Do expiry dates on food mean anything at all to consumers?

With recession biting holes in your budget, you might be less inclined to throw away food that looks and smells good, even though the date stamp says it expired yesterday.
While it is best to consume before the given date, where's the problem if you go ahead and eat it anyway, and suffer no ill effects?
An Australian study found New Zealanders annually threw out food worth $750 million, with its authors saying confusion over best-before and use-by dates had contributed to the wastage.
Consumers were confused by labelling when the concept was quite simple, Food Safety Authority senior manager labelling Margaret Brooker told NZPA.
Best-before was an indication of how long food would remain at its best quality, while use-by was the date after which it should not be consumed because of health and safety reasons.
``If in doubt don't consume it. Trust your instincts,'' Ms Brooker said.
But food scientists have said most foods that had expired, but looked and smelled ok, were safe to eat for a few days.
Food specialists were divided on the usefulness of the labels, saying rate of deterioration depended on how well food was stored and handled.
Food exposed to light and warmth and lacking hygiene in handling tending to spoil faster.
Deterioration levels varied from food to food, with perishables such as milk and meat spoiling faster than canned or bottled items.
Date marking was needed for most packaged food with a shelf life of less than two years, Ms Brooker said.
It was illegal to sell food after its use-by date had expired, and while most countries did not have regulations covering date labelling it was mandatory in New Zealand and Australia, Ms Brooker said.
Food scientists said food deteriorated from the time it was harvested, butchered or processed.
Lydia Buchtman of the Food Standards Authority New Zealand-Australia said foods with best-before dates would be best in quality and nutrition before that date but could still be eaten a few days later, she said.
``The only exception is if you belong to a vulnerable group, like the elderly or pregnant women.''
The food industry tended to be conservative with its dates, she said.
``It is not in their interest for people becoming unwell after consuming their product.''
With milk and meat, consumers who refrigerated them as soon as they got home had a three-to-seven day grace period after the use-by date elapsed.
If vegetables had not lost their looks, ignore the printed date, food scientists said.
Wellington dietitian Kath Fouhy told NZPA throwing away expired food depended on whether it had a best-before or use-by date.
``If it was a use-by date I'd throw it out.''
If it was a best-before date, she would be ruled by how food had been handled and stored.