New York City's milk cartons have always been somewhat shrouded in mystery because of their confusing expiration date system, which leaves city cartons marked with two separate "Sell By" dates. But that could all be changing—according to the Daily News, the city's Health Department wants cartons to get just one, later "sell by" date stamp.
The city is one of the only places with its own milk dating system, and the current rules state the product can't be sold nine days after it was pasteurized (most areas get an extra week). The idea had been that it took more time to get the milk to the city's stores. Allegedly that's no longer a concern, and in fact, officials say, "People can drink milk out of a carton until it tastes no longer palatable to them. There is no hazard of drinking milk after its expiration." Bottoms up!
