product, ie bacon, which has a sell by date of, say, 10th july, and i smoke/cure it, so it is technically a different product, can i apply an extended sell by date ??


Do you mean you have fresh uncured and unsmoked sidepork belly that is used to make bacon, and a sell by date on that product is 10 July, then if you smoke and cure it into bacon, does it extend the sell by date?   Of course it would, as you are changing the chemistry of the product into an entirely different, new and adulterated product.  Plus, to perform that to its finality would take longer than 10 July anyways, and the process of making it into bacon using a cure extends the life of the product also, depending on the properties and processes used, can be up to a year or more, such as vacuum-sealed  canned bacon, up to 10 years, like Danish canned bacon.

http://beprepared.com/product.asp?pn=FS B050&sid=GOOGLE&gclid=CObmqMmt_LACFUu9tgodqFMuLw


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