It seems like I just emptied the 100th ice cube tray of the season, but overnight it was time for hot chocolate and goodbye to iced coffee. I did have to lay in a new supply of those convenient little premixed cocoa/sugar envelopes and was so glad it was on sale for only a buck, but the manufacturer’s shrinking department had struck again. There are six envelopes where once we got eight. That’s a 25 percent reduction in quantity, no reduction in price.

The so-called Cost of Living Allowance for recipients of Social Security this coming year will never be enough to cover increased utility expenses and food costs (especially cocoa mix). Plan now to support and/or visit your local food pantry.

I’ve always been confused by those little “pull dates” on cans and packages in the grocery store, and have threatened to write about it. So, using the Internet as a research library, I went to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website and found a lot of information to share. This knowledge may open up a way to save on the purchase of prepared foods – more money for hot chocolate. I hear there are stores opening up that will sell, at discount prices, groceries that have “expired.”

But here’s what the USDA tells us about the significance of those dates:

“Sell-by” date tells the store how long to display the product. Buy before the date expires.

“Best if Used By (or Before)” date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.

“Use-By” date is the last date recommended for use at peak quality. The manufacturer sets this date.

Except for “use-by” dates, product dates don’t always pertain to home storage and use after purchase. “Use-by” dates usually refer to best quality and are not safety dates. Even if the date expires during home storage, a product should be safe, wholesome and of good quality if handled properly.

Always purchase eggs before the “sell by” or “exp” date on the carton. After the eggs reach home, refrigerate the eggs in their original carton and place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not in the door. For best quality, use eggs within three to five weeks of the date you purchase them. The “sell-by” date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use.

Since product dates aren’t a guide for safe use of a product, how long can the consumer store the food and still use it at top quality? Follow these tips:

Purchase the product before the date expires. If perishable, take the food home immediately after purchase and refrigerate it promptly. Freeze it if you can’t use it within times recommended. Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn’t matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely.

For example, a canned ham, labeled “keep refrigerated” can be kept nine months until it is opened – then use it within three to four days. A canned ham, shelf stable (not marked “keep refrigerated”), and kept on a shelf, is good for two years until you open it – then it’s good for three to five days. Once it’s open, refrigerate it.

Other kinds of canned meat, shelf stable, will keep in the cupboard up to five years and once open, three to five days.

I cannot recall when this dating of food began, but if these designations are just as confusing to others as to me, what harm would it have been to leave things the way they were – seems to me we got along for a century without being told when food had spoiled.

Kay Soldier welcomes reader ideas for column topics of interest to seniors. She can be reached by email at kso48@aol.com, or write to 114 Tandberg Trail, Windham, ME 04062.